Pimsleur Vietnamese Basic Course (Review)

While Vietnam is a great country, the language barrier makes it tough to communicate. Asking for directions or ordering food is difficult, unless you know some local words and phrases. Because of this, I recommend that every traveler invests in the Pimsleur Vietnamese Basic Course.

This is a great home study program. And it will have you speaking Vietnamese in no time at all.

After a few weeks of practice, you’ll master all the basics: introducing yourself to others, getting directions, and ordering meals. It’ll tear down the language barrier, making it easier for you to communicate with locals.

My Experience With The Pimsleur Vietnamese Basic Course

I ordered this course in 2014. At the time, I had never been to Vietnam and knew nothing about the language.

However, since I was planning on moving to Vietnam, I figured it would be worth learning a few local words and phrases.

Since the Pimsleur program comes on audio CDs, I’d listen to each lesson in my car. And I’d practice speaking Vietnamese for 30 minutes each day, while driving to work. Doing this is great, because you’re able to learn as you drive. Plus, you’re saved from having to listen to those annoying radio pop songs.

Additionally, the Pimsleur Vietnamese Basic Course is based around a “listen and repeat” learning strategy.

This is exactly how you’d learn Vietnamese if you hired a private tutor.

In fact, the only difference between this Pimsleur course and a tutor is price. The Pimsleur program costs $16 for five hours of lessons, while a tutor would cost about $100 for that same amount of time.

That’s a savings of $84.

Lastly, you can listen to the Pimsleur CDs over and over again. This is crucial, because learning a new language requires lots of repetition. It’s not uncommon for me to practice a single word or phrase dozens of times before I finally understand it.

With a tutor, doing this level of repetition would cost thousands of dollars. But through Pimsleur it’s free.

Who Will Benefit From This Program?

(Spring Rolls I Ordered At A Vietnamese Restaurant In The USA)

Although the Pimsleur Vietnamese Basic Course is mainly aimed at tourists, it’s useful for almost everyone.

If you’re going to Vietnam, or live in an area with lots of Vietnamese people, this is a great program to study. In fact, here are just a few of the situations in which I’ve been able to use what I learned from this course:

Ordering pho is Ho Cho Minh City.
Booking a hotel room in Da Nang.
Asking for directions in Can Tho.
Getting a freelance writing job with a Vietnamese export company.
Messaging women on VietnamCupid.
Taking my parents out for spring rolls in the United States.

As you can see, there are tons of situations where knowing Vietnamese comes in handy.

If you have any plans to visit Vietnam, it’s crucial that you learn the language.

Doing so will make your trip infinitely more enjoyable.

Because of this, you need to try the Pimsleur Vietnamese Basic Course. It’s the best audio course there is. And you’ll master all the important local phrases within just a few weeks of using it.