An A1 level of Vietnamese would be sufficient for very simple interactions, for example as a new visitor in Vietnam. An A1 level would not be sufficient for other academic or professional purposes. Someone at the A1 level in Vietnamese can interact with other people in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

The official can-do statements are broken down into smaller chunks for teaching purposes. This more detailed skill breakdown can help you assess your own Vietnamese level, or help a teacher assess a student’s level. For example, a student at the A1 level in Vietnamese will be able to:

use basic greetings
Introduce yourself simply,
Introduce family and friends, give a simple appearance description,
make simple orders for food at a restaurant or for take-out and pay for your bill,
able to address your favorite foods,
locate your home and give simple directions,
talk about daily activities in simple language,
able to arrange meetings with friends and colleagues,
talk about your hobbies and make plans for free-time activities with friends or colleagues.
describe current weather conditions and suggest activities according to the forecast,
discuss your holiday plans and tell friends and colleagues about your vacation afterwards,
talk about your feelings and give reasons and simple explanations,
give a simple description of your house.

Although progress will depend on the type of course and the individual student, students can expect to reach the A1 level in Vietnamese with approximately 30-50 lessons of instruction.

An A2 level of Vietnamese is sufficient for visiting and living in Vietnam and socializing with Vietnamese speakers, although to develop deeper friendships an A2 level is not adequate. An A2 level also allows for networking with colleagues, but working in Vietnamese is limited to very familiar topics at the A2 level. An A2 level of Vietnamese is not sufficient for academic study or for consuming most Vietnamese-language media (TV, movies, radio, magazines, etc.).

The official can-do statements are broken down into smaller pieces for teaching purposes. This more detailed skill breakdown can help you assess your own Vietnamese level, or help a teacher assess a student’s level. For example, a student at the A2 level in Vietnamese will be able to talk about all the things that a student in level A1 can, with fluency and using complex sentences, in addition will be able to:

be able to address and locate personal items when losing them, forgetting them, borrowing them, etc.
talk about the things you like or not like about the house, locating housing items, etc.
tell people the places where you are, where you want to go to, asking for a lift / pickup there, etc.
talk about your pains and common sickness symptoms,
be able to comfortably purchase food at the market and read the Vietnamese menus,
communicate what kind of clothes you like to wear and ask sales clerks simple questions about it.
describe your country / hometown simply, mentioning cuisine, weather, famous destinations, etc.
talk about favorite songs / music trends / movies / tv-programs / books and choose one to enjoy with friends, or plan a night out to a live music concert or a cinema, etc.
talk about maintaining a healthy lifestyle with doing sports and regular exercising as well as giving/getting simple advice about healthy habits.

Although progress will depend on the type of course and the individual student, students can expect to reach the A2 level in Vietnamese with approximately 100 lessons of cumulative instruction.

A B1 level of Vietnamese would be sufficient for producing simple connected text on topics which are familiar, and dealing with most daily situations and interactions with Vietnamese speakers. In the workplace, people at a B1 level are able to read simple reports on familiar topics and write simple emails on subjects in their field. However, a B1 level is not adequate to function fully in the workplace in Vietnamese.

describe Vietnam and Vietnamese culture in detail, including cuisine, traffic, nature, scenery, etc.
talk about your life in Vietnam, including why you decided to move here, the difficulties and culture differences that you have faced, etc.
arrange a job interview and interview for a job in your area of expertise.
engage in communication at work, including socializing with colleagues, attending meetings on familiar topics and networking events, etc.
discuss your personal and professional hopes and dreams for the future.
describe your education and your plans for future personal development to make those dreams come true.
Describe a movie / book or interest in detail and give recommendations.
talk about the traits / personalities of people around you: family, partner, colleagues, housemates, neighbors, etc.

Although progress will depend on the type of course and the individual student, students can expect to reach the B1 level in Vietnamese with 200 lessons of cumulative instruction.

A B2 level of Vietnamese would allow you to function in the workplace in Vietnamese. A person working in Vietnamese at a B2 level will, however, lack nuance particularly outside his own field. He may also miss some of the subtleties and implied meanings in conversation. Someone at the B2 level in Vietnamese:

Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.
Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.
Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

The official can-do statements are broken down into smaller pieces for teaching purposes. This more detailed skill breakdown can help you assess your own Vietnamese level, or help a teacher assess a student’s level. For example, a student at the B2 level in Vietnamese will be able to do all the things that a student in level B1 can do, and in addition will be able to:

discuss gender issues as they relate to perceptions of rudeness and cultural norms.
talk about your personal finances and give advice to friends and colleagues about their finances.
talk about your personal and professional lifestyle, including a description of your life at work.
explain your education, experience, strengths and weaknesses, and discuss your career path.
talk about mental processes and how you can use them to improve your effectiveness on the job.
talk about what you like to read and make recommendations about good things to read.
use appropriate language in social situations, including praising and expressing sympathy.
discuss leadership qualities and talk about leaders whom you admire.
deal with relatively complex awkward situations that arise in social and business contexts.
discuss common political situations and the behavior of politicians.

Although progress will depend on the type of course and the individual student, students can expect to reach the B2 level in Vietnamese with 300 lessons of cumulative instruction.

A C1 level of Vietnamese allows for a full range of functionality at work or in an academic setting. The C1 level would allow for full autonomy in Vietnam. Someone at the C1 level in Vietnamese:

Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning.
Can express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.
Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

discuss in detail issues related to success, including building a motivated, successful team.
talk in some detail about your favorite paintings and the architecture of buildings that you like.
discuss societal problems, possible solutions for problems and what role corporations can play.
participate in discussions about conservation, sustainability and habitat protection.
talk about events and issues in the news and how they affect people and companies.
talk about risks in life, including changing jobs and doing dangerous sports.
compare and contrast various forms of education and individual schools.
discuss various types of humor, including subtle forms like sarcasm.
understand various communication styles, including direct, indirect, formal and informal.
discuss issues related to your quality of life, including work-life balance and home environment.
understand and discuss issues related to ethics, like civil disobedience.

Although progress will depend on the type of course and the individual student, students can expect to reach the C1 level in Vietnamese with 400 lessons of cumulative instruction.

A C2 level of Vietnamese is essentially a native level. It allows for reading and writing of any type on any subject, nuanced expression of emotions and opinions, and active participation in any academic or professional setting. Someone at the C2 level in Vietnamese:

Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read.
Can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation.
Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations.

discuss issues related to science and technology, including robots and new inventions.
talk about celebrities, celebrity activism and gossip about celebrities.
use a variety of techniques for promoting creativity in your speech and writing.
discuss financial planning and give and understand advice about personal finance.
talk about stress in your life and the lives of friends and colleagues.
discuss techniques for doing research on a wide range of topics.

Although progress will depend on the type of course and the individual student, students can expect to reach the C2 level in Vietnamese with 500 lessons of cumulative instruction.

Vietnamese skills in detail – Let’s Speak Vietnamese

A1 level (Elementary)

A2 level (Pre-Inter)

B1 level (Inter)

B2 level (Upper-Inter)

C1 level (Advanced)

C2 level (Proficient)