How to Say “Good Day” in Vietnamese

Ngày tốt lành
Ngày tốt lành is the Vietnamese way to say good day.
This phrase is used as a greeting between sunrise and sunset.
Meaning: greeting between sunrise and sunset (intj)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of Ngày (day) and tốt lành (good/blessed/auspicious).

Which one should you use?

While Ngày tốt lành is a literal translation of 'Good day', Vietnamese speakers are much more likely to use Chào (Hello) or Chúc một ngày tốt lành (Wish you a good day) to convey similar sentiments.

How does it change in a sentence?

To make the phrase sound more natural as a greeting or well-wish, it is often preceded by the verb Chúc (to wish), as seen in the form Chúc một ngày tốt lành! (Wish (you) a good day!).

Did you know?

  • In Vietnamese culture, greetings like Chúc một ngày tốt lành are more of a 'parting wish' than a 'hello' used when first meeting someone.
  • The word ngày for 'day' is a distant relative of the word sngi in Khasi and thngay in Khmer, as they all share an ancient Austroasiatic ancestor.

Examples in context

  • Một ngày tốt lành!
    Good day!
    This sentence shows how to use Ngày tốt lành as a standalone exclamation.
    Tatoeba #1550787 by trieuho, translation #855284 by pirytm
  • Chúc ngày mới tốt lành!
    Wishing you a good day!
  • Xin chào! Bạn có khỏe không?
    Hello! How are you?
  • Chào buổi chiều! Bạn đang làm gì vậy?
    Good afternoon! What are you doing?
  • Một ngày tốt lành nhé!
    Have a nice day!
  • Chúc bạn một ngày tốt lành.
    Wish you a good day.

Example conversation

Nam and Hương meet at a coffee shop in the afternoon.

  1. Nam

    Chào Hương, ngày tốt lành!
    Hi Hương, good day!
  2. Hương

    Chào Nam, cảm ơn anh.
    Hi Nam, thank you.
  3. Nam

    Hôm nay bạn thế nào?
    How are you today?
  4. Hương

    Tôi rất khỏe, cảm ơn anh.
    I am very well, thank you.

Sources

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Steven Roger
Steven RogerHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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