chúc mừng Giáng sinh
chúc mừng Giáng sinh is the Vietnamese way to say merry Christmas. Wiktionary also lists chúc mừng Nô-en and mừng Chúa Giáng sinh.
Meaning: good wishes at Christmas time (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| chúc mừng Giáng sinh | |
| chúc mừng Nô-en | [t͡ɕʊwk͡p̚˧˦ mɨŋ˨˩ no˧˧ ʔɛn˧˧] (Hà Nội, word by word, narrow) |
| mừng Chúa Giáng sinh |
This phrase is used to offer good wishes during the Christmas season. Much like in English, it is frequently used as a standalone exclamation, often written with an exclamation mark: Chúc mừng Giáng sinh!
Which one should you use?
The phrase chúc mừng Giáng sinh is a general greeting. In contrast, mừng Chúa Giáng sinh is more explicitly religious because it includes the word Chúa, which means Lord or God. Additionally, chúc mừng Nô-en utilizes the loanword Nô-en from the French word Noël and is commonly used in more casual or Westernized contexts.
Did you know?
- In Vietnam, Christmas is often treated as a social occasion for couples to go on dates and friends to gather in city centers rather than a family-centric home holiday.
- The word giáng in Giáng sinh literally translates to 'to fall', describing the birth of Christ as a descent from heaven to earth.
- While Christmas is a religious holiday, chúc mừng Giáng sinh is widely used as a secular greeting among the non-Christian majority in Vietnam.
Examples in context
- Chúc mừng giáng sinh!Merry Christmas!This sentence shows how to use the phrase as a standalone exclamation.Tatoeba #5821 by khoaharp, translation #1723 by brauliobezerra
- Chúc mừng Giáng sinh tới cả gia đình bạn.Merry Christmas to your whole family.
Example conversation
Mai and Nam meet at a festive cafe.
- MaiChào Nam, chúc mừng Giáng sinh nhé!Hi Nam, Merry Christmas!
- NamCảm ơn Mai, chúc mừng Giáng sinh bạn nhé.Thank you Mai, Merry Christmas to you too.
- MaiBạn có đi chơi tối nay không?Are you going out tonight?
- NamCó, mình sẽ đi ăn với gia đình.Yes, I am going to eat with my family.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry Christmas” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (chúc, mừng, Nô-en) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Chúa, Nô-en, chúa, chúc, giáng, mừng, sinh, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
