du lịch
[zu˧˧ lïk̟̚˧˨ʔ]
To travel in Vietnamese, you say du lịch.
The term du lịch is used as a verb meaning to be on a journey. It also functions as the standard noun for 'tourism'. When you want to refer to a specific trip or journey as a noun, you should use chuyến du lịch. Additionally, if you want to specify traveling with others, you can use the phrase Du lịch cùng gia đình/bạn bè to mean traveling with family or friends. If you are looking for the word for 'accommodation', use Nơi nghỉ ngơi.
Meaning: be on a journey (verb)
Which one should you use?
While du lịch can be used as a verb meaning 'to travel', it is also the standard noun for 'tourism'. To distinguish a specific event like 'a trip' or 'a journey' from the general concept, use the noun phrase chuyến du lịch.
Did you know?
- While du lịch refers to general tourism, Vietnamese youth use the slang term phượt to describe adventurous, budget backpacking specifically on motorbikes.
- The du part of du lịch shares an etymological root with do thám, which means 'to scout' or 'to spy'.
- The element lịch in du lịch shares a root with the word for 'calendar', linking the idea of traveling to the passage of time and space.
Examples in context
- Tôi thích đi du lịch.I like to travel.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal preference for the form du lịch.Tatoeba #722126 by autuno, translation #692207 by Riskemulo
- Anh ấy thích đi du lịch.He likes to travel.This sentence is useful for expressing a third-person preference for the form du lịch.Tatoeba #11449872 by chaule3, translation #10933389 by JeanM
- Nhiều người thích đi du lịch.Many people like to travel.This sentence is useful for expressing a general preference of many people for the form du lịch.Tatoeba #10269488 by Alex_do, translation #4109716 by CK
- Tôi yêu du lịch.I love to travel.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chi and Nam are discussing their plans for the summer holiday.
- ChiHè này Nam có muốn đi du lịch không?Do you want to travel this summer, Nam?
- NamCó, mình muốn đi du lịch Đà Lạt.Yes, I want to travel to Da Lat.
- ChiChi cũng muốn đi du lịch nơi đó.Chi wants to travel there too.
- NamVậy chúng ta cùng đi du lịch nhé!Then let's travel together!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry du lịch, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, du lịch, lịch, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
