# Chào + person: hello / goodbye in Vietnamese (A1)

> Chào means both hello and goodbye, and it takes the person you're greeting: Chào anh, Chào chị Lan, Chào em.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/chao-greeting/ · Updated 2026-11-10

**hello / goodbye**

Pattern: `(Dạ,) ([your word] +) chào + [address word] (+ [name]) · ([your word] +) cảm ơn / xin lỗi + [address word]`

Level: A1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: chao

*Chào* means both hello and goodbye, and it takes the person you're greeting: *Chào anh*, *Chào chị Lan*, *Chào em*. Use the word you'd use for "you": *anh* or *chị* for someone a little older, *em* for someone younger, *cô* or *chú* for someone your parents' age. A bare *Chào!* sounds curt.

To someone clearly older or senior (your parents' age, a teacher, a boss), also put your own word in front, and often *dạ*: *Dạ, em chào chị.* *Con chào chú.* This is how to greet a teacher, a friend's parents or an older neighbour. The older person answers simply *Chào em* or *Chào con*. In Hà Nội, a younger person calls themselves *cháu* with people their parents' age: *Cháu chào chú ạ.* With friends or colleagues just a bit older, *Chào anh* alone is fine.

*Cảm ơn* (thank you) and *xin lỗi* (sorry, excuse me) take the person in the same way: *Em cảm ơn anh.* *Xin lỗi chị.*

*Xin chào* is mostly heard on signs, in speeches and on television. Face to face, people usually say *chào* and the person's word, though *xin chào* is fine with a stranger or a group when you don't know what to call them. Among young friends you'll also hear English "hi" and "bye".

## Examples

- Dạ, em chào chị. — Hello. (to an older woman)
- Chào em, em khỏe không? — Hi, how are you? (to someone younger)
- Saigon: Con chào chú. | Hà Nội: Cháu chào chú. — Hello. (to a man your parents' age)
- Em cảm ơn anh nhiều. — Thank you so much. (to an older man)
- Saigon: Chào anh, mai gặp lại nha. | Hà Nội: Chào anh, mai gặp lại nhé. — Bye, see you tomorrow.

## Compare

- [You and I are family words: anh, chị, em, cô, chú, ba / mẹ and con, thầy / cô and em](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/address-kinship/): address by age and relationship
- [Wishing someone well: chúc + person + wish](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/chuc-wish/): I wish you …; congratulations

Previous in Words at the start and end of a sentence: [Calling someone: name + ơi](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/oi-calling/)
Next in Words at the start and end of a sentence: [Of course! … chứ](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/chu-of-course/)

---

Add to Vietnamese Buddy: https://app.vietnamesebuddy.com/waitlist?source=grammar%3Au_chao_greeting
In the app, the grammar points from your own class material are kept with their status, and any word you meet while reading can go into your lexicon with its audio, ready to study.