Opening and closing a letter: Kính gửi …, … thân mến, Trân trọng
letter openings and closings
Pattern: Kính gửi / Kính thưa + [title, name], (formal) · [name] + thân mến, (friendly) · Trân trọng, (formal closing) · Thân, (friendly closing)
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Typed without accents: kinh gui, than men
Variants
- Thầy / Cô kính mến, (respectful opening)
- Kính thư, (older formal closing)
A formal letter or email opens with Kính gửi (respectfully to) and the person's title and name, followed by a comma: Kính gửi ông Nam, Kính gửi chị Hoa. It also works for an office or a company: Kính gửi Phòng Nhân sự (to the HR department). Kính thưa and Thưa, which you know from speech, sound more ceremonious; they suit a teacher or someone older you respect.
A friendly letter or message puts thân mến (dear) after the name: Lan thân mến, Anh Minh thân mến. Kính mến, with respect and affection, sits in the same place: Thầy kính mến, from a student to a teacher.
In the letter itself, keep the address words you'd use in speech: the reader is still anh, chị or thầy, and you are em or tôi.
A formal email usually closes with Trân trọng (respectfully) and your name. Older or very formal letters may end with Kính thư. To a friend, Thân (warmly) or a short wish is enough: Chúc chị khỏe!
Examples
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Kính gửi ông Nam,
Dear Mr Nam,
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Kính gửi Phòng Nhân sự,
To the Human Resources Department,
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Thầy kính mến,
Dear teacher, (a student writing to a male teacher)
-
Lan thân mến,
Dear Lan,
-
Trân trọng,
Kind regards,