Vietnamese

noun

Viet·​nam·​ese vē-ˌet-nə-ˈmēz 

ˌvyet-,

ˌvē-ət- 

ˌvēt-,

-na-,

-nä-,

-ˈmēs 

plural Vietnamese

1

: a native or inhabitant of Vietnam

2

: the language of the largest group in Vietnam and the official language of the country

Vietnamese adjective

Examples of Vietnamese in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Two of the dead were Americans, including Oakland resident Sherine Chong, while the four others were Vietnamese, police officials in Bangkok said, according to the Washington Post. —Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2024

Traces of cyanide were found in the blood of the four Vietnamese and two Vietnamese-Americans, said Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin, head of the forensic medicine department at Chulalongkorn University’s medical school, at a news conference on Wednesday. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 17 July 2024

Four of those found dead were Vietnamese and were identified as Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 47; Pham Hong Thanh, 49; Tran Dinh Phu, 37; and Nguyen Thi Phuong, 46. —Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 17 July 2024

The best new restaurants in the D.C. area Explore Post food critic Tom Sietsema’s 26 favorite new restaurants in the D.C. area, featuring a new pizza place from a familiar name, vegetarian Vietnamese, Afro-fusion and a triple helping of standout Mexican options. —Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 11 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Vietnamese

• Vietnamese cinnamon
• Vietnamese potbellied pig

Kids Definition

Vietnamese

noun

Viet·​nam·​ese vē-ˌet-nə-ˈmēz  ˌvyet-  ˌvē-ət- 

ˌvēt-,

-na-,

-nä,

-ˈmēs

plural Vietnamese

1

: a person born or living in Vietnam

2

: the official language of Vietnam

Vietnamese adjective