The answer comes out in English.
Usually you reply in English, or you have to stop and search your memory for the few Vietnamese words you know.
You understand in Vietnamese, but only know how to respond in English.
, by Achieve Education, is an online Vietnamese course for people who want to be more fluent in Vietnamese.
You understand more Vietnamese than you speak.
You can follow most of what your grandparents say over dinner, but when it’s your turn to answer, you can’t say it the way you want to in Vietnamese.
Nothing you tried got you speaking.
Your shifts are long, and your schedule leaves no room for a formal class that runs on someone else’s clock. You’ve tried Duolingo, a vocabulary app, and a handful of YouTube videos, mostly on your phone after work. You picked up a few words here and there, but none of it got you speaking.
You feel like a guest in the language you grew up hearing.
At dinner you’re stuck in the middle, translating with whatever Vietnamese you have and hoping nobody notices the words you skip.
We’re here to help you speak Vietnamese with 
It’s never too late to learn the language your family speaks, and you shouldn’t need a classroom or an open schedule to do it. Anyone who grew up hearing Vietnamese deserves the chance to answer their grandparents in it.
Kimly Hoang-Nakata, M.Ed.
Course Designer
Award-winning teacher and bilingual Vietnamese children’s book author, Kimly helped design the SayViet online course.
Cô Vi
Virtual Coach
Cô Vi is the virtual coach inside SayViet. She practices with you between lessons, on your schedule, and models each word so you can hear it, say it aloud, and try again.
With you can learn in three easy steps:
Learn it. Speak it. Use it. Learning Vietnamese should feel like coming back to a language and culture you love, not like catching up on something you owe.
1 Learn it on your schedule
Pick up a lesson whenever you have time: a greeting one day, a story the next. Story Time books come in Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels, so you can choose by how much Vietnamese you already know.
2 Speak it with Cô Vi
You see the words, hear Cô Vi say them, and practice aloud in the comfort of home. Repeat as often as you like, at your own pace.
3 Use it with the people you love
Bring the words home: a greeting at the door, an answer to your grandmother’s question, one small moment at a time.
What one membership includes
- 20 speaking lessons with Cô Vi
- 20 Story Time books in three levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced
- Foundations: 29 letters, 12 vowels and 6 tones
- Videos, games, printable worksheets and the audiobook The Pan That Sings
- One membership for your whole family
- An online web app, not a download
Speak it with Cô Vi.
Cô Vi says each phrase, and you say it back. Replay any lesson as often as you like.
How speaking practice works.
When it’s your turn, SayViet captures a short clip of what you say, turns it into text and checks it against the words in the lesson. It checks the words, not your accent. We don’t keep your clips on our servers or in your account. Each clip goes to ElevenLabs, our speech-to-text provider, to turn it into text.
Start at the level that fits you.
Beginner is mostly English with Vietnamese words tucked in. Intermediate is half and half. Advanced is all Vietnamese. Start where you are and move up when you’re ready.
Learn to read every letter.
Foundations covers 29 letters, 12 vowels and 6 tones. Tap a letter to hear it, see a word that uses it, and follow along as Cô Vi reads.
Learn by playing.
Hunt for treasures in a painted market, explore Bảo’s Cottage, and take a quiz after each Story Time book.
Don’t let a language gap become a generation gap.
Without a little practice each week, the Vietnamese you understand stays on the listening side.
Each dinner you answer in English, the words stay in your head instead of on your tongue, and each year the first Vietnamese sentence gets a little harder to start.
That small hesitation grows, too.
The longer speaking stays out of reach, the more it feels like something you should have done already, and the more being a guest in the conversation starts to feel normal.
A language gap reaches past words.
Fewer answers lead to fewer conversations, and fewer conversations lead to fewer words. Over time, your grandparents’ stories are heard but not answered in Vietnamese, and the language that connects your family drifts a little further from the next generation.
More words. More confidence. More moments together.
With , grow from first few words to a real conversation, so you feel at home in your family’s language.
You answer your grandparents in Vietnamese without searching for the words.
At dinner you’re at home in the conversation, not a guest in it, and their stories finally get answered in their own language.
It feels like coming back to a language you’ve always had.
Choose a planCommon questions about learning to speak Vietnamese with
I understand Vietnamese but can’t speak it. Where do I start?
Start with the free first lesson. Understanding and speaking are different skills, and speaking grows with practice out loud. In each speaking lesson, you see the words, hear Cô Vi say them, and practice aloud as often as you like.
Is SayViet for adults, or just for kids?
Any age. SayViet is organized by level, not by age. It starts from first words, so a grown-up learning for family dinners can begin at the beginning, and the Story Time books come in Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels that you choose by how much Vietnamese you already know.
Is SayViet a live class?
No. There’s no live teacher and no class schedule. Cô Vi is a virtual coach, a character created for SayViet. She models each word so you can hear it, say it aloud, and try again, whenever you have time.
I work long hours. Will it fit my schedule?
Yes. There’s no schedule to keep. Pick up a lesson after work or on a day off: a greeting one day, a story the next.
Can my spouse learn with me?
Yes. One membership covers your whole family, so you can practice together, and your spouse can start from first words.
How is SayViet different from a vocabulary app?
SayViet is built around speaking. In each of the 20 speaking lessons, you see the words, hear Cô Vi say them, and practice them aloud, and the Story Time books let you listen, read out loud and take a quiz at three levels. With monthly expanding content, you will have lots of opportunity to learn.
What does a membership include?
Both memberships give you the full SayViet program, including 20 speaking lessons with Cô Vi; Foundations, with 29 letters, 12 vowels and 6 tones; 20 Story Time books in three levels, Beginner (mostly English), Intermediate (half English, half Vietnamese) and Advanced (all Vietnamese); the audiobook The Pan That Sings; videos, interactive games and Free Play; and printable worksheets.
What’s in the free first lesson, and what does it cost?
The full Lesson 1: Greetings, all 12 Vietnamese vowels, and the complete first Story Time book, Lớn! (Big!), with its quiz. It costs nothing: create a free account and complete a $0 checkout. No card, no expiration, and no automatic subscription.
What do I need?
SayViet is an online web app, not a download. You need a device with a web browser and sound, plus a microphone to practice speaking with Cô Vi.
Monthly or annual? What’s the difference, and how do I cancel?
Only how you pay. Monthly is $29 a month. Annual is one $275 payment a year, which is over a free 2 months. You can cancel anytime from your account page. Your plan stays active until the end of the period you’ve already paid for. Questions about billing? Email Support@achieve.education.
