The French presence in Vietnam from 1858 to 1954 left many words in the Vietnamese language. These words borrowed from French had to undergo certain phonetic modifications in order to be integrated into the local language. And there are many more, all of them quite similar to French pronunciation if you listen carefully. But the Vietnamese have made life simpler: they don’t use the articles un, une or le, la in front of these words !
A, B, C, D
acide a xít, affiche áp phích, allô a lô, antenne ăng ten, auto ô tô artichaut ac ti sô
aspirine aspirin, autobus ô tô buýt, balcon ban công, ballet ba lê, ballot (sac à dos) ba lô
beurre bơ, beston bê tông, bière bia, billes (jeu) bi, biscuit bánh bích quy, blockhaus lô cốt
biftek bít tết, blouse bờ lu, bombe bom, bougie bu gi, boulon bu lông, brosse bót, bus buýt
café cà phê, cantine căng tin, caoutchouc cao su, caramel caramen, cari ca ri, cas ca
cacao ca cao, calot (mũ) ca lô, carotte cà rốt, canot (tàu) ca nô, chemise sơ mi, chèque séc
champagne sâm banh, chocolat sô cô la, chef sếp, ciment xi măng, cinéma xi nê, cirque xiếc
clé cờ lê, cognac cô nhắc, compass com pa, complet com lê, coffrage cốp pha, chou-fleur súp lơ
corset cooc xê, coupe cúp, cravatte ca ra vát, crème kem, cyclo xích lô, dollar đô la, divan đi văng
E, F, G, J, K, L, M, N, O, P
équerre ê ke, équipe ê kíp, essence xăng, fermeture phéc mơ tuya, film phim, frein cái phanh
fromage phô mai, gâteau (bánh) ga-tô, gare ga, gaz ga, gallant ga lăng, gant găng, gare nhà ga
garde gác, gateau ga tô, gilet (áo) gi lê, golf gôn, gomme à effacer gôm, guidon ghi đông, guitare ghita
jambon giăm bông, kiosque ki ốt, laine len, lavabo la va bô, maillot may ô, maquette ma két, manteau măng tô
médaille mề đay, mouchoir mùi xoa, moutarde mù tạt, Noël Nô en, oeuf au plat ốp la, olive ôliu, pâté pa tê
pédé pê đê, pile pin, piston pít tông, pompe bơm, poupée búp bê, pédale pê đan, pénicilline pê ni xi lin
R, S, T, V, Y, Z
radio rađiô, rhum rượu rum, salade xà lách, salon sa lông, sauce (nước) xốt, scandale xì căng đan
seau xô, saucisse xúc xích, savon xà bông, signal xi nhan, série xê ri, sirop xi rô, soupe xúp
soutien-gorge xu chiêng, talus ta luy, tank tăng, taxi tắc xi, timbre tem, tôle tôn, tournevis tuốc nơ vít
tube tuýp, turbine tuốc bin, type típ, vaccin vắc xin, valise va li, veine ven, veston vét tông, vidéo vi deo
vionlon vi ô lông, vitamine vi ta min, vin vang, vis vít, vodka vốt ca, volant vô lăng, yaourt da ua, zéro zê rô
Au contraire :
There are also some French words of Vietnamese origin :
Ao Dai : traditional dress
Banh mi : Vietnamese sandwich
Banh xeo : a crispy rice pancake with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts
Bo bun : a dish of rice vermicelli with beef
Nuoc mam : fish sauce
Pho : a well-known Vietnamese soup
Tet : Lunar New Year
Nem : a traditional Vietnamese dish
Viet Kieu : Overseas Vietnamese
Viet Vo Dao : martial art of Vietnamese origin
