How to Type Vietnamese

Last Updated: March 10, 2023

There are two common ways to type Vietnamese: VNI and Telex. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Experiment with both and choose your favorite method. However, before starting to type, you need to install software that allows Vietnamese typing. This article will explain how to type Vietnamese with both VNI and Telex.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using VNI

1
Know the characteristics. VNI uses the digits row to add tones and diacritical marks. While it is the easier one to learn, it may take slightly longer to type since a 4th row is involved.
2
Start with the tone marks. Tone marks can be typed any time after a vowel is typed, and the software will automatically place the marks at their correct places. For example, to type "má" (mother), you need to type "ma1"; to type "mã" (code), type "ma4". The tone does not need to directly follow the vowel, so to type "mạng" (web), you can either type "ma5ng", "man5g", or "mang5" (note that m5ang is not accepted).
- Sharp tone ('dấu sắc') is 1
- Hanging tone ('dấu huyền') is 2
- Asking tone ('dấu hỏi') is 3
- Tumbling tone ('dấu ngã') is 4
- Heavy tone ('dấu nặng') is 5
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3
Learn the diacritical marks. Similar to tone marks, they can be typed at any point after the letter that it is supposed to be placed on. You only need to type once if there are 2 horns in a word; for example, to type "xương" (bone), type "xuong7"
- Circumflex (found in â, ê, ô) is 6
- Horn (found in ơ, ư) is 7
- Breve (found in ă) is 8
- Crossbar (found in đ) is 9
- The 0 key is used to erase the tone mark or diacritical mark in that word.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Telex

1
Know the characteristics. Telex uses letters to represent tones and diacritical marks. It is harder than VNI, but once mastered, it allows faster typing since only 3 rows are used. Telex is particularly common on mobile phones, since the number row is usually not displayed.
2
Start with the tone marks. Similar to VNI, tone marks can be typed at any point after the vowel.
- Sharp tone ('dấu sắc') is s
- Hanging tone ('dấu huyền') is f
- Asking tone ('dấu hỏi') is r
- Tumbling tone ('dấu ngã') is x
- Heavy tone ('dấu nặng') is j
3
Learn the diacritical marks. Similarly, diacritical marks can be placed at any point.
- To type the circumflex, type the same vowel twice. â is aa, ô is oo, ê is ee.
- Horn (found in ơ, ư) and breve (found is ă) is w
- Crossbar (found in đ) is d

Community Q&A

Question

How do you type in Vietnamese in a computer?

Smartimarti

Community Answer

On a Mac, go to Settings > Keyboard > input sources > select the + icon > select Vietnamese from the languages. You can switch the keyboard anytime by clicking on the flag on top of your screen.

Warnings

Enabling Telex can interfere with usual English typing; most Vietnamese typing software does not identify the language.

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