I have asked many of my foreign friends what they think when Vietnamese people speak English. And almost all foreigners have the same thoughts as follows!
It sounds harsh but it's true! The English we are speaking is not real English. In Vietnam, there are only a few people who can speak English completely correctly. The pronunciation and intonation that Vietnamese people speak are not consistent with what native speakers express. They all know this but everyone understands the language and cultural differences. Therefore, they respect the Vietnamese way of speaking and feel grateful that we are speaking their mother tongue in Vietnam.
Native speakers will immediately recognize the most serious flaw in the way Vietnamese people speak: the lack of final sounds. Because we do not have the habit of clearly pronouncing final sounds, linking sounds, adding slurred sounds, etc., English words are pronounced like Vietnamese. Many people also find it very difficult to understand Vietnamese people speaking English. They almost do not understand anything because Vietnamese people have omitted all final sounds.
This is quite funny because it seems that Vietnamese people have created some new ways of speaking. Or these expressions are actually not commonly used in the indigenous community. For example, Vietnamese people often use the word 'condition' instead of conditions in general, including physical conditions. For example:
My family didn’t have condition for me to go abroad.
But for native speakers, 'condition' cannot be used in the above sentence. Maybe you should directly say you don't have enough money or replace it with the word 'means'
My family didn’t have the money for me to go abroad.
My family didn’t have the means for me to go abroad.
The cause of these errors is also because Vietnamese people bring Vietnamese thinking into English. It's not always right to translate your way of thinking into English!
When talking to native speakers, especially mentioning Vietnamese place names, most Vietnamese people will speak Vietnamese to them. For example:
I have been in Ha Noi for a long time. Ha Noi a has many beautiful places, especially Hoan Kiem lake. If you want to go there, you go straight ahead to Hang Bai Street and you come to Ly Thai To Street….
The problem is, you pronounce Vietnamese words in such a way that foreigners cannot understand. Even though we know we are Vietnamese and that is the Vietnamese pronunciation, please respect foreigners by speaking in English. Hanoi will change to Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake will change to The Sword Lake, Hang Bai Street, Ly Thai To Street,... Or more simply, just show the name of the street on the map.
Even though they still make many mistakes, the efforts of Vietnamese people to learn English make foreigners very grateful. They have never seen in any country that learning English has become a "national policy" like Vietnam. Students, even working people, strive to learn English. Because of this, they always feel that Vietnamese people have their own charm, perhaps the beauty of determination to never give up.
Every year, the number of foreign tourists coming to Vietnam is very large. That is an opportunity for you to practice, practice and also an opportunity to promote your image to international friends. Hopefully in the future, foreigners will have a more comprehensive view of Vietnamese people's English speaking ability.