HELLO VIETNAM – English Lyrics

• By: Pham Quynh Anh

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language is about more than just words; it's about understanding a culture's soul. 'Hello Vietnam' offers a beautiful and emotional entry point into the Vietnamese experience, particularly for those in the diaspora. Through its heartfelt lyrics, you can explore themes of identity, heritage, and longing, while its simple, poignant melody makes the language approachable and memorable. This song is special because it bridges generations and continents, capturing a universal desire to know where you come from.

[English]

Tell me all about this name

that is difficult to say

It was given me the day I was born

Want to know about the stories

of the empire of old

My eyes say more of me than

what you dare to say

All I know of you is all the sights of war

A film by Coppola, the helicopter's roar

One day I'll touch your soil

One day I'll finally know your soul

One day I'll come to you

to say hello Vietnam

Tell me all about my colour, my hair

and my little feet

that have carried me

every mile of the way

Want to see your house, your streets

show me all I do not know

wooden sampans,

floating markets light of gold

All I know of you is the sights of war

A film by Coppola, the helicopter's roar

One day I'll touch your soil

One day I'll finally know your soul

One day I'll come to you

to say hello Vietnam

And Buddha's made of stone

watch over me

My dreams they lead me through

the fields of rice

In prayer, in the light, I see my kin

I touch my tree, my roots, my begin

One day I'll touch your soil

One day I'll finally know your soul

One day I'll come to you

to say hello Vietnam

One day I'll walk your soil

One day I'll finally know my soul

One day I'll come to you

to say hello Vietnam

to say hello Vietnam

To say: Xin Chao Viet Nam

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to.
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - a period of 24 hours as a unit of time, beginning when the sun rises and ending when the sun sets.
born /bɔːrn/ A2	verb - come into existence through birth.
stories /ˈstɔːriz/ A2	noun - an account of past events in someone's life or in the development of something.
empire /ˈempaɪər/ B1	noun - an extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority, formerly especially an emperor or empress.
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - each of a pair of organs of sight.
war /wɔːr/ B1	noun - a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country.
soil /sɔɪl/ B1	noun - the upper layer of earth in which plants grow.
soul /soʊl/ B2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
colour /ˈkʌlər/ A1	noun - the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light.
hair /hɛər/ A1	noun - any of the fine, threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans.
feet /fiːt/ A1	noun - the part of the leg below the ankle on which a person stands and walks.
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation, especially one that is lived in by a family or small group of people.
streets /striːts/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town, typically with houses and buildings on one or both sides.
markets /ˈmɑːrkɪts/ A2	noun - a regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods.
gold /ɡoʊld/ A1	noun - a yellow precious metal, the chemical element of atomic number 79.
dreams /driːmz/ A1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.
fields /fiːldz/ A1	noun - an area of open land, especially one planted with crops or used for pasture.
tree /triː/ A1	noun - a woody perennial plant, typically having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height and bearing lateral branches at some distance from the ground.
roots /ruːts/ A2	noun - the part of a plant which attaches it to the ground or to a support, typically underground.

Key Grammar Structures

• Tell me all about this name that is difficult to say

  ➔ Relative Clause

  ➔ The phrase 'that is difficult to say' is a relative clause modifying 'name'. It provides additional information about the noun.

• It was given me the day I was born

  ➔ Passive Voice

  ➔ The sentence uses the passive voice with 'was given' to emphasize the action rather than the doer.

• All I know of you is all the sights of war

  ➔ Emphatic Structure

  ➔ The use of 'All... is all...' creates an emphatic structure to highlight the limited knowledge.

• One day I'll touch your soil

  ➔ Future Tense with 'will'

  ➔ The phrase 'I'll touch' uses 'will' to express a future action.

• In prayer, in the light, I see my kin

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ The phrases 'in prayer' and 'in the light' are prepositional phrases providing context to the action.

• I touch my tree, my roots, my begin

  ➔ Possessive Adjectives

  ➔ The words 'my tree', 'my roots', and 'my begin' use possessive adjectives to show ownership.

• To say: Xin Chao Viet Nam

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The phrase 'To say' uses the infinitive form to express the purpose of the action.