How to say "Per favore" in Vietnamese

Vietnamese culture values politeness, respect for hierarchy, and indirectness in requests. When using làm ơn, your tone and relationship with the listener determine how polite or casual the phrase feels. For strangers, elders, or people in positions of authority, always pair it with respectful language. For friends or younger people, a softer tone works. Avoid using it with close family members—context matters more than the phrase itself.

1. With strangers, elders, or authority figures (formal) Use làm ơn at the start of a polite request to sound respectful. It’s often paired with ạ (a deferential particle) at the end of the sentence to show extra politeness.

   • Làm ơn, cho tôi mượn quyển sách này một chút ạ.
     • "Please, could I borrow this book for a moment?"
   • Làm ơn, giúp tôi một tay với ạ.
     • "Please, could you give me a hand?"

2. With acquaintances or colleagues (neutral) Here, làm ơn works like a casual "please," but you can soften it further by adding nhé (a friendly particle) or đi (a gentle urging particle).

   • Làm ơn, nhắc tôi nhớ trả sách vào ngày mai nhé.
     • "Please remind me to return the book tomorrow."
   • Làm ơn, đưa giùm tôi cái bút đi.
     • "Please pass me that pen, will you?"

3. With close friends or younger people (casual) Among friends, làm ơn can sound a bit stiff, so it’s often replaced with vui lòng (more gentle) or simply implied through tone. If you use làm ơn, keep it light and friendly.

   • Làm ơn, mua giùm tôi ly cà phê nhé!
     • "Hey, could you buy me a coffee, please?"
   • Làm ơn, đừng nói vậy nữa.
     • "Please, don’t say that anymore."

4. In written requests (emails, messages) For formal emails or messages, làm ơn is too casual. Instead, use xin vui lòng (please) or xin nhờ (kindly request) for a polished tone.

   • Xin vui lòng gửi tài liệu cho tôi trước 5 giờ chiều.
     • "Please send me the documents by 5 PM."
   • Xin nhờ anh/chị xác nhận lịch họp sớm nhất có thể.
     • "Kindly confirm the meeting schedule as soon as possible."

👉 Most useful for daily life: Memorize làm ơn ạ for formal situations—it’s the safest, most universally polite way to say "please" in Vietnamese. Start with this, and adjust based on your relationship with the listener.