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“Chào bạn!”
Hello, friend!
A polite greeting used when meeting someone or saying hello
Chào anh!
Hello, brother!
Chào cô!
Hello, sister!
Used in both formal and informal contexts, often followed by the appropriate term of address (anh, chị, em, etc.)
To greet someone or say hello
Anh chào cô ấy mỗi buổi sáng.
He greets her every morning.
Can be used as a verb meaning 'to greet'
In Vietnamese culture, greetings are important. Always use the appropriate term of address (anh, chị, em, etc.) when greeting someone.
Use 'Chào' with honorifics in formal settings, and without in informal contexts.
From Sino-Vietnamese 朝 (cháo), meaning 'morning' or 'to greet'. The modern usage as a greeting is influenced by Chinese 早安 (zǎo'ān, 'good morning').
In formal contexts, it's often used with appropriate honorifics (e.g., 'Chào quý khách' for 'Hello, honored guest'). In casual speech, it can be shortened to just 'Chào'.