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• Vietnamese
  Vietnamese

  adjective

  of or relating to Vietnam or its inhabitants.
• vietnamese
  vietnamese

  adjective

  of, relating to, or characteristic of Vietnam, its people, or their language

Vietnamese

American  

[vee-et-nah-meez, -mees, -nuh-, vyet-, vee-it-] / viˌɛt nɑˈmiz, -ˈmis, -nə-, ˌvjɛt-, ˌvi ɪt- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Vietnam or its inhabitants.

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noun

• Vietnamese
  plural

1. Formerly Annamite.  Formerly Annamese.  the Austroasiatic language of Vietnam.

2. Sometimes Offensive. a native or inhabitant of Vietnam.

vietnamese British  

/ ˌvjɛtnəˈmiːz /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Vietnam, its people, or their language

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Vietnam

2. the language of Vietnam, probably related to the Mon-Khmer languages

Sensitive Note

Some words that describe national or ethnic identities are acceptable as plural nouns, but are either rare or offensive in the singular. This is the case for Vietnamese. It’s sometimes acceptable as a plural noun (a candidate favored by Vietnamese ). However, it's sometimes offensive as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Vietnamese ). Such words are always perfectly appropriate as adjectives (strategies to get Vietnamese voters to the polls).

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Vietnamese
  adjective
• pro-Vietnamese
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Vietnamese
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Vietnamese

First recorded in 1945–50; Vietnam + -ese

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Vietnamese

The setting was not a Greek restaurant but a Vietnamese joint.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

When their father dies and leaves behind a sketch that might be the work of renowned Vietnamese painter K.P.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Wolfoo, a Vietnamese animation about a young wolf who lives with his family, has had hundreds of millions of views online.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Even if he gets his money back, Ma said the trust that had existed among the San Fernando Valley’s Vietnamese community has been broken by the scandal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

He was after the North Vietnamese troops just across the border in Cambodia that were moving into Vietnam, attacking, and running back into Cambodia to hide in the jungle.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge