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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-, ˌvyɛt-, ˌvi ɪt- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Vietnam or its inhabitants.

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noun

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

• anti-Vietnamese
  adjective
• pro-Vietnamese
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Vietnamese

First recorded in 1945–50; Vietnam + -ese

Example Sentences

In order to ship coffee to Europe, Vietnamese and Brazilian suppliers will soon have to supply the GPS coordinates of their plantations.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

For me, that often means stopping by my local Vietnamese grocery store specifically for produce.

From Salon • May 22, 2026

Tran became the first Vietnamese American to represent a district that is home to Little Saigon.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

The price of Vietnamese rice exports, for instance, has surged as production costs rise.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

So many lives lost, both Americans and Vietnamese.

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