In the conversation, below, Mai and Huong are talking to Nam, a Vietnamese woman who
is three years their junior. Nam is 23 years old. The women are talking about the nickname that
Nam has given to Huong and saved in her cell phone. Note that the form of address changes if
a person talks to a younger person. Nam knows that she is younger than Huong and Mai, and
realises that she cannot address them as “bà” (you) and herself as (tôi) (I), as Huong and Mai
do. Instead, Nam must refer to herself as “em” (I) and to Huong and Mai as “chị” (you, sister).