Language
The Vietnamese language which is spoken by the majority Viet population has regional accents (Northern, Central, and Southern). All are generally understood by most Vietnamese speakers. Vietnamese is a tonal language with six basic vowel tones. It is very different from English; verbs do not change forms, articles are not used, nouns do not have plural endings, there are no prefixes, suffixes, or infinitives and no distinction among pronouns. Honorific pronouns are used to address people of different status or age.
Vietnamese immigrants who had higher education in Vietnam are more likely to be fluent in English.
Many of the country's 54 ethnic groups have their own distinct languages, though only a few of the ethnic minority languages have their own script (Visiting Arts Vietnam Cultural Profile, 2006).