Hindi is spoken by over 691 million people worldwide and serves as the official language of India. It is predominantly spoken in various regions of India, particularly in the northern and central areas. In addition to its presence in India, Hindi is spoken by Indian communities across the globe, including in the United States, Canada, and several other countries.
Vietnamese, on the other hand, is spoken by over 86 million people in Vietnam and also by Vietnamese communities around the world, including the United States, Canada, and other nations.
Hindi and Vietnamese are two distinct languages. Hindi is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in the Indian subcontinent, while Vietnamese is an Austroasiatic language spoken in Vietnam, where it is the national and official language.
When examining grammar, Vietnamese follows a subject-verb-object sentence structure, which is similar to English, while Hindi follows a subject-object-verb sentence structure.
Furthermore, there are distinctions in the writing systems used for these languages. Vietnamese utilises the Latin-based Vietnamese alphabet, known as "quoc ngu" (quốc ngữ) in Vietnamese, while Hindi employs the Devanagari script.
Despite these linguistic disparities, both languages share some commonalities. They incorporate honorifics to convey respect when addressing elders. In Vietnamese, the honorific "ông" or "bà" is added before someone's name to show respect, while in Hindi, the honorific "जी" (ji) is used. For example, instead of calling someone "Xin chào" in Vietnamese, you might use "Ông/Bà Xin chào" to indicate respect, and in Hindi, instead of "रवि" (Ravi), you might use "रवि जी" (Ravi-ji) to show respect.
Beyond language, Vietnamese and Indian cultures share various similarities. These include a deep-seated respect for elders, the observance of festivals and significant occasions, a strong emphasis on education, and a mutual appreciation for hospitality and culinary traditions.