How to say “How much is it?” in Vietnamese naturally like the locals? And how to bargain in real spoken Vietnamese in a friendly and polite way? Let’s learn them in this lesson.
How to say “How much is it?” in Vietnamese
There are many ways to ask how much in Vietnamese. And here are the two most common ways in authentic Southern Vietnamese.
🔴The first way is “…bao nhiêu tiền?”
In Vietnamese, tiền means “money”, bao nhiêu means “how many” 
Bao nhiêu tiền? means “How much” (Literally “how many – money”)
In spoken Vietnamese, they often use short versions to ask how much. That’s bao nhiêu? or nhiêu tiền? or only nhiêu?
When you go to local markets or you are at any shop, you can point to the thing you want to buy and simply ask:
- Cái này bao nhiêu tiền? How much is this one? (Literally “this one – how much”)
- Cái kia/đó bao nhiêu tiền? How much is that one? (Literally “that one – how much”)
Cái này means “this one”, cái kia/đó means “that one”.
To get the seller’s attention and to be more polite and friendlier, please add “pronoun + ơi”
Ví dụ: em ơi, cô ơi, chị ơi, …
- Cô ơi, cái này bao nhiêu tiền?
- Em ơi, cái kia nhiêu tiền?
- Anh ơi, cái đó bao nhiêu?
Click here to know How to say numbers and money in Vietnamese
Ví dụ:
- Cái này bao nhiêu cô? (for short): How much is this one?
- Cái kia nhiêu em? (for short): How much is that one?
- Cái đó nhiêu tiền anh? (for short): How much is that one?
- Cái này bao nhiêu tiền chú? How much is this one?
Note: In spoken Vietnamese, remember to add the pronoun of the listener in the end of the question or sentence. That makes you friendlier, more polite and nicer. And maybe the locals will see you as a “real” Vietnamese, not foreigners. 
There are many personal pronouns used in example sentences. You can change them to suitable pronouns for you and for the seller. Let’s check here Vietnamese pronouns – How to address people and yourself in Vietnamese
🔴The second way to ask How much in Vietnamese is “…bán sao?” (only in spoken Vietnamese).
Bán means “to sell”, sao means “How” “…bán sao?” means “How much?” Literally means “how do you sell it?”
Ví dụ:
- Cô ơi cái này bán sao cô?
- Em ơi cái này bán sao em?
- Cái đó bán sao chú?
- Anh ơi cái kia bán sao anh?
How to bargain in Vietnamese
In Vietnam, bargaining when you buy something is quite common, especially in Vietnamese local markets.
Bargaining does not mean that you are disrespecting the sellers. That just is a way to get a good deal between you and the seller. So let’s learn how to bargain naturally and in a friendly way.
Mắc quá! Too expensive!
Rẻ quá! So cheap!
Bớt + cho + your pronoun + đi: Can you give me a discount?
- Bớt means reduce, decrease
- cho + somebody: for sb
- …đi: …please (a strong suggestion particle in the end of the sentence in spoken Vietnamese)
- adj/adv + quá! : too…, so…!
Suggested price + được không? …is it ok?
=> Yes: Được
=> No: Không/ Không được
Suggested price + nha: …is it ok?
Here is the example conversation between the buyer and the seller.
Ví dụ: You are James (30), cô bán hàng (the lady seller- around 60)
James: Cô ơi, cái này bao nhiêu tiền cô?
Cô bán hàng: Cái này 500.000 con.
James: Cái kia bao nhiêu cô?
Cô bán hàng: Cái kia 600.000 con.
James: Con lấy cái này. (I take this one)
Cô bán hàng: Cái này 500.000 con.
James: Mắc quá cô. Bớt cho con đi cô. (This one is too expensive! Can you lower the price please?)
Cô bán hàng: Ok. 450.000 nha.
James: Vẫn mắc cô ơi. (Still expensive.) 300.000 được không cô?
Cô bán hàng: Không con.
James: 350.000 nha cô.
Cô bán hàng: Ok, cũng được con. (Ok, that’s fine.)
Note: In spoken Vietnamese, remember to add the pronoun of the listener in the end of the question or sentence. That makes you friendlier, more polite and nicer.Click here to know How to say numbers and money in Vietnamese
