Vietnamese interpreters and translators for police forces and solicitors, the NHS, councils, schools and employers anywhere in the UK. We provide face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Vietnamese and English, and bookings 24/7.
- 8,000+ linguists
- 350+ languages
- Bookings 24/7, every day of the year
- Free quotes
Vietnamese interpreting services
Vietnamese falls into three broad regional groups: the north around Hanoi, the centre from Huế up to the north-central provinces, and the south around Ho Chi Minh City. Speakers of one understand the others without much trouble, though everyday words differ; a southerner calls their parents ba má where a northerner says bố mẹ. The real exception is the rural speech of the north-central coast, which is worth matching if a long interview is planned.
Most appointments suit consecutive interpreting. For interviews with young people who may have been trafficked, allow extra time and breaks, and try to keep the same interpreter for every follow-up meeting so that the person does not have to tell the story to a new stranger each time.
Face-to-face interpreting
The interpreter comes to you: a hospital ward, a courtroom, a council office, a home visit or a business meeting. It is the best choice when people need to read expressions as well as words, or when the conversation is long or sensitive.
Telephone interpreting
The quickest option to set up. It works well for short calls, triage, appointment reminders and quick checks with a client.
Video interpreting
A Vietnamese interpreter joins by video for remote hearings, consultations and meetings, which helps when there is no interpreter near you.
We also provide medical interpreting and conference interpreting.
Certified Vietnamese translation
Typical documents from Vietnam include the birth certificate (giấy khai sinh), marriage and divorce papers, the citizen identity card, school and university records, and the paper household registration book (sổ hộ khẩu), which stopped being valid at the end of 2022 but still sits in many family files. Dates are written day first. Some older people know their birthday by the lunar calendar, and the date on their papers may not be the one they celebrate.
Each translator translates into their native language. We reproduce every tone mark in names and addresses, and follow the passport, whose machine-readable line drops the accents, so we check the printed page as well.
- Certified translation of birth, marriage and death certificates, passports, driving licences, degree certificates and bank statements, for the Home Office, courts, universities and employers.
- Legal translation: witness statements, court bundles, contracts and immigration papers.
- Document translation of medical reports, letters, leaflets and patient information.
- Urgent translation when a deadline is close.
- Transcription of Vietnamese audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Vietnamese translation
For UK readers we use neutral standard Vietnamese that readers from north and south will both accept, and address them with the polite Quý vị used in official notices. Stacked tone marks are fragile: some text-message systems and PDF tools strip or scramble them, turning one word into another. Before a leaflet or SMS goes out, a Vietnamese reader should proof the final version as it will actually be seen.
Vietnamese court and police interpreters
Vietnamese interpreters are regularly needed in UK criminal courts, often in cases about cannabis cultivation, immigration offences or the statutory defence for victims of slavery under section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. When a solicitor or court books through us, we choose a Vietnamese interpreter who has worked in legal settings before and who holds the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or is registered with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI), wherever interpreters with those credentials are available for Vietnamese. The interpreter must be independent of the defendant's circle, and should raise any sign that the two know each other before the hearing begins.
How to book a Vietnamese interpreter
- Tell us about the assignment: the date, time and address, or that you need telephone or video; how long it should last; and what it is for, such as a hospital appointment, a hearing or a business meeting.
- Tell us about the speaker: their country or region and, if you know it, their dialect. Mention any preference for a male or female interpreter.
- Get your quote. We email you a quote, with no obligation to book.
Call 0800 2425 125, email info@uklinguisticservices.co.uk or request a quote online.
About the Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is an Austroasiatic language, spoken mainly in Vietnam. It is the official language of Vietnam.
Vietnamese is written in the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ), with marks for tones and vowels.
At the 2021 Census, 18,518 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Vietnamese as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Lewisham (991 people), the Royal Borough of Greenwich (976) and Birmingham (940). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Vietnamese is tonal, and the accents on names and addresses must be kept exactly. Northern and southern accents differ, and some older Vietnamese families in the UK also speak Cantonese.
| Name in Vietnamese | Tiếng Việt |
|---|---|
| Language family | Austroasiatic language |
| Where it is spoken | Vietnam |
| Writing system | Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ), with marks for tones and vowels |
| Language code | vi |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 18,518 people |
Related languages
Vietnamese interpreters near you
We send Vietnamese interpreters to appointments across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and telephone and video interpreting work wherever you are. Choose a town for its local page.
Vietnamese interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Vietnamese interpreter?
We take bookings 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Telephone and video interpreting are usually the quickest to arrange. For a face-to-face appointment, give us as much notice as you can: same-day cover is often possible, but it depends on where you are and how many Vietnamese interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Vietnamese interpreter cost?
The price depends on the type of interpreting (face-to-face, telephone or video), how long the appointment lasts, where it is and how much notice you give. We quote before anything is booked, and quotes are free: call 0800 2425 125 or use our online quote form.
Can you certify Vietnamese translations for a UK visa or immigration application?
Yes. We translate and certify documents such as birth and marriage certificates, passports and police certificates for visa, settlement and citizenship applications. UK Visas and Immigration asks for each translation to confirm that it is accurate and to show the date and the translator's full name, signature and contact details, so tell us when you order that the document is for an immigration application.
Do you provide Vietnamese interpreters for courts, tribunals and police interviews?
Yes. Tell us the setting when you book, for example a Crown Court trial, an immigration tribunal hearing or a police interview under caution, so we can match a Vietnamese interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Vietnamese in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 18,518 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Vietnamese as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Lewisham (991 people), the Royal Borough of Greenwich (976) and Birmingham (940). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Vietnamese at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
