Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 越南, composed of 越 (“Yue”) and 南 (“south”). The name Việt Nam is a variation of Nam Việt (南越; pinyin: Nányuè; literally Southern Yue), a name that can be traced back to the dynasty of King Zhao Tuo during the 2nd century BC; "Nam Việt" was once considered for a new name by the Nguyễn dynasty, but then the Qing dynasty re-ordered the name into "Việt Nam" in order to avoid any possible future conflicts.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [viɜʔt̚˧ˀ˨ʔ naːm˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [viɜʔk̚˨ˀ˨ʔ naːm˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [vʲiɜʔk̚˨ˀ˧ʔ naːm˧˥]
• (Vinh) IPA^(key): /viət˨˨ naːm˧˥/
• (Thanh Chương) IPA^(key): /viə̰t˨˨ naːm˧˥/
• (Hà Tĩnh) IPA^(key): /viə̰t˨˨ naːm˧˥˧/
• Homophone: VN