Etymology

máy bay ‎(“aircraft, airplane”) +‎ lên ‎(“to go up, to rise”) +‎ thẳng ‎(“straight”). Calque of Chinese 直升機 ‎(“helicopter”, literally “straight-rising airplane”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [mɐj˧ˀ˦ ˀɓɐj˧˧ l̪en˧˧ tʰɐŋ˧˩]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [mɐj˩ˀ˧ ˀɓɐj˧˧ len˧˧ tʰɐŋ˧˩]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [mɐj˦ˀ˥ ˀɓɐj˧˥ l̻ʲɜːn˧˥ tʰɐŋ˨˦]