Vietnam
/ˌviː.etˈnɑːm/noun
A country in Southeast Asia on the eastern edge of the Indochinese Peninsula.
Did you know?The modern name was officially adopted in 1804 under Emperor Gia Long, although historical forms such as Đại Việt and Đại Nam had previously been used.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese records
Old Chinese
越 (*W Yue)
“An ethnonym used in Chinese sources for peoples living south of the Yangtze; its exact original meaning is uncertain.”
3rd Century BCE
Chinese
南越 (Nanyue)
““Southern Yue,” the name of an ancient kingdom in what is now southern China and northern Vietnam.”
Middle Chinese period
Middle Chinese
越南
“A written form interpreted as “south of the Yue” or “Southern Viet,” using Chinese characters.”
Early Modern Vietnamese
Vietnamese
Việt Nam
“The Sino-Vietnamese reading of 越南, literally “Southern Viet.””
19th–20th Century
English
Vietnam
“The English country name adopted from Vietnamese Việt Nam.”