Writing a CV in English as a Vietnamese Speaker

Don't translate your Vietnamese CV line by line. Rebuild it for an English reader: settle your name order, write dates and numbers the English way, use natural job titles, and replace set phrases with things you did. It is written for Vietnamese speakers and anyone helping one.

Your name

Vietnamese names put the family name first, while English readers usually assume the last word is the family name. So “Nguyen Thi Mai Anh” leaves them unsure what to call her, and “Nguyen” may be taken for a first name.

You can keep the Vietnamese order or use the Western one. Pick one and use it on your CV, email signature and professional profiles. Your legal documents stay as they are, so use your passport spelling on any official form.

Before NGUYEN THI MAI ANH

Better Mai Anh Nguyen

Capitals across the whole name give no clue to the family name. Another clear option is “Nguyen Thi Mai Anh (Mai Anh)”, which also tells the reader what to call you.

Dates, numbers and money

These details can change the meaning, and a spellchecker won't catch them.

Dates: 03/04/2024 means 3 April in Vietnam and March 4 in the US. Write the month in letters.
Current jobs: write “Present”, not “Now” or “Until now”.
Numbers: Vietnamese uses a dot for thousands and a comma for decimals. English does the reverse.
Money: write “VND 500 million”, not “500tr”. If you apply abroad, you can add a rough figure in the local currency.
Phone: for jobs abroad, add +84 and drop the first 0.
Address: “Da Nang, Vietnam” is enough. Ward and district names mean little to a foreign reader.

Before 03/2023 - now. Handled 1.200 orders a month, GPA 8,5/10.

Better March 2023 to Present. Handled 1,200 orders a month, GPA 8.5/10.

To an English reader, “1.200 orders” looks like just over one order.

Job titles

Direct translation often gives a title no English speaker would use. If your employer has an official English title, use that. If not, choose the closest common title and don't make it grander than the job was. Titles vary, so check real job ads in your field.

Nhân viên kinh doanh: Sales Executive or Sales Representative, not “Business Staff”
Cộng tác viên: Freelance Writer or Part-time Assistant, for example. “Collaborator” sounds odd in English, and it can also mean someone who helped an enemy.
Chuyên viên: Specialist or Officer, not “Expert”, which claims too much
Trưởng phòng: Manager or Head of (department). Phó phòng: Deputy Manager.
Thực tập sinh: Intern

Companies, schools and grades

Use the official English name from the organisation's own website or your diploma. Don't invent a translation, since a reader may search for it. Công ty TNHH is usually written Co., Ltd. and công ty cổ phần is often JSC, but follow the company's own spelling.

A foreign reader won't know most Vietnamese employers, so add a few words of context, such as “a 200-person logistics firm in Hai Phong”. Always show your grade with its scale. If your degree class matters, use the wording on your official English diploma or transcript, because translations of Giỏi and Khá vary.

Phrases that sound odd

Each of these common patterns is understandable, but a fluent reader will notice it. The fix is usually to say what you did.

Before Responsible for take care customer.

Better Answered about 30 customer questions a day by phone and chat.

From “chăm sóc khách hàng”. In English, “customer care” or “customer service” is the phrase, and a specific action is better still.

Before Have experience 2 years in the field of sales.

Better Sold office furniture for 2 years, closing about 15 orders a month.

“In the field of” is usually unnecessary. Name the field directly.

Before With the desire to contribute to the development of the company.

Better Looking for a junior accounting role in a manufacturing company.

A set phrase in Vietnamese objectives. In English, it says nothing specific.

Before Can work under high pressure.

Better Handled 200 orders a day during the Tet sales peak.

From “chịu được áp lực”. A busy period you got through proves it.

Before Participate in organizing event for customers.

Better Organized a customer event for 150 guests in Hoi An.

“Tham gia” often translates as “participate”. Name your part instead, in the past tense.

Before Office informatics, good English.

Better Excel (pivot tables), Word, PowerPoint. English: IELTS 6.5 (2025).

“Tin học văn phòng” has no natural English equivalent. Name the tools and give a test score.

Grammar that Vietnamese doesn't mark

Tense: use the past for finished work and the present for your current job.
Plurals: 3 customers, 2 years, many reports.
Articles: CV bullets often drop “a” and “the” at the very start, but keep them inside the line where they sound natural.
Spelling: pick US or UK spelling and keep to it.

What to leave out

For international employers, you can usually drop date of birth, gender, marital status, hometown, ID number and health status. Also drop the closing statement that “the above information is true”, which is common on Vietnamese forms but unusual on an English CV. A Vietnamese employer asking for an English CV may still expect some of these details, so check the ad.

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