If you've studied the Vietnamese language for any amount of time, then you'll quickly notice that 1) there are three--or four, depending on who you ask--rather different accents (North, Central, and South), 2) there is only one alphabet despite these different accents, and, as a result, 3) what you say and how you spell what you say can be very difficult to memorize...even for native Vietnamese speakers.
For example: In the north, the "d," "gi," and "r" are all pronounced with an English "z" sound. However, in the south, the "d," the "gi," and even the "v" are pronounced with an English "y" sound, and the "r" is pronounced with an English "r" sound.
What in th-...What gives?
