Open international documents about the country commonly known as Vietnam, and you may encounter two spellings: “Vietnam” and “Viet Nam.” This variation is not necessarily a typo or an editorial mistake, but reflects differing conventions used across institutions, languages, and historical contexts in referring to the same country.
The United Nations writes "Viet Nam." The U.S. government writes "Vietnam." The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs uses "Viet Nam," but Vietnam Customs prefers "Vietnam." Even Vietnamese government websites show both spellings across different pages.
This split reveals deeper questions about language authority, colonial legacy, and how countries assert control over their own identity in global contexts.
When Global Institutions Can’t Agree
Major global institutions have chosen sides, creating a pattern that roughly divides between U.N.-aligned organizations and Western financial institutions.
The United Nations system consistently uses "Viet Nam" with a space. This includes the World Health Organization (WHO) and other U.N. specialized agencies. The Asian Development Bank follows this convention. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) officially recognizes "Viet Nam" in its ISO 3166 country code standard, which forms the basis for countless databases and systems worldwide.
Meanwhile, the Bretton Woods institutions—the World Bank and International Monetary Fund—use "Vietnam" as a single word. This aligns with common American and British English usage, where the combined form dominates newspapers, books, and everyday writing.
The U.S. federal government and its agencies now primarily use "Vietnam," though this represents a shift from earlier inconsistency. As late as 1966, different U.S. government departments used all three possible renderings: "Vietnam," "Viet Nam," and "Viet-Nam."
When the State Speaks in Two Spellings
The Vietnamese government itself sends mixed signals. According to its official position, "Viet Nam" represents the standardized, accurate spelling. This appears on Vietnamese passports, national identity cards, and formal diplomatic communications. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs exclusively uses "Viet Nam" in all official English-language correspondence.
However, other government agencies diverge from this standard. Vietnam Customs uses "Vietnam" on its English-language materials. The Academy of Social Sciences also prefers the combined form. Some agencies demonstrate internal confusion—the Tourism Administration displays "Vietnam" in its logo while writing "Viet Nam" in body text.
This governmental inconsistency isn't mere sloppiness. It reflects competing pressures: the desire to assert Vietnamese linguistic preferences versus the practical need to use spellings that English speakers recognize and search engines index effectively.
The Name That Took Centuries to Settle
Understanding this spelling debate requires tracing the name's deep historical roots. The term "Việt Nam" (越南 in Chinese characters) literally means "Viet of the South" in Vietnamese word order, or "Southern Viet" in Classical Chinese order.
The name first appeared in 16th-century Vietnamese literature, specifically in the oracular poem "Sấm Trạng Trình" attributed to poet Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm (1491-1585). Researchers have found "越南" carved on twelve stone steles from the 16th and 17th centuries, including one at Bảo Lâm Pagoda in Hải Phòng dated 1558.
Emperor Gia Long officially adopted "Việt Nam" as the country's name in 1804. When requesting Chinese recognition, Gia Long initially proposed "Nam Việt," but the Jiaqing Emperor rejected this because it referenced an ancient kingdom that had included Chinese territory. The Qing emperor instead approved "Việt Nam," reversing the word order.
Despite this official adoption, Westerners continued calling the country "Annam" (a Chinese name meaning "Pacified South") throughout the French colonial period. The name "Vietnam" remained virtually unknown to most people until the 1930s, when nationalist movements deliberately revived it. Phan Bội Châu's 1906 book "Việt Nam vong quốc sử" (History of the Loss of Vietnam) and the Vietnamese Nationalist Party's use of "Vietnam" in the 1930 Yên Bái mutiny began shifting public consciousness.
By 1945, when rival governments emerged, both the communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the anti-communist State of Vietnam adopted "Vietnam" as the official name, finally displacing "Annam" in international usage.
How English Bent the Name
English speakers have struggled with rendering this name for two centuries. Josiah Conder's 1824 geographical reference "The Modern Traveller" used the hyphenated "Viet-nam." This remained common through the early 20th century.
The 1954 Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary listed both unhyphenated and hyphenated forms. In response to reader queries, editors noted that the spaced form "Viet Nam" was also acceptable, though they observed that because English speakers didn't know what the two syllables meant, there was natural tendency to combine them.
During the Vietnam War era, U.S. government usage varied wildly. The State Department preferred "Viet-Nam" with a hyphen. Other agencies used different forms. By 1981, Scottish writer Gilbert Adair called the hyphenated spelling "dated" when titling his book about Vietnam War films.
Today, "Vietnam" as one word dominates American and British English. Major newspapers, publishers, and the Associated Press Stylebook all standardize on the combined form. However, the spaced "Viet Nam" persists in international contexts where U.N. conventions matter.
The Technology Sector's Pragmatic Choice
Software and technology companies faced practical decisions about product localization. Microsoft, according to developer Michael S. Kaplan's 2010 blog post, chose "Vietnam" for English-language products while always using "Việt Nam" with full diacritical marks in Vietnamese-language versions.
Kaplan explained that the company tried to follow the country's expressed preference for "Vietnam" in English contexts, noting this "just seems more polite." However, he acknowledged that using "Viet Nam" wouldn't constitute any serious breach of etiquette.
This highlights a crucial distinction: the debate concerns only English spelling. In Vietnamese, the name is always "Việt Nam" with proper tone marks (Việt uses the acute accent, Nam has no diacritics). The language name is "Tiếng Việt."
Vietnamese contacts told technology companies that if translation quality is high—meaning proper rendering of diacritics and tone marks—they appreciate localized products. Poor quality translations that mangle Vietnamese text are worse than just providing English versions.
International Sports and Codes
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA use the three-letter code "VIE" rather than "VNM." This decision influences broader usage, leading to the standard adjective "Vietnamese" instead of alternatives like "Viet," "Vietic," or "Viet Namese."
In languages using Latin script, Vietnam typically appears as a single word without spaces—"Vietnam" in English, "Vietnam" in French, "Vietnam" in Spanish. This cross-linguistic consistency reinforces the combined form's dominance in casual usage.
East Asian Naming Conventions
Japanese and Korean offer interesting parallels in how neighboring countries adapted Vietnam's name. Both originally used Sino-Xenic pronunciations based on Chinese characters for Vietnamese place names.
After Vietnam's independence, Japan largely replaced "Annan" (安南) and "Etsunan" (越南) with the phonetic transcription "Betonamu" (ベトナム) written in katakana script. The old Chinese-derived forms persist only in compound words. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs occasionally uses an alternative romanization "Vietonamu" (ヴィエトナム).
Korean followed similar patterns, decreasing Hanja character usage. The Sino-Korean "Wollam" (월남) gave way to "Beteunam" (베트남) in South Korea and "Wennam" (윁남) in North Korea, reflecting each country's different romanization systems.
Practical Guidelines for Writers
In practice, “Vietnam” and “Viet Nam” are often used interchangeably, and most readers will understand both without confusion. The choice usually comes down to consistency and context rather than strict correctness.
Use “Vietnam” for general English-language writing, popular media, digital content, and publications following American or British style guides. This spelling is the most familiar to global audiences and remains dominant in newsrooms, books, and everyday English usage.
Use “Viet Nam” in formal, institutional, or diplomatic contexts—especially when working with Vietnamese government bodies, United Nations–affiliated organizations, or ISO-based documentation. In these settings, the spaced form aligns with official preferences and international standards.
For academic writing, check your field's conventions. International relations scholars often use "Viet Nam" to align with U.N. usage, while historians may vary depending on the time period discussed.
Naming Power and Global Influence
This spelling divide isn't merely technical—it reflects power dynamics in how countries control their global image. Vietnam increasingly influences how its name appears in English, even as decades of Western usage favor the combined form.
The Vietnamese government's formal position supports "Viet Nam" as accurate and standardized. Major international bodies like the U.N. and ISO agree. Yet popular usage, driven by English-language media and American influence, maintains "Vietnam."
This creates a situation where neither spelling is wrong, but each carries different implications. The spaced version signals respect for Vietnamese linguistic preferences and adherence to international standards. The combined version reflects linguistic naturalization—the process by which foreign names become adapted into English orthography.
Will “Viet Nam” Win?
Recent years show movement toward "Viet Nam" in official and international contexts. As Vietnam's global economic and political influence grows, more organizations default to the Vietnamese government's preferred spelling. International agreements, U.N. documents, and formal diplomatic communications increasingly standardize on "Viet Nam."
However, casual English usage will likely maintain "Vietnam" indefinitely. The combined form is too deeply embedded in English-language media, literature, and common parlance to change easily. Most English speakers recognize "Vietnam" instantly but might pause at "Viet Nam," wondering if it's a typo.
The solution isn't choosing one spelling as exclusively correct. Both serve legitimate purposes in different contexts. What matters is consistency within documents and awareness of which contexts call for which form.
Sources
United Nations standards, ISO 3166 documentation, Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Webster's Dictionary historical editions, U.S. State Department style guides, Michael S. Kaplan (Microsoft), Vietnamese historical records, international organization publications.
