Amazed by the land with the 'strangest accent in Vietnam'.

(Baonghean.vn) - The Nghe An dialect is already somewhat awkward and difficult to understand, but with the people of Nghi Duc commune, Vinh City (Nghe An province), many people can only listen but find it very difficult to understand...

“Chét ơi, về en cơm” (Chét ơi, come home for rice), “Chéo ơi, đeo reng đó” (Chéo ơi, đeo reng đó) ...

From ancient times to the present day, two-thirds of the people in Nghi Duc have used phrases like the ones above to communicate with each other. No one here can explain why their fellow villagers speak with such a "different" accent.

Nghi Duc commune has 12 hamlets and is divided into "East Germany" and "West Germany". The West Germany residents, comprising the hamlets of Xuan Duc, Xuan Hoa, and Xuan Dong, speak with an accent similar to other Nghe An residents. The East Germany residents, including the hamlets of Xuan Tin, Huong Tin, Xuan Huong, Xuan Trung, Xuan Thinh, Xuan Binh 13 and 14, Xuan My, and Xuan Trang, speak with a distinct accent as described above.

Calling each other to have tea and chat in the early morning is a daily routine for the people here.

People in Nghi Duc call their own accent "familiar accent," while speaking in the standard, normal dialect like everyone else in Nghe An is called "unfamiliar accent." When conversing with each other, people in Nghi Duc always use their "familiar accent." But when speaking with people from outside the commune, the people of this area switch to using their "unfamiliar accent"—their normal accent like everyone else's.

Interestingly, many people in Nghi Duc are able to imitate both Northern and Southern accents very accurately.

When people from other regions come here and hear the locals speak, almost everyone is wide-eyed and bewildered by the accent of the people of Nghi Duc. No one understands what they are talking about. Many people jokingly say that this suburban commune has the strangest accent in Vietnam.

For a long time, outsiders have witnessed many humorous situations when observing the people of Nghi Duc speaking to each other. Almost everyone thinks they are speaking English or their ethnic language! The strange and incomprehensible pronunciations in this suburban commune of Vinh City are truly fascinating.

Words like "loọng" (meaning "loose") and "reo" (meaning "vegetables") are local dialect words used by the people here.

Let's listen to a dialogue from people in Nghi Duc:

According to local history, Nghi Duc commune was formerly part of Nghi Loc district, and therefore the language spoken there belongs to the "Nghi Loc dialect" region. The elderly in Nghi Duc commune are the ones whose pronunciation is most difficult to understand and pronounce. This is because they have lived for generations with customs and are familiar with the way of life from the past.

Mrs. Pham Thi Kien (80 years old, Xuan Huong hamlet, Nghi Duc commune) often talks to her great-grandchild: "Great-grandchild, what are you doing? Grandma will give you a kiss." Or when she asks a neighbor about this year's rice crop: "How is the rice crop this year?", meaning "How is the rice crop this year?" Mrs. Kien calls her youngest son, Nguyen Anh Tuan, to come home for dinner: "Tuan, come home for dinner"...

Children here, having had a lot of contact with people from outside the region and attending school in different places, have had their accents changed considerably. Now, almost all children in Nghi Duc have adopted the normal Nghe An accent, while a few still speak with the distinct Nghi Duc accent like their grandmothers and mothers. But when they return home, or meet people from the same village in distant places, people from Nghi Duc never speak any other accent besides their own Nghi Duc accent.

Middle-aged people and those born in the 80s and 90s here still speak with the Nghi Duc accent, just like previous generations. A foot is called "cấy chân" or "cấy kéng," a hand is called "tai," "I" is called "teo," a chicken is called "con goa," mother is "mịa," father is "ch...oa," a pig is "biến" to "con lạn," and a stone is "cộc đóa." Many other words spoken by the Nghi Duc people are difficult to understand, and their pronunciation is difficult, if not impossible, to write down in standard Vietnamese.

Tired (often laborious), do it carefully (do it thoroughly)...

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tuyen, Chairman of the Elderly Association of Nghi Duc commune, said: "People in Nghi Duc have spoken with that accent since ancient times, and I don't know its origin. No historical records have been found to document it."

Currently, there is much discussion and research surrounding the Nghi Duc accent in particular and the "Nghi Loc dialect" in general, but no conclusion has yet been reached confirming the unique origin of this dialect. And for a long time, the Nghi Duc accent has coincidentally become an unforgettable characteristic for those who have visited, known, or befriended the people here.

People from Nghi Duc have a very humorous rhyme about the accent of their hometown:

"Nghi Duc - two affectionate words"

Learn the dialect of your hometown until you understand it thoroughly.

The word "you" is pronounced "mi".

I-teo, he-hấn, what-giầy, girl-o

And "bòa" is definitely "bò" (cow).

Buffaloes are called "tru" (to howl), "đoòn bòa" (herd of cattle), understand?

"Khu" means buttocks,

Tai-tay, keng-cang, lach lea - chang chan

Twenty-two is called "ham hoai" (a type of Vietnamese idiom meaning "to be in a bad mood").

The potato is correctly called a "potato."

"Crashing around" "making a hammock" "sitting down"

"Banana leaf" (banana leaf) "wine" (wine) "bait" (bait) "aim" (aim) always.

The official road is called "đoàng quôn" (official road).

The "national treasure" is indeed Highway 1A.

The chicken is called "cuon goa".

Fish, pork, and flowers – truly skillful!

When you have free time, take your sword out and sharpen it.

Cut down the "choong noong" tree and "cai" (plow) with choa (father).

"Cu doop" "moi diep" not yet bought

How much money is left to make the king a few times?

"The 'son of the sky' is actually a maggot."

Betel nut, betel leaf, tea, medicine, "study" (to learn), what to do?

The leaves of the taro plant are called "di".

Young rice seedlings are called "moong" and "lat pheo ri" (bamboo strips) and are tied together.

Tian Tian