Lessons · Level 2
2-3. Grab 2 — GrabFood and delivery orders
Đặt đồ ăn giao tận nơi
🎯 Goal Order food on a delivery app, and talk to the driver on the phone to get your food · about 35 min
Ho Chi Minh City runs on delivery
Ordering food and daily necessities through apps is very common in Ho Chi Minh City. The main apps are GrabFood (food delivery inside the Grab app), GrabMart (supermarket and convenience store delivery), plus ShopeeFood, Be and others.
How to order: choose a restaurant → Thêm món (add item) → check Giỏ hàng (cart) → write requests (Ghi chú) → apply a discount code → choose payment → Đặt đơn (place order).
When the food arrives, the driver will call you. In apartment buildings, drivers often can't come upstairs, so you'll need phrases for coming down to the lobby or asking them to leave it with security (bảo vệ).
App wording may change slightly with updates.
Delivery app screen words
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| đồ ăn | food | doh ang |
| thêm món | add an item | tem mawng |
| giỏ hàng | cart | yaw hang |
| ghi chú | note ghi chú cho quán = note to the restaurant / ghi chú cho tài xế = note to the driver | gee choo |
| phí giao hàng | delivery fee | fee yao hang |
| mã giảm giá | discount code | ma yam ya |
| đặt đơn | place an order | dak duhng |
| đơn hàng | order | duhng hang |
| giao hàng | to deliver | yao hang |
| người giao hàng | delivery driver Also just called tài xế | ngew-ee yao hang |
| bảo vệ | security guard | bao yay |
| sảnh | lobby | san |
| thiếu món | missing item | tee-oo mawng |
Sentences for app notes
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Không cay. | Not spicy. | khohng kai. |
| Không lấy muỗng nĩa. | No cutlery, please. Many apps let you choose this separately, to cut waste | khohng luhy moo-uhng nee-uh. |
| Anh gửi bảo vệ giùm em nha. | Please leave it with the security guard. | an gew-ee bao yay yoom em nya. |
| Tới nơi thì gọi em nha. | Please call me when you arrive. | tuhy nuhy tee goy em nya. |
Talking to the delivery driver
| Vietnamese | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Dạ, em nghe. | Yes, I'm listening. | ya, em ngeh. |
| Anh tới sảnh chưa? | Are you at the lobby yet? | an tuhy san chew-uh? |
| Anh chờ em năm phút, em xuống liền. | Wait five minutes, I'll come down right away. | an chuh em nam fook, em soo-uhng lee-uhng. |
| Em ở tòa B, tầng mười hai. | I'm in building B, twelfth floor. tòa = building/block, tầng = floor | em uh twa B, tuhng mew-ee hai. |
| Anh để ở quầy bảo vệ giùm em. | Please leave it at the security desk. | an day uh wuhy bao yay yoom em. |
| Em trả tiền mặt nha. | I'll pay in cash. | em cha tee-uhng mak nya. |
| Đơn của em bị thiếu một món. | My order is missing one item. | duhng koo-uh em bee tee-oo mohk mawng. |
| Cái này không phải món em đặt. | This isn't what I ordered. | kai nai khohng fai mawng em dak. |
Real conversation — the delivery driver arrives at the apartment
Minsu, who lives on the 12th floor of an apartment in District 2, ordered phở on GrabFood. The driver calls him.
| Driver | Alo, anh đặt đồ ăn trên Grab phải không? | Hello, did you order food on Grab? |
| Minsu | Dạ đúng rồi. Anh tới chưa? | Yes, that's right. Have you arrived? |
| Driver | Anh tới cổng rồi, mà bảo vệ không cho lên. | I'm at the gate, but security won't let me up. |
| Minsu | Dạ, anh chờ em chút, em xuống liền. | OK, wait a moment, I'll come right down. |
| Driver | Ok, anh đứng ở cổng chính nha. | OK, I'll be at the main gate. |
| Minsu | Anh ơi, phải anh giao phở không? | Excuse me, are you delivering the pho? |
| Driver | Đúng rồi. Hai tô phở với một ly trà đá nha. | Right. Two bowls of pho and one iced tea. |
| Minsu | Dạ, em trả bằng thẻ rồi phải không anh? | I already paid by card, right? |
| Driver | Ừ, trả rồi. Anh kiểm tra đủ món chưa? | Yes, it's paid. Did you check all the items? |
| Minsu | Dạ đủ rồi. Cảm ơn anh nhiều nha. | Yes, it's all here. Thank you so much. |
Tips for easy deliveries
- Write your block (tòa), floor (tầng), unit (căn hộ) and building name correctly in the address, and add 'Gửi bảo vệ giùm em' (Please leave it with security) to the driver note in advance — you'll get fewer calls.
- Delivery fees depend on distance, time and weather. On rainy evenings they go up and drivers take longer to assign.
- The apps often give out discount codes (mã giảm giá). Check before paying.
- When the food arrives, check on the spot that everything is there. If something's wrong, the fastest fix is to report it with photos under order history → get help in the app.
- You can give the driver a small tip in the app as thanks. It's not required.
Watch out when ordering delivery
- If the driver asks for more money than the app shows, don't pay — show them the app screen.
- If you paid by card and the driver asks for cash as well, check the app shows the order as paid.
- Ignore offers to take orders on a personal Zalo outside the app. If something goes wrong, you're not protected.
- Late at night, rather than going down to the lobby alone, it's safer to ask for it to be left with security.