Vietnamese Baby Names to Honor Your Ancestry

The Importance of Family in Vietnamese Culture

Nothing beats an unbreakable family bond—and in celebration of the upcoming arrival (and naming!) of your newest addition, we’ve curated a few fun facts about how Vietnamese family life works and operates. Like many countries, each and every family member has a special part to play in Vietnamese culture. Where parents serve as beacons of guidance, protection and support, children are usually expected to show their utmost obedience and loyalty, or what’s known as filial piety in Confucian teaching.

In Vietnamese tradition, it’s also believed that the spirits of ancestors remain among the living. As a token of lifelong respect, many families have beautiful altars set up in the center of their homes, decorated with ancestral pictures, candles and incense in honor of their beloved relatives.

Familial nicknames are important in Vietnam too—and there are plenty baby can use to address you, their grandparents and siblings, once they graduate from the babbling stage! These may vary from household to household, but some of the most common variations include bố or ba for “father”, mẹ or má for “mother” and bà and ông for “granny” and “grandpa”, respectively. Baby’s going to have heaps of fun being a part of your crew and learning all about this incredible culture while they grow with you—that’s for sure!