The Confusing Two Naming Systems, A BÊ XÊ or A BỜ CỜ (both referring to the three letters A, B, C)

Are there two different systems to name the Vietnamese alphabet? 
 
No.  The A BÊ XÊ (ah beh seh) system refers to the letter names.  The A BỜ CỜ (ah buh cuh) system refers to the phonetic sounds.  
 
While letter name and phonetic sound are two distinct concepts, it is confusing in Vietnamese because the phonetic sounds were once taught in schools as letter names.  The name change from the A BÊ XÊ system to the A BỜ CỜ system was considered an education reform in the 1940s.   After 6 decades, the “old” names (A BÊ XÊ system) were reinstated in schools.  By then, the unsuccessful reform has affected a few generations.  
 

The Early Teaching of Phonetic Sounds in Vietnam

Traditionally, letter names were taught before the phonetic sounds.  However, letter names do not directly enable reading, phonetic sounds do.  For many illiterate peasants, the letter names and the alphabetical order were hard enough to discourage them from learning to read.  In 1939, a new approach was initiated by the National Language Dissemination Organization [1], who devoted to developing literacy programs amidst unrest war time.  The new approach introduced all letters by their phonetic sounds, not in alphabetical order but in arrangements such that easy words could be sounded out immediately.  The program was widely embraced by the public, as the method was effective for both children and illiterate adults.  
 
That reading program was written by Professor Hoàng Xuân Hãn (1908–1996), originally a math and science teacher.  His spelling book, National Script Taught with a New Method [2], started with two letters i and t (pronounced by their phonetic sounds as “i, tờ”) to form the word “ti ” immediately in the first lesson.  i, t were selected for their simple written forms to pair reading with writing.  Since then, the term “I Tờ” became an icon expression for beginners’ lessons, as reflected in the well-loved song “Spring Flowers” (1953, by Phạm Duy) with beloved lyrics such as “There’s a group of children on the field, singing “i, tờ” to welcome the Spring” [3].
 

The Teaching of Phonetic Sounds Around the World

Great minds think alike.  French professors Antoine Arnaud (1612-1694) and Claude Lancelot (1615-1695) also promoted the teaching of phonetic sounds in place of the letter names to sound out words [4], though their teaching was confined within their times.  
 
More recently, Dr. Maria Montessori (1870 – 1952), an Italian physician and early childhood educator, also designed her literacy program for toddlers starting with phonetic sounds [5].  Letter names are not introduced until the age of 5 or 6, when basic reading skill will have already been achieved.  The Montessori curriculum is known for its child-lead learning process based on self-motivated discovery.   Among many organizations that commit to carry on the Montessori principles, the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and the American Montessori Society (AMS) continue to gain popularity around the world. 
 

The Alphabet Name Change and Its Effect in Vietnam

When the Communist party rose to power in northern Vietnam in 1945, the literacy program initiated by the National Language Dissemination Organization became the Ministry of Mass Education [6], carrying a mission to end illiteracy.   Following the success of using phonetic sounds to facilitate reading, the proper letter names were replaced by a new naming system based on the phonetic sounds, the A BỜ CỜ naming system.  It was considered a breakthrough reform by the then young Communist Ministry of Education.
 
While it is effective to use the letter sounds to sound out words, the attempt to eliminate the proper letter names proved to be unpractical.  The phonetic sounds were too soft for effective communications, especially in remote conversations over the phone, intercom, radios, etc...  Thus, even though the A BỜ CỜ naming system was enforced in schools, the old names were still used among the people through the decades.  Temperatures were still in “độ xê” (°C), not “độ cờ”.  Triangle ABC was still “a bê xê”, not “a bờ cờ”.   The shape of Vietnam on the map was still of the letter “ess” (S), not “sờ”.  The proper letter names were still used to refer to book sections, appendices, auditorium rows, acronyms, labels, map coordinates, and numerous other usages especially in music and science.  
 
When schools taught one naming system but another system was used in life, children had to self-learn a few “old” letter names here and there on a need basis.  Consequently, they grew up knowing the alphabet by a mixture of “old” and “new” names, many do not know the alphabetical order.  As of date, the Vietnamese alphabet “identity crisis” can be seen across the main stream media.  Random combinations of the proper letter names and the phonetic sounds (“old” and “new” names) were mixed at the will of the speakers, even among professionals such as news anchors and high ranked government officials in formal contexts.   
 

The Reinstatement of the Proper Letter Names in Vietnam in the 2000s

In an article by Tuổi Trẻ newspaper, dated May 10th, 2010 [7], Mr. Lê Tiến Thành, director of the Primary Education Department, stated that the Ministry of Education and Training had endorsed a different approach regarding the letter names.  In this approach, the A BỜ CỜ system was only taught in First grade with one sole purpose of sounding out words, while the proper letter names (A BÊ XÊ) were to be taught appropriately to refer to the alphabet.  This approach described by Mr. Thành restores the original intention of the phonetic sounds, which are tools to facilitate reading, not to replace letter names.  The reinstatement of the proper letter names in schools has officially made the A BỜ CỜ naming system obsolete.
 
In the same Tuổi Trẻ article, Mr. Thành confirmed that the A BÊ XÊ naming system has been in place consistently throughout text books and other training programs, and that the Ministry has requested teachers to teach the proper letter names “for a very long time”.  However, such request must have been loosely enforced, as many teachers are still passing down the A BỜ CỜ naming system even to date (2017).
 

The Recent Incident of the Vietnamese Prime Minister’s Usage of the Obsolete Letter Names

Six years after the Tuổi Trẻ article mentioned above, the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc referred to the acronym CLMV as “Cờ Lờ Mờ Vờ” in his speech at a formal event, the Asian Development Bank’s 50th anniversary (December 2nd, 2016) [8].  He meant to refer to the four neighboring countries Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam [9].  His use of “Cờ Lờ Mờ Vờ”, the obsolete letter names for the abbreviations, instantly triggered massive waves of gossip and ridicule in social media across the country.  Most people expressed disbelief or embarrassment about their Prime Minister not knowing (or not using) the proper letter names.  Some even nicknamed him “Cờ Lờ Mờ Vờ”.
 
Shortly after the unfortunate event, an article was reportedly published on the Vietnamese official online newspaper VietnamNet (vietnamnet.vn), with Associate Professor Mai Xuân Huy confirming that “the letters could not be referred to as A Bờ Cờ”.  Perceived as a criticism over the Prime Minister, which can be a crime in the communist society, the article was almost immediately taken down but not soon enough for the public to capture and re-circulate [10].  The article was later re-published in another Vietnamese online newspaper, Pháp Luật Xã Hội [11].  The public reaction to this incident indicated that the A BỜ CỜ naming system has been rejected by the people, and representatives of phonetic sounds should no longer be referred to as the letter names.
 
 

Which Letter Naming System Should We Learn (and Teach)? 

If you are starting to learn the Vietnamese alphabet now, there is no reason to learn an obsolete naming system.  It is, however, still necessary to learn the letter phonetic sounds to sound out words.  While we need to learn both the letter names and their phonetic sounds, there should not be any confusion between the two concepts.
 
Regarding the order of learning:
 
• For toddlers, it is effective to learn the letter sounds before the letter names.  The phonetic sounds enable young minds to connect sounds directly with written symbols, establishing the foundation to read.  Letter names can be introduced after reading skill has been achieved.  
 
• For foreign adults who can read at least one language, letters can be introduced by their names.  Older learners are already familiar with the concept of symbols representing sounds, and most of us are more comfortable when we can put a name on what we are learning.  Phonetic sounds can be introduced later when sounding out words.

 

Why Do Some Teachers Still Teach the Obsolete Naming System?

If you are crashing a spelling lesson, it’s likely that the teacher is actually teaching the phonetic sounds, which are similar to the obsolete letter names.
 
It is true, however, that many teachers are still teaching the obsolete naming system.  These teachers are victims of the unsuccessful reform, they are simply passing down what they were taught.  Not only teachers, victims of the reform are now parents, grandparents, public speakers, leaders, employers, etc...  The effect of the reform will likely linger for many more years.  
 

Ending Remark

The Vietnamese alphabet naming system is the A BÊ XÊ system.  The A BỜ CỜ system refers to the letter phonetic sounds.
 
While letter sounds enable reading, proper letter names (and their alphabetical order) are necessary for communications and can’t be eliminated.
 
Can you imagine using phonetic sounds to say DNA, HIV, BBC, UN, UK, USA, … in any language?
 
 
Như Nguyện 
August 2017
 
[1] Hội Truyền Bá Quốc ngữ (1938-1945)
[2] Hoàng, H.X. et al (Hội Truyền Bá Học Quốc Ngữ) (1939) Vần Quốc-Ngữ Dạy Theo Phương Pháp Mới. Ha Noi, Vietnam: Le Cuong
[3] “Hoa Xuân” (1953) by Phạm Duy.  Lyric in Vietnamese: “Có một đàn em bé ngoài đê, hát câu i, tờ đón xuân về”.
[4] Graves, F. P. (1913). A History of Education During the Middle Ages and the Transition to Modern Times.  New York, NY: Macmillan.
[5] Montessori, M. (2004) The Montessori Method.  Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
[6] Bình Dân Học Vụ
[7] Trịnh, Hà Vĩnh. "A, bê, xê hay A, bờ, cờ?"  Tuổi Trẻ Online.  May 10, 2010. Web.
Link to article (currently unavailable since the government shut down the newspaper online, TuoiTre.vn).  See pdf print here.
[8] Various video clips available over the internet (key word search:  Nguyễn Xuân Phúc cờ lờ mờ vờ).  Two representative clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuX78GrlQoo and  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw2yT7VDpRQ (note: clips might have been shut down due to political pressure)
[9] In Vietnamese:  Campuchia – Lào - Miến Điện - Việt Nam 
[11] Lê, Văn. "Không thể đọc tên chữ cái là 'a, bờ, cờ'. "  Pháp Luật Xã Hội.  Dec 7, 2016.  Web.