Courtesy Titles In Vietnam, rank and status are very important and those with authority within an organization have a near absolute power. Age is respected and status is more often preceded wealth. The Vietnamese language is equipped with a rather complicated system not only to reflect social order but also to spell out clearly the relationships among members in the family and their relatives. The use of appropriate courtesy titles (Mr., Mrs., Ms.) or professional titles (doctor, president, professor) is necessary in any social and business contacts. The title is based on gender, status, age, and occupation. Misusing it could cause embarrassment and create negative impressions. The following are the five commonly used courtesy titles: Ong (Mr.): to address a middle aged man, newly male acquaintance, man of higher social position, or grandfather. Ba (Mrs.): to address a married woman, female business acquaintance, or grandmother. Co (Miss): to address younger single woman or a paternal aunt. Chi (Elder sister): to address an elder sister or older married woman. Anh (Elder brother): to address an elder brother or newly male acquaintance. If you are unsure about a person's age, Anh or Chi is proper for casual conversations with a person about your age or somewhat older than yourself. Em (Younger brother or sister): to address a younger brother or sister, or considerably young person. Given name (Tam, Hoa, Lan, etc.), not family name, follows these courtesy titles (Ong Tam, Ba Hoa, Co Lan). Calling by title (without given name followed) is also acceptable. Professional titles such as Chu Tich (chairman), Bac Si (medical doctor), Tien Si (Ph.D.), Thay (teacher) are often used before one's given name in both conversations and correspondences. Addressing by given name without a courtesy title is appropriate among close friends of the same age or from a superior to his or her people of lower ranks. However, greeting new acquaintance without a courtesy title is considered impolite. One should not address older people by first name alone because it is regarded ill manner. Age is respected in Vietnamese society, so when you meet a person older than yourself, be the first to offer greetings. Vietnamese women retain their maiden names after marriage. She is usually addressed as "Mrs." followed by her husband's given name. However, if she is a professional or business woman, she would tend to use her maiden name. The given name is usually omitted when one is using the terms Thua or Kinh Thua to show a higher degree of politeness when addressing people of higher ranks. Chao, a general greeting term, is equivalent to Hello or Good-bye in English but it is a bit on a more formal basis. Chao can be used in all cases, at anytime during the day, to greet people or to take leave. It always precedes all titles. Ex: Chao Co (Hello Ms. or Good-bye Ms.). Chao Bac Si (Hello Doctor). Kinh Chao and Kinh Thua --meaning respectfully-- are most often used in formal speech or writing to show respect to someone or audience. Ex: Kinh Chao Ong, Kinh Chao Bac Si; Kinh Thua Ong Chu Tich. Chao, Thua or Kinh must precede all titles. Ex: Chao Anh, Thua Bac Si, Thua Thay Other titles used to address family members are: Bac, Chu, Cau, and Di. Bac is often used to call a male person older or higher-ranked than one's parents, Chu and Cau are for younger male persons or lower- ranked than one's parents, and Di is for a female older or younger than one's mother.