DLI Vietnamese Basic Language Course (Live Lingua)

This is Live Lingua’s hosted version of the DLI Vietnamese Basic Course, a long, structured set of PDFs plus audio meant for intensive drill practice. It’s best for self-learners who like repeating dialogs, doing pattern drills, and working through a big curriculum step by step.

On the course page you can read each PDF lesson while playing the corresponding audio, then use the built-in “dictaphone” tool to record yourself and compare. The download section includes multiple volumes (Lessons 1 to 100) plus extra background material. Start here: DLI Vietnamese Basic Course.

The big downside is age and style. Live Lingua notes the course was compiled prior to 1975, so some vocabulary and cultural context can feel dated, and the drill-heavy approach can get repetitive. It also is not designed for casual conversation practice with feedback, so you may want to pair it with a tutor or speaking partner. For dialect, Live Lingua’s separate DLI “General Material” page describes Vietnamese (Hanoi), but the Basic Course page itself does not clearly label a dialect.