Vietnamese (VNI) Typing Speed Test
Free Online Vietnamese VNI Keyboard – Type Tiếng Việt with Number Keys
Welcome to the Vietnamese VNI keyboard online (bàn phím tiếng Việt)! VNI is the input method that builds Vietnamese letters from a base letter plus a number: type the letter, then press a digit, and the tone mark or vowel modifier is applied. It runs free in your browser on any computer, tablet, or phone, with nothing to install and no system settings to change.
The whole system is nine digits. Tones: 1 = sắc (á), 2 = huyền (à), 3 = hỏi (ả), 4 = ngã (ã), 5 = nặng (ạ). Vowel modifiers: 6 = circumflex (â, ê, ô), 7 = horn (ơ, ư), 8 = breve (ă). And 9 gives đ, so d9 produces đ. Press 0 to strip a diacritic back off. That is the entire method: Viet65 Nam becomes Việt Nam, and d9i becomes đi.
Why Vietnamese needs an input method at all. Vietnamese is written in quốc ngữ, a Latin alphabet developed by Portuguese and Italian Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century and codified in Alexandre de Rhodes's 1651 dictionary, which eventually displaced the older chữ Nôm characters. It is Latin, but heavily marked: vowels can carry a modifier and a tone at once, producing well over a hundred distinct vowel forms. No physical keyboard has keys for all of them, so every Vietnamese typist uses a method that composes them from ordinary keys.
Tones change words completely. Vietnamese has six tones in the standard northern variety, and the mark is not an accent in the European sense — it is part of the word. The classic demonstration runs ma (ghost), má (mother), mà (but), mả (tomb), mã (horse), mạ (rice seedling): one syllable, six meanings. Text typed without tone marks is not informal Vietnamese, it is ambiguous Vietnamese, which is why getting them in matters.
VNI or Telex? Both produce identical text; they differ in what you press. VNI uses the number row, so the letters you type stay letters — an advantage when your Vietnamese is mixed with English words, brand names, or code, where Telex's letter triggers can fire unexpectedly. Telex keeps your hands on the home row and is generally faster once learned, and it is the more common choice inside Vietnam. VNI is widely used in the overseas community and by anyone who prefers an unambiguous, systematic scheme. Neither is more correct — use the one your fingers already know.
Perfect for: writing to family in Vietnam, school and university work, business correspondence, filling in official forms, posting on social media, typing Vietnamese names and place names with correct diacritics, and working on a borrowed or public computer with no Vietnamese input installed.
Related keyboards: if you prefer letter-based input, use the Vietnamese Telex keyboard — same output, different keystrokes. Switch between them instantly with the Layout dropdown above.
Your privacy is guaranteed – all typing happens 100% locally in your browser. Nothing you write is sent to a server, stored, or logged.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the VNI input method?
VNI composes Vietnamese letters from a base letter plus a number key. You type the letter, then a digit, and the diacritic is applied — so Viet65 becomes Việt. It covers the five tone marks, the three vowel modifiers, and đ, using digits 1 through 9.
What does each number do?
Tones: 1 = sắc (á), 2 = huyền (à), 3 = hỏi (ả), 4 = ngã (ã), 5 = nặng (ạ). Vowel modifiers: 6 = circumflex (â, ê, ô), 7 = horn (ơ, ư), 8 = breve (ă). 9 gives đ, and 0 removes a diacritic you have already applied.
How do I type đ?
Type d then 9. Đ/đ is a distinct letter of the Vietnamese alphabet with its own place in alphabetical order — it is not a decorated d — so it needs its own keystroke rather than a tone mark.
What is the difference between VNI and Telex?
They produce identical text and differ only in keystrokes. VNI uses the number row; Telex uses letters (s, f, r, x, j for tones; aa, ee, oo, w, dd for modified vowels). Telex keeps your hands on the home row and is more common in Vietnam; VNI avoids letter collisions, which helps when Vietnamese is mixed with English words or code, and is widely used in the overseas community.
Which method should I use?
Whichever you already know — neither is more correct. If you are starting fresh: choose Telex if you want speed and type mostly Vietnamese, or VNI if you frequently mix in English text, brand names, or code where Telex's letter triggers would fire unexpectedly.
How many tones does Vietnamese have?
Six in the standard northern variety: ngang (level, unmarked), huyền, sắc, hỏi, ngã and nặng. Many southern dialects merge hỏi and ngã, leaving five distinct tones in speech, though both are still written.
Do tone marks really matter?
Yes — they are part of the word, not decoration. The syllable ma alone gives ma (ghost), má (mother), mà (but), mả (tomb), mã (horse) and mạ (rice seedling). Untoned Vietnamese is ambiguous rather than merely informal.
Is this Vietnamese keyboard free?
Yes, completely free. There is no cost, no registration, no account, and no limit on how much you type. The site is supported by advertising, which is what keeps the keyboard free to use for everyone.
Does it work on mobile phones and tablets?
Yes. The layout is fully responsive and works on Android and iOS phones, tablets, Chromebooks, Windows, and macOS. On a touchscreen you tap the keys directly — worth noting that VNI needs the number row, which on phones can mean an extra tap to reach.
Is my typing private?
Completely private. All processing happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Your text is never transmitted to a server, never stored, and never logged, so it is safe for personal messages and confidential documents.
Can I practise Vietnamese typing speed?
Yes. Switch to Speed Test mode to practise with real Vietnamese sentences and measure your words per minute and accuracy — useful for building fluency with the digit sequences.
Keep Practicing
Open the keyboard layout or explore more typing tests.