Vietnamese, official language of Vietnam, is the mother tongue of Vietnamese people and many ethnic minorities. Vietnamese is part of the Austro-Asiatic language family and much of Vietnamese vocabulary has been borrowed from Chinese, then modified to fit format and vernacular. Because Vietnam was at one time considered a French colony, the language bears some influence from French and the Latin alphabet (still used today). Written Vietnamese did not become the official administrative language of Vietnam until the 20th century. Vietnamese words and sounds are unique and resonant, flowing quickly off the tongue. Find your Vietnamese baby name and name meaning at Baby Name World, a free online name resource.