On the street. You are genuinely lost in an alley and she is the person coming the other way.
Hear it first
Try it in a scene →How to say “Could I ask you for directions?” in Vietnamese
Anh hỏi đường được không?
ang hoy duong dook khom
Word for word: I (older brother) ask the way, is it okay?
Hover or tap a word to see what it means.
Why it works
`được không?` at the end asks permission rather than assuming it, which is what turns a demand into a request. Helping a lost foreigner is something most Vietnamese people will stop for, which is exactly why the question has to be real: it spends a goodwill that is not yours to fake. If she looks older than you, it is `Em hỏi đường được không chị?` and the roles swap.
The mistake to avoid
If you have Google Maps open in your hand, do not ask for directions. She will see the screen and the whole thing becomes a lie she caught you in. And when she has answered, thank her and go the way she pointed, even if you knew it: the exchange ends when the information ends, unless she extends it herself.
What she says back, and what to do next
- Anh đi thẳng rồi quẹo phảiCould go either way
Go straight then turn right
→ Repeat it back to check you got it. That repetition is a legitimate second exchange.
- Em cũng đi hướng đóGreen light
I'm going that way too
→ She offered. Walk together, at her pace, and ask what's worth seeing on the way.
- Em không rành khu nàyThat's a no
I don't know this area
→ `Dạ, cảm ơn em` and ask someone else. Do not turn it into a conversation about where she is from.