In this post, we will talk about how to address a physician and a person who holds a doctorate degree in Vietnamese.
In English, we often call a physician or medical practitioner “doctor.” We also call a person who holds a doctorate degree “doctor.” I have also heard people refer to dentist as doctor, for dentists have Doctor of Dental Medicine or Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. If that’s the case, shouldn’t we also call lawyers “doctors” as many lawyers have Juris Doctor degree?
There has been many debates over the use of the title “doctor.” With one word referring to different fields, the title “doctor” can be confusing sometimes.
In Vietnamese, there will never be a confusion, because we have different words to refer to a medical doctor or physician and a person who holds a doctorate degree.
Bác sĩ
We have learned from my post about Jobs and Occupations in Vietnamese that doctor (medical doctor or physician) in Vietnamese is “bác sĩ.”
Bác sĩ refers to the type of occupation, but it is also how people address medical doctor in Vietnamese.
For example:
Cảm ơn bác sĩ.
Thank you doctor.
The word and title bác sĩ is reserved exclusively for those who have completed their medical education and training to practice as a physician and treat medical problems.
Dentists are nha sĩ and sometimes referred to as bác sĩ nha khoa.
Tiến sĩ
Tiến sĩ is the title for those who hold a doctorate degree in a particular field.
The word tiến sĩ also means doctorate.
For example:
chương trình tiến sĩ
doctorate program
Or
bằng tiến sĩ
Doctorate degree
When introducing a person who holds a doctorate degree in a particular field, you can say tiến sĩ then add the field that person earned a degree in.
For example:
Tiến sĩ Vật Lý
Vật Lý means physics. Tiến sĩ Vật Lý means a person who holds a doctorate degree in physics.
Addressing bác sĩ and tiến sĩ
In Spoken Language
When talking in English, we use “doctor” with last name to address a doctor, even in some personal setting. However, in Vietnamese, we just say bác sĩ to address a physician and tiến sĩ to address a person who holds a doctorate degree. Sometimes, we say bác sĩ with given name (first name), but rarely with just family name (last name).
For example:
Bác sĩ Hồng
Hồng is a given name.
We don’t say “Bác sĩ Nguyễn” (Dr. Nguyen). Nguyễn is a family name.
When introducing and in writing
When introducing a medical doctor or physician, you say bác sĩ and their full name. It’s the same in writing if you want to include their occupation.
Bác sĩ (Family Name) (Middle Name) (Given Name)
When introducing a person who holds a doctorate degree, you say tiến sĩ and their full name. It’s the same in writing if you want to indicate that they have a doctorate degree.
Tiến sĩ (Family Name) (Middle Name) (Given Name)
Sometimes, you will see “BS” or “bs,” which is short for bác sĩ, and “TS,” which is short for tiến sĩ. Those abbreviations are literally just abbreviations for when it is too long to write the whole thing. It is not official abbreviation or designation attached to the name once you’ve earned the title like MD or Ph.D. in English. It sometimes takes guess work to know what BS or TS means if taken out of context.
Vocabulary Quiz
Let’s test the vocabulary we have learned in this post with this mini quiz. Are you ready?
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