Vietnamese is a highly tonal language. It does not suffice to learn vocabulary and grammar. True story: During one of LBJ's many visits to Saigon, the Vietnamese government hosted a diplomatic reception for him. An American embassy staffer taught him to say "I am happy to be in Viet Nam today," which is what he said to each Vietnamese citizen who came through the receiving line. Because he so totally mangled the tonalities of the sentence, what he was actually saying was "The ducks in the pond are dead." The Vietnamese diplomats and government officials kept straight faces, while their children laughed uproariously.
"The ducks in the pond are dead."
It sounds like a password from a bad spy movie. :-)
Oh my, lol! Well, I guess it's one I'll have to learn after I can hear better, since you can't really differentiate tones when all you can really hear are very low or high/loud sounds.. hoping hearing aids or some such will let me hear the middle-ranges again - I miss music!
~Moshi-chan