You are learning the extended pronoun system: you will read the scene it happens in, take apart the pattern behind them (kinship pronouns — addressing people correctly), hear them in a conversation, rehearse them, and finish by saying one thing out loud to be graded.
Cho Dong Xuan, Hanoi's largest covered market. To buy here you must know who you are speaking to: chi (older sister), anh (older brother), em (younger), co (aunt), chu (uncle). The wrong pronoun is not rude — but the right one opens doors.
Dong Xuan Market is Hanoi's largest indoor market — three floors, hundreds of vendors, everything from live chickens to silk. The stranger enters from the north gate.
First stall: a woman in her fifties selling dried spices. 「Co oi! Cho con mot goi que.」 She beams. The correct pronoun. She gives him extra cinnamon.
Second stall: a young woman selling herbs. 「Chi oi, rau mui bao nhieu?」 The woman looks about his age — chi is respectful. 「Muoi nghin thoi em!」 She calls him em back. They have placed each other.
Third stall: an elderly man selling dried shrimp. 「Chu oi, cai nay ngon khong?」 The man laughs, scoops a sample. 「Ngon lam con! Thu di!」
Three stalls, three pronouns, three different relationships. This is how Vietnamese works.