English Proficiency in Southeast Asian Cities: A Traveler’s City-by-City Guide to Getting By

Most people in Singapore, Manila, and Kuala Lumpur speak functional English, especially in commercial and tourist areas. In Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Yangon, and Vientiane, English is far less common outside hotels, malls, and major tourist zones. Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Jakarta fall in between.

The EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) 2025 supports this. Malaysia (score 581) and the Philippines (569) are rated High Proficiency. Vietnam (500) is Moderate, and Indonesia (471) and Laos (461) are Low. Myanmar (444), Thailand (402), and Cambodia (390) are Very Low. EF does not rank Singapore because it classifies it as a native English-speaking country.

Scores tell you only part of the story. This guide explains where English is spoken in each city, who is likely to speak it, and how to get around when they don’t.

How Well Is English Spoken in Each Southeast Asian City?

The table below combines EF EPI 2025 city scores with what travelers can expect in practice. EF does not publish scores for Singapore or Ho Chi Minh City. For Ho Chi Minh City, the table shows Vietnam’s national score instead.

Singapore

English is one of Singapore’s four official languages and the main language of schools, government, and business. You can use English with taxi drivers, hawker stall owners, and bus drivers. Many locals speak Singlish, a local variety of English, but they switch easily to standard English.

Manila

Manila has the highest EF EPI city score in the region at 603. English is an official language in the Philippines and is used to teach many school subjects. You can expect to be understood by vendors, drivers, and most people you ask for directions. Road signs and menus are usually in English.

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur scores 588. English is widely used in business, retail, and transport, and signage is often bilingual in Malay and English. Older stall owners in some neighbourhood markets may prefer Malay, Cantonese, or Tamil, but you can usually communicate with simple English.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Hanoi scores 532. In the Old Quarter, hotels, and cafés, staff generally speak workable English. Younger Vietnamese people are often keen to practise it. Ho Chi Minh City is similar, and English is most common in District 1. Street food sellers, xe ôm (motorbike taxi) drivers, and older residents often speak little English. Vietnamese pronunciation is tonal, so reading an address aloud from your phone may not be understood. Showing the written address works better.

Jakarta

Jakarta scores 523, well above Indonesia’s national score of 471. Office workers, mall staff, and hotel employees usually speak good English. Outside business districts, English drops off quickly and Bahasa Indonesia is the everyday language.

Bangkok

Bangkok scores 467. English is common in Sukhumvit, Silom, around Siam, and in hotels and large malls. Taxi drivers and street vendors outside these areas often speak limited English. Many street signs and menus are only in Thai script, which makes it harder to find your way around.

Phnom Penh, Yangon, and Vientiane

All three cities score in the Low range. Phnom Penh scores 472, Yangon 458, and Vientiane 486. English is mostly found in tourist accommodation, restaurants aimed at visitors, and among drivers who work near popular sights. Beyond those places, expect to rely on gestures, written addresses, and translation apps.

Who Usually Speaks English in Southeast Asia?

Across the region, some groups are much more likely to speak English than others:

• Younger people. People under about 35 generally speak more English than older generations. This is due to changes in schooling and to English-language online content and entertainment.

• Hospitality and tourism workers. Hotel front-desk staff, tour guides, and airport personnel speak workable English in most major cities, even where the city’s overall score is low.

• Ride-hailing drivers. Drivers’ English varies a lot. On the Grab app, you enter your destination and see the fare before you ride, so you rarely need to talk to the driver.

• Street vendors and market sellers. English is least common here, particularly in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Laos. Pointing, a calculator, and a few local phrases go a long way.

How the Grab App Helps When You Don’t Share a Language

Grab operates in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Available services vary by city. In most of these places, the app lets you handle the most common travel tasks without speaking the local language:

• Destination entry. Type or pin your destination before booking a GrabCar or GrabBike ride. The driver sees it on their map, so you don’t have to pronounce a street name in Thai or Khmer.

• Upfront fares. The price is shown before you confirm in most markets, so you don’t need to negotiate a fare verbally.

• In-app chat. You can message your driver to clarify a pickup point. The chat offers translation for many language pairs, so a message you send in English can reach the driver in their own language.

• Cashless payment. Pay with a linked card or a GrabPay wallet where available. This avoids confusion over change and unfamiliar currency.

• Food ordering. The GrabFood service shows menus with photos, prices, and item descriptions. You can order from local restaurants without reading the menu board or speaking to staff.

What Should You Do When English Isn’t Enough?

Download an offline translation app

Install Google Translate or a similar app. Download the offline language packs for Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Khmer, Burmese, or Lao before you arrive. The camera translation feature is especially useful for menus and signs written in scripts you can’t read.

Learn a few local phrases

A small effort is appreciated everywhere, and these phrases cover most daily interactions.

In Thai, male speakers end phrases with “khrap” and female speakers with “kha.” Bahasa Indonesia and Malay are closely related, so the Indonesian phrases are generally understood in Malaysia too.

Carry addresses in local script

Save your hotel’s name and address in the local language. Screenshot it so you can show it when you’re offline. This helps most in Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Yangon, and Vientiane.

Confirm English-speaking staff in advance

When you book tours, cooking classes, or medical appointments in lower-proficiency cities, ask directly whether the guide or staff speak English. Many operators offer English-language options, but they aren’t always the default.

Bottom Line: Can You Get By With English in Southeast Asia?

Yes, although how easy it is depends on the city.

• Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia: English is widely spoken and you’ll rarely face a barrier.

• Vietnam’s and Indonesia’s major cities: English is moderately common in central and business areas and among younger people.

• Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos: English is limited outside tourist zones. Plan to use translation tools and written addresses.

In every city, app-based transport, food ordering, and cashless payment remove many situations where you would otherwise have to talk. With the Grab app and a translation app on your phone, a language barrier rarely stops you from getting where you need to go.