ngoại vụ

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• ngoại-vụ

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 外務, composed of 外 (“outside”) and 務 (“affairs”), from Japanese 外務 (gaimu, “ministerial foreign affairs”), clipped from 外国事務 (gaikoku jimu, ngoại quốc sự vụ, literally “foreign country affairs”). Compare Japanese 外務省 (Gaimushō, Ngoại vụ tỉnh) and North Korean 외무성 (Oemuseong), both of which are ministerial agencies.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ŋwaːj˧˨ʔ vu˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ŋwaːj˨˩ʔ vʊw˨˩ʔ]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ŋwaːj˨˩˨ vʊw˨˩˨] ~ [ŋwaːj˨˩˨ jʊw˨˩˨]

Noun

ngoại vụ

1. (historical or of a provincial department) foreign affairs

   Antonym: nội vụ

   Coordinate term: ngoại giao (central)

   sở ngoại vụ ― a department of foreign affairs

Usage notes

Only used for Vietnam's provincial foreign affairs departments, as in Sở Ngoại vụ tỉnh Hà Tĩnh (“the Foreign Affairs Department of Hà Tĩnh Province”). For ministries or ministry-level departments, use ngoại giao instead. For example, Japan's 外務省 (Gaimushō, Ngoại vụ tỉnh) and North Korea's 외무성 (Oemuseong) are called Bộ Ngoại giao, and so is Vietnam's.