This textbook presumes knowledge of the contents of Spoken Vietnamese for Beginners or an understanding of the basic vocabulary and sentence structures of Vietnamese. Its aim is to build on that understanding through the development of general conversation skills and reading comprehension. The book follows the format of Spoken Vietnamese for Beginners as well: each lesson opens with conversations, a second section explains and gives additional examples of sentence structures and expressions, and a third section offers exercises based on the conversations as well as various readings. A fourth section provides grounding in expanded vocabulary.

The conversations in this textbook revolve around a foreign student coming to Vietnam to study. In the conversations, people share opinions across cultures and ask for information ranging from the practicalities of travel to cultural awareness. The vocabulary covered here touches on health, economics, etiquette, and religion.

The conversations and exercises in this textbook will be made available online as audio files. The book and accompanying audio—an integral component to Contemporary Vietnamese—can be used either with a teacher or for self-study. Language professors and their students—or those learning Vietnamese on their own—will appreciate the accessible approach and manageable size of this textbook.