Of all of the south-east asian languages perhaps the most useful for Australians to learn in Vietnamese. The Vietnamese people have been coming to Australia for decades now, bringing with them their distinct language and culture. Now that we have third generation Vietnamese families the language has become wide spread across Australia. In fact, Vietnamese is the 6th most spoken language in the country.
Learning an Asian language can be a challenge for English speakers. One of the big changes is the need to pay special attention to tones and your accent in general. Vietnamese is a language where these two elements are very important. But don't let this put you off learning to speak Vietnamese. You just need to put in the effort as with any other language and you will learn Vietnamese.
If you are planning on learning how to speak Vietnamese then the DIY course you should take a look at is Vietnamese for Beginners. This is a course that you study at home, in your own time and more importantly, at you own pace.
Vietnamese for Beginners is a self contained course in the Vietnamese language that includes a course book and three audio CDs. The audio material is crucial. By listening and repeating this content you will develop both your listening and your speaking skills.
The book is just as important though. The Vietnamese for Beginners course book provides clarity and explanation for the audio material. While you may choose to spend most of your time trying to copy the Vietnamese on the CDs, always be prepared to turn to the book as and when you need to.
One of the great things about the Vietnamese language is that the written language is far easier than say Japanese or Chinese. The characters are much more like those that we use in English. This is an important difference because you will learn the Vietnamese writing system far quicker than most other Asian languages. This simplification of the written Vietnamese language is thanks to the French influence which moved it away from it's Chinese ancestry somewhat.