Tuxedo, vest, veston, complet: Vietnamese terms explained

In Vietnamese, "vest", "veston" and "complet" all point to a man's formal outfit, and everyone understands. The trouble starts when you read foreign sources or talk to a tailor about one specific style. A tuxedo is not a general name for every suit; it is a particular kind of outfit, made for the evening.

Where "vest", "veston" and "complet" come from

Most tailoring words in Vietnamese were borrowed from French during the colonial period. "Veston" is the French word for the suit jacket. "Complet" in French means "complete": a complet-veston is a jacket and trousers in the same cloth. Vietnamese shortened it to "complet" for the whole outfit. "Vest" is today's short form, picked up through English and now a habit of speech.

French itself blurs the jacket and the whole outfit, so it is no surprise that Vietnamese does too. What matters is that you know which garment you are talking about.

What "vest" means abroad

This is the trap when you order from overseas or read a foreign website:

• In the United States, a "vest" is a waistcoat, the buttoned sleeveless garment worn under a jacket. The outer jacket is simply the "jacket" or "suit jacket".
• In Britain, a "vest" is an undershirt worn next to the skin. The buttoned garment is a "waistcoat".
• English calls the whole outfit a "suit" (two-piece: jacket and trousers; three-piece: with a waistcoat).

So if you search "wedding vest" on an international site, you may get a wedding waistcoat rather than formal wear. Use "suit" or "tuxedo" instead.

A tuxedo is a specific outfit

A tuxedo (a dinner suit or dinner jacket in Britain) is evening dress for the black tie dress code. The details make it: lapels faced in satin or grosgrain, covered buttons, jetted pockets, braided trousers, worn with a dress shirt and a bow tie. Our page on how a tuxedo differs from a suit lists each point.

Put another way: every tuxedo is a suit in the broad sense, but not every suit is a tuxedo. A navy business suit does not meet a black tie dress code, however formal it may look.

Quick translation table

Vietnamese usage	Usually means	English term to use
Vest, veston	The jacket of a suit	Suit jacket (US), jacket
Complet	The whole jacket and trousers	Suit
Gile	Buttoned garment worn under the jacket	Waistcoat (UK), vest (US)
Tuxedo, evening suit	Black tie outfit, satin lapels, braided trousers	Tuxedo (US), dinner suit (UK)
Vest cưới	A suit worn to a wedding, either a coloured suit or a tuxedo	Wedding suit, or tuxedo

How to be understood by your tailor

When you meet a specialist or tailor, you only need to say three clear things:

• The occasion: a daytime wedding, a black tie dinner, work.
• What you need made: the whole outfit or just the jacket, with or without a waistcoat.
• The style: satin lapels (tuxedo) or self-cloth lapels (suit), single- or double-breasted.

For example, "I need a black tuxedo, satin peak lapels, with a waistcoat, for an evening wedding" is much clearer than "I want a nice vest for a wedding". If you are unsure of a name, bring a reference photo and the specialist will name it for you. You may also read our tuxedo glossary for beginners to get comfortable with words like lapel, galon, cummerbund and U-neck waistcoat.

How Mon Amie can help

At Mon Amie you do not need to master the jargon. A specialist will ask about the occasion and how you want to present yourself, then suggest the right style. To understand the process, see our bespoke tuxedo page or book a fitting at the showroom.