Ngân hàng đóng cửa lúc năm giờ, nhưng tôi vẫn đang đợi.

In this sentence, đóng cửa means to close or to be closed for business.

• Literally, đóng = close/shut
• cửa = door

So yes, word-for-word it looks like close door, but together it is a very common expression for a shop, bank, office, etc. closing.

Here, Ngân hàng đóng cửa lúc năm giờ means the bank closes at five o’clock, not that someone is physically shutting one door.

Vietnamese basic word order is usually:

Subject + Verb + Other information

So:

• Ngân hàng = the bank
• đóng cửa = closes
• lúc năm giờ = at five o’clock

That makes the structure:

Ngân hàng / đóng cửa / lúc năm giờ
The bank / closes / at five o’clock

This is similar to normal English word order.

Lúc is a time marker meaning at in expressions of time.

So:

• lúc năm giờ = at five o’clock

It helps introduce a specific time. In many cases, Vietnamese speakers may also say:

• vào lúc năm giờ
• vào năm giờ
• sometimes just năm giờ, depending on context

So lúc is not the only possibility, but it is very natural here.

Nhưng means but.

It connects two ideas that contrast with each other:

• the bank closes at five
• I am still waiting

That contrast is the reason nhưng is used. It tells the listener that the second part is somehow surprising or contrary to expectation.

Vẫn means still.

It shows that a situation continues even though you might expect it to stop or change.

So in:

tôi vẫn đang đợi

vẫn adds the idea:

• I am still waiting
• I haven’t stopped waiting yet

Without vẫn, tôi đang đợi would simply mean I am waiting. With vẫn, it becomes I am still waiting.

Đang marks an action as being in progress, similar to the English be + -ing form.

So:

• đợi = wait
• đang đợi = be waiting / be in the middle of waiting

In this sentence, đang shows that the waiting is ongoing at that moment.

They do different jobs:

• vẫn = still
• đang = in progress

So:

vẫn đang đợi = still waiting

Using both gives the full nuance:

• the action is continuing
• and it is currently in progress

If you remove one word, the meaning changes slightly:

• tôi đợi = I wait / I am waiting
• tôi đang đợi = I am waiting
• tôi vẫn đợi = I still wait / I still keep waiting
• tôi vẫn đang đợi = I am still waiting

Yes, often you can.

Both đợi and chờ can mean to wait. In many everyday contexts, they are interchangeable:

• tôi đang đợi = I am waiting
• tôi đang chờ = I am waiting

That said, usage can vary a little by region, habit, and context. Many learners will hear both often, so it is good to recognize both forms.

Vietnamese does not mark tense the same way English does. It often relies on:

• context
• time expressions
• aspect words such as đang
• adverbs such as vẫn

In this sentence:

• đang clearly shows the waiting is happening now
• lúc năm giờ gives the bank’s closing time

So the sentence can naturally be understood as something like:

• the bank closes at five, but I am still waiting

Depending on context, Ngân hàng đóng cửa lúc năm giờ could describe:

• a general schedule, or
• what happened today

Vietnamese often leaves that kind of distinction to context.

Vietnamese often does not need a verb like to be where English does.

For example, English says:

• I am waiting

Vietnamese says:

• tôi đang đợi

There is no separate word for am here. The meaning comes from:

• tôi = I
• đang = ongoing action
• đợi = wait

So this is completely normal Vietnamese structure.

Sometimes yes, especially in casual speech, if the subject is already clear.

So you may hear:

• Ngân hàng đóng cửa lúc năm giờ, nhưng tôi vẫn đang đợi.
• Ngân hàng đóng cửa lúc năm giờ, nhưng vẫn đang đợi.

The full version with tôi is clearer and safer for learners. Omitting it is more natural in some conversational contexts, but only when there is no confusion about who is waiting.

Yes, năm giờ means five o’clock.

If you want to be more specific, Vietnamese can add more detail:

• năm giờ chiều = 5 p.m.
• năm giờ sáng = 5 a.m.
• năm giờ đúng = exactly five o’clock

If the context already makes the time obvious, năm giờ by itself is enough.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• Ngân hàng ≈ nguhn hahng
• đóng cửa ≈ dawng koo-uh
• lúc năm giờ ≈ look num yuh
• nhưng tôi vẫn đang đợi ≈ nhung toy vuhn zawng doy

A few important points:

• Vietnamese is tonal, so correct tones matter a lot.
• đ is not the same as English d.
• ng can appear at the beginning of a word, which may feel unusual for English speakers.

A rough English-style pronunciation guide can help at first, but it is best to listen to native audio and copy the tones carefully.