Where does “Vietnam” come from?

Vietnam (Central Huasteca Nahuatl) comes from Vietnamese Việt Nam, from Vietnamese Nam Việt, from Middle Chinese 南.

Ancestry of “Vietnam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1VietnameseViệt NamVietnamese
2VietnameseNam ViệtNanyue
3Middle Chinese南—
Every word from Middle Chinese 南 →Every word from Vietnamese Nam Việt →Every word from Vietnamese Việt Nam →