Thư trang trọng (Formal Letter)

Khi nào viết thư Formal?

4 câu cốt lõi — thuộc lòng ngay

📝 Chỉ cần nhớ 4 thứ này — không được sai

1. Lời xưng hô:

Không biết tên: Dear Sir/Madam,
Biết tên: Dear Mr./Ms. [Tên],

2. Câu mở đầu thân thư: I am writing to [ask for / complain about / inform you that / apply for]...

3. Câu yêu cầu / đề nghị: I would be grateful if you could...

4. Câu kết + lời kết:

I look forward to hearing from you.
Dùng Dear Sir/Madam → kết bằng Yours faithfully,
Dùng tên người → kết bằng Yours sincerely,

3 dạng hay gặp nhất — nhớ 3 câu mở này

Dạng	Khi nào dùng	Câu mở
Request	Hỏi thông tin, yêu cầu hàng hóa/dịch vụ	I am writing to ask for…
Complaint	Phàn nàn, không hài lòng	I am writing to complain about…
Giving Information	Cung cấp thông tin, phản hồi	I am writing to inform you that…

Dạng 1: Letter of Request (Thư yêu cầu)

Phổ biến nhất trong đề thi. Có 2 loại — template gần giống nhau, chỉ khác phần yêu cầu.

1a — Yêu cầu hàng hóa / dịch vụ

📝 Template — Yêu cầu hàng hóa / dịch vụ

Mở đầu:

I am writing because I am interested in [sản phẩm/dịch vụ] at your company.
With reference to your advertisement, I would like to enquire about…
I am writing on account of [vấn đề].

Yêu cầu chính:

I would be grateful if you could send me… as soon as possible.
Could you possibly send me [hàng hóa]?
I would like to order… from your company.
Would it be possible for you to send/provide…?
We would appreciate if you could… immediately.

Yêu cầu thêm:

I would also like to know whether…
Another matter I would like to ask about is…

Kết — thể hiện sẵn sàng liên hệ:

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further information.
If you have any questions, please give me a call at…
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

1b — Yêu cầu thông tin

📝 Template — Yêu cầu thông tin

Mở đầu:

With reference to your advertisement for [khóa học/chương trình], I am writing to ask for further information about…
I am writing to ask for further information about [chủ đề].

Yêu cầu thông tin:

Could you please explain…?
I would be very grateful if you could send me information / directions / instructions about…
I would appreciate information about…
Would it be possible for you to clarify…?
I would like instruction about…

Hỏi thêm:

I would also like to know whether…
Another matter I need information on is…
I am not certain about… Could you clarify this?

Kết:

I look forward to receiving your reply.
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Dạng 2: Letter of Complaint (Thư khiếu nại)

Rất hay gặp trong đề thi thật.

📝 Template — Letter of Complaint

Mở đầu:

I am writing to complain about [sản phẩm/dịch vụ] which I [purchased / received] at your [shop/hotel] on [ngày].
I am writing to express my concern about…
I am writing because I am not at all satisfied with the quality of…

Mô tả vấn đề (dùng quá khứ đơn):

Making a complaint: thì hiện tại đơn
Describing the matter: thì quá khứ đơn
On [ngày], I [purchased / visited / received]…
However, I was disappointed to find that…
The problem is that…

Yêu cầu giải quyết:

I would be grateful if you could look into this matter.
I would appreciate either a replacement or a full refund.
I demand that you refund my money immediately.
I must ask you to either replace [sản phẩm] or refund the price I paid.
I feel that at the very least you owe me an apology.

Cảnh báo:

If I do not hear from you within [thời gian], I will have to take further action.
Unless I hear from you within ten days, I shall have to take legal advice on this matter.
If this matter is not resolved, I intend to contact the relevant authorities.

Kết:

I look forward to your prompt response.

Bài mẫu — Letter of Complaint

Đề bài: Write a letter to a hotel manager to complain about problems during your stay. Mention: the problems you experienced and what action you expect.

▶ Formal Letter of Complaint — B1B1

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complain about the service at your hotel during my stay from 15th to 17th March.

Firstly, the room was not clean when I arrived. The bathroom was dirty, and there were no clean towels. I told the front desk about this problem, but it was not fixed until the next morning.

Secondly, the Wi-Fi was very slow during my stay. I was travelling for work, so I could not do my job properly. As a result, I had to go to a café to use the Internet.

I would be grateful if you could look into these problems and give me a partial refund for the trouble. If I do not hear from you within two weeks, I will have to take further action.

I look forward to your prompt response.

Yours faithfully, Nguyen Thi Mai

Phân tích bài mẫu:

4 đoạn — mở / vấn đề 1 / vấn đề 2 / yêu cầu + cảnh báo + kết
In đậm = câu template dùng trực tiếp từ bảng trên
Từ nối: Firstly, Secondly, but, so, As a result — đa dạng
Số từ: ~145 từ — trên mức tối thiểu 120 từ

Dạng 3: Letter of Giving Information (Thư cung cấp thông tin)

📝 Template — Letter of Giving Information

Mở đầu — Báo tin tốt:

I am writing to inform you that / let you know that…
I feel delighted to inform you that…
You will be pleased to hear that…

Mở đầu — Báo tin xấu:

We regret to inform you that…
I am afraid it would not be possible to…
I feel obliged to inform you that…

Mở đầu — Phản hồi thư:

I am writing in response to your letter requesting information about…
I am writing to provide you with information about…
I am writing to reply to your enquiry about…

Vấn đề đầu tiên:

Firstly, I would like to inform you that…
The first thing I would like to tell you is…
I would like to begin by informing you that…

Mở rộng thêm thông tin:

I would also like to let you know that…
I would also like to inform you that…
You might also find the following information useful…
Another piece of information that might be useful is…

Kết:

I hope that I have been able to answer all of your questions.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.
I look forward to being able to help you again in the future.

▶ 🔼 Nâng cao — 3 dạng thư ít gặp hơn

Thư đưa ý kiến / lời khuyên (Letter of Giving Opinion)

📝 Template — Letter of Giving Opinion

Mở đầu:

I am writing in response to your letter asking for advice about…
I hope the following suggestions will be of some help to you.
I would like to give my views on…

Đưa lời khuyên trực tiếp:

I strongly recommend that you…
I would advise you to…
I believe that the best course of action is…
You ought to…

Gợi ý thêm:

I would suggest that…
May I suggest that…?
Another suggestion would be to…
I would like to offer one or two suggestions concerning…

Đưa ra quan điểm:

In my view / It seems to me that…
I agree/disagree with… because…
I would like to point out that…

Kết:

I hope that these suggestions will be of some assistance.
I hope you will accept this advice.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any problems.

Thư xin lỗi (Letter of Apology)

📝 Template — Letter of Apology

Mô tả sự việc (ngắn gọn):

I am afraid I [đã làm gì]…
I regret to say that…
We are very sorry that you received a defective [sản phẩm].
Thank you for your letter informing me that…

Xin lỗi:

I apologise for…
I am extremely sorry for…
I must apologise for not [doing something].

Giải thích lý do:

This was due to…
This happened because…
The reason for this has been that I forgot / misunderstood…

Hứa khắc phục:

I am pleased to inform you that we are prepared to replace your [sản phẩm] with a new one.
I will ensure this does not happen again.
I am coming to [địa điểm] next week, so I will [giải pháp].

Kết:

Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused.
We hope that this will restore your confidence in our service.
We very much regret for any inconvenience this has caused you.

Thư xin việc / học bổng (Letter of Application)

📝 Template — Letter of Application

Mở đầu:

With reference to your advertisement in [báo] on [ngày], I would like to apply for the post of [vị trí].
I wish to apply for the post of… as I saw advertised in [báo] on [ngày].
I am writing in reply to your advertisement in [báo] for the post of…

Trình bày trình độ:

I feel that my qualifications match your requirements.
I feel I am the right person for this post because my qualifications and experience are extremely appropriate.
My qualifications include…
I feel I would be suitable for this post because…

Trình bày kinh nghiệm:

I have been working as [vị trí] for the last [X] years.
Having already worked as [vị trí] for [thời gian], I wish to extend my experience.
I have had experience of [lĩnh vực].
I have [X] years of experience in [lĩnh vực].

Lý do nộp đơn:

One of the main reasons I am applying is that…
I am applying because…

Đính kèm hồ sơ:

Please find enclosed my curriculum vitae and two references as requested.
I enclose my qualifications and the contact details of two referees.

Kết:

I am available for an interview at any time convenient to you.
I could come for an interview at any time which would suit you.
I hope my application will receive your favourable consideration.