What do you say when you "toast" in SE Asia?
 

I'm sure we have a lot of accomplished imbibers out there, and I'd like to know what you say when you're toasting each other....besides "bring me another one, please"
Need to know the Thai, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Balinese versions...I'm assuming these are non-Muslim residents.

"Cheers" work quite well for me but if you're going to a formal party then you would use the word "Chiayo".

Thai: ไชโย (chaiyo) = cheers.
Vietnamese: sự cạn ly, nâng cốc chúc mừng

I just spent Thursday and Friday nights at closing dinners for a Vietnamese project, and the cheer my Vietamese colleagues taught me was "Yo!" Said louldy and emphatically, like Americans would say it in English to get someone's attention. Very easy indeed.

This of course involved shots of whiskey and shouting of "Yo!". (My head still hurts.) Perhaps Hanuman's is more polite, and means good health or long life or something and might be more appropriate for a sedate gathering.

I'm not 100 percent sure either for Vietnamese but I found this web site to be fairly accurate, click on the "toast when drinking" button under "Translation".

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cheers

Toasting doesn't seem to be much of a tradition in Indonesia, even in Bali, but the phrase that I hear most before drinking is "Selamat Minum" (minoom) meaning please go ahead and drink.

One more is "satu lagi" (rhymes with foggy).

In Java there's an excessively complicated protocol for accepting a drink, even tea or water. You have to leave it sitting on the table untouched for sometime (lest you appear too eager). After your host has urged you to drink several times you may finally take a sip, usually at the end of the meeting.

Cambodia: hold the drink in the right hand, touch your left hand to your right elbow and clink together glasses saying "chual muay". At weddings and such, when the drinking gets a bit out of hand, the object appears to be to clink the glasses together with such force that they both break, sending everyone into raucous laughter.

Fascinating. The things you learn on Fodors!

This is very informative. I was told it was "Chern derm krap" but maybe not?

In Thailand that is!

"Chern derm Krap" means "please drink".

"Yo!" in Vietnam

Thanks Hanuman.

I knew I could count on you guys! Now I'm armed with all these great toasts...we're off tomorrow night to Bangkok....can't believe it! Chiayo!

Have a wonderful trip!