The system of Sino-Vietnamese elements and Chinese characters have a relationship which has developed over the two thousand years since the beginning of the Christian era. This relationship can be divided into three phases based on the status and influencing level of Chinese characters in Vietnam including: from the prehistory to the tenth century, from the eleventh century to the beginning of the twentieth century, and from the early twentieth century to the present. In the first phase, the Sino-Vietnamese element system was formed. In the second phase, it was developed together with Chinese characters in Vietnam. In the third phase, it has been developed together with Vietnamese script, moving away from Chinese characters. This paper surveys this relationship based on 500 Sino-Vietnamese elements currently existing in Vietnamese. In this relationship, the Sino-Vietnamese elements borrow the meaning of the Chinese characters including the wholly borrowing ones (accounting for 3%）and the partially borrowing ones (accounting for 97%). The Sino-Vietnamese elements borrowing the original meaning of Chinese characters account for 57% while those do not account for 43%. The independently used Sino-Vietnamese elements account for 18%, and the non-independently used account for 82%. Some elements which create new meanings account for 8% whereas those which do not account for 92%. With such borrowing and creating characteristics, the system of Sino-Vietnamese elements has evolved and developed in terms of meaning. The ability to create words of the Sino-Vietnamese element system is created by turning morphemes into one-syllable words, combining morphemes, and repeating morpheme. The repeating method has little effect on the foreign elements. The method of turning morphemes into one-syllable words forms a number of word classes, accounting for 18%. The combining method is formed when combining Sino-Vietnamese elements together or combining Sino-Vietnamese elements and non-Sino-Vietnamese elements. This method forms precedent or unprecedented words in Chinese. The characteristics of creating the meaning and the ability to form words of the Sino-Vietnamese element system have proved the vitality, adaptability, and strong development of the Sino-Vietnamese element system as a word forming element system in Vietnamese. In the context of written language development in Vietnam today, the previous parallel relationship between the system of Sino-Vietnamese elements and Chinese characters has been severely damaged. Most Vietnamese users no longer have a clear understanding of the relationship and cannot trace the origin of Sino-Vietnamese elements. Therefore, reconstructing the relationship, studying its value, and creating search tools have become critical. This contributes to helping Vietnamese users understand more deeply and use more accurately the Sino-Vietnamese element system in Vietnamese.