Vietnamese food

What Makes it Special

Vietnamese food uses loads of fresh herbs like mint, basil, and coriander. It is not as oily as Chinese food and usually not as spicy as Thai food. Most meals come with fresh stuff on the side that you add yourself.

The country has three regions that each have their own cooking style. North is plain, central is spicy, south is sweet.

Dishes You Should Try

Pho

Pho

Vietnam's most famous dish. A noodle soup with broth cooked for hours with spices. You can get it with beef or chicken. People eat it for breakfast. About £1 to £2 a bowl locally.

Soup North Vietnam
Banh Mi

Banh Mi

A Vietnamese sandwich in a French baguette. Inside you get pate, pickled vegetables, chilli, cucumber, and meat. About 50p from a street stall.

Sandwich Street Food
Spring Rolls

Goi Cuon – Fresh Spring Rolls

Made with soft rice paper and filled with shrimp, pork, noodles, and herbs. You dip them in peanut sauce. Really light and healthy.

Fresh South Vietnam
Bun Bo Hue

Bun Bo Hue

A spicy noodle soup from the city of Hue. It has a lemongrass flavour and thick round noodles. People say it is actually better than pho.

Spicy Central Vietnam
Cao Lau

Cao Lau

Only made in Hoi An. Needs water from a specific well in the town so you cannot get the real version anywhere else. Has thick noodles, pork, and herbs.

Noodles Hoi An only

Drinks to Try

☕ Vietnamese Coffee

Really strong coffee with condensed milk. Hot or iced. There is also egg coffee in Hanoi with whipped egg yolk on top. Sounds odd but people love it.

🍹 Sugar Cane Juice

Fresh sugar cane pressed through a machine. Super sweet and cold. Really refreshing in the heat.

🍺 Bia Hoi

Fresh beer brewed daily and sold on street corners. Sometimes only 20p a glass. People sit on tiny plastic stools outside.

💡 Food Tip

Do not be scared of street food. Busy stalls with lots of locals are usually the best. If there is a queue it means the food is good.