What to eat in Vietnam

One of the true highlights of a holiday to Vietnam is the food culture.

The culinary delights include an array of soups, fresh spring rolls and dishes with fish and seafood, where fresh herbs play a crucial role.

Street kitchens line the small streets of Hanoi. Mini plastic furniture stands on the pavements, forcing pedestrians out onto the scooter-infested roads. Eating here is an authentic experience, giving you a front-row experience of Vietnamese culture.

Below are seven different Vietnamese dishes you can try on your holiday in this wonderful country.

1. Phở

The national dish of Vietnam is the traditional phở.

Phở is a noodle soup consisting of a beef or chicken broth with coriander and ginger. Added to this are spring onions, rice noodles and meat (beef, pork or chicken).

Phở is eaten by the young and old alike at their favourite restaurant – often for breakfast – and they know exactly how the dish should be seasoned. They add chilli, fish sauce, garlic or the like to give the phở just the right flavour.

Different varieties of the national dish are served all over Vietnam. The soup is inspired by the French dish “pot au feu”, a classic French meat soup.

2. Bún Chả

The dish Bún chả originates from Hanoi. The Vietnamese dish consists of a soup containing small meatballs and marinated, sliced pork, a bowl of rice noodles and lots of fresh herbs. Chilli, garlic and the like are optional condiments and are found on the small tables of all street kitchens.

Add rice noodles, herbs and spices to the soup and you’re ready to eat one of the lunchtime favourites with chopsticks – or a spoon.

(The dish is mainly available in Hanoi, but it is also found in Ho Chi Minh City at Bun Cha 45, rated one of the top 20 restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City on TripAdvisor.)

3. Bánh mì

Bánh mí is a sandwich. The Vietnamese sandwich is similar to the sandwiches we know from home and yet not.

It is made from white bread, fresh salad and meat topping or the like. The most traditional of its kind is a Bánh mí with pâté.

4. Gỏi cuon

Gỏi cuốn, better known as fresh spring rolls or summer rolls, is one of Vietnam’s most famous dishes.

Fresh lettuce, coriander and rice paper form the base of Vietnamese spring rolls. Pork, prawns or crab meat are then added to the roll. Fish sauce, the favourite sauce of the Vietnamese, is an optional condiment.

A fried version of the spring rolls (Cha Gio), where the rice paper is crispy, is also available.

Spring rolls are served all over Vietnam, but in many different local guises.

5. Bánh xèo

The Vietnamese pancake, Bánh xèo, is a crispy pancake filled with prawns, pork, eggs and bean sprouts, with the addition of fresh herbs. The dish is wrapped in rice paper and dipped in a spicy sauce.

Bánh xèo is a great choice if you are looking for a light lunch.

6. Elephant ear fish

The fish, which is only served in southern Vietnam around the Mekong Delta, is a very special experience. Elephant ear fish is served “standing” in a frame, complete with its head, fins and skin.

The fish is named elephant ear due to its shape.

The fish meat is light, served fried and served with various condiments. The fish can be rolled up in rice paper, mixed with fresh herbs and dipped in fish sauce.

7. Cao lau

In the streets of Hoi An, you will find the dish Cao lau. Consisting of thick noodles, crispy rice cakes, thinly sliced pork and greens, the dish has a touch of Chinese as well as Japanese and Vietnamese food culture.

If you need a day without soup, this crispy alternative is worth a taste.

Bonus: egg coffee

When in Vietnam, don’t forget to taste the legendary beverage, cà phê trứng, or Egg Coffee as it is more commonly known.

After a walk through the streets of Hanoi, enjoy a much-needed rest at the world-renowned Giảng Café. The family here has been making its famous egg coffee to almost the same secret family recipe since 1946.

But they’ll let you into part of the secret. Egg coffee consists, among other things, of condensed milk, cheese, egg yolk and Vietnamese instant coffee.

It’s a wonderful, velvety coffee experience you must not miss, even though egg yolk and coffee are not usually something we think of combining in a drink! (Giảng Cafe is located at 39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân.)

In Vietnam, the gastronomic experiences just keep on coming, so if you want to taste all that Vietnam has to offer, take a look at all our Vietnam tours.

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller