Vietnamese cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines around the world, thanks to its light and healthy characteristics, but also its diverse range of flavours and balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty. Mealtimes and food are an integral part of Vietnamese culture: sharing a meal is about family and community, traditions, celebrations, and cultural heritage.
Most people are familiar with the classics like Pho and the Banh Mi baguettes, but Vietnamese cuisine is so much more diverse than that. Rice, for instance, is a staple in Vietnam, and is consumed in a variety of ways, such as rice paper for crepes and spring rolls, noodles in dishes like Pho, as a snack (rice crackers), and even in sweet treats like sesame balls.
After having thoroughly enjoyed the local cuisine during my 3 weeks in Vietnam and then on a shorter trip to Phu Quoc, here’s my list of the best Vietnamese dishes to try.
Perhaps the most popular Vietnamese food, Pho is a hearty and comforting aromatic broth dish with rice noodles, herbs, and spices. There’s usually thinly sliced meat, either beef or chicken, though this can be substituted with vegetarian options like tofu or mushrooms. The broth is usually chicken or meat-based.
Banh Mi is a crispy baguette filled with meat, sliced cucumber, pickled or fresh carrots, and a mild sauce like soya sauce. It can be consumed at any time of the day, from breakfast to lunch to a midday snack to dinner.
Also called cha gio, nem ran are deep-fried spring rolls made of minced meat (pork or chicken), shrimp, vegetables, glass noodles, and wrapped in rice paper. It’s a crispy, delicious snack usually dipped in sauce for eating.
One popular Vietnamese food to try is goi cuon, though it’s most commonly named “summer rolls” in Western countries. Goi cuon are fresh rolls containing meat, prawns, vegetables, herbs, and wrapped in rice paper. Unlike nem ran, which are deep-fried, goi cuon rolls aren’t fried, but are also served with a dipping sauce.
Banh Xeo (pronounced “ban say-oh”) are crispy Vietnamese savoury crepes made of rice flour. They look like an omelette and are a perfect breakfast meal.
Originating in Hoi An, cao lau is a rice noodle dish with meat and herbs. Think of Pho but without the broth. We learned to make these in our cooking class in Hoi An, and it was perfect without the broth, as it was a really warm day.
A popular street food in Vietnam, Banh Trang Nuong is like a flat pizza, but instead of the regular flour dough, it’s made with toasted, crispy rice paper instead. Crunchy and savoury, there is a variety of toppings to choose from. Drizzle sauce over it and fold it in half to eat.
This dish, popular in southern Vietnam, is often called the broken rice dish because it’s made with fractured rice grains. During the milling process, some rice grains would break into pieces, and farmers in the Mekong Delta used them for meals when there was not enough “good”, unbroken rice grains. Com tam is usually made with pork, fried eggs, vegetables, and soya sauce.
A popular street food in southern Vietnam, bo la lot is minced beef or pork rolled up like thick cigars and grilled in la lot leaves (called betel leaves in Western countries). Seasoned with ginger and lemongrass, it tastes like mild peppery meat with a flavourful aroma.
Banh knot are mini Vietnamese crispy pancakes, fried and rolled up in leafy greens and dipped in fish sauce. It’s the perfect snack and finger food for parties.
Banh cam are glutinous sesame balls, deep-fried and usually filled with sweetened yellow mung beans. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these are popular in Northern Vietnam and are similar to the Chinese sesame balls jian du, though the latter is usually made with red beans.
A sweet “pasta” dessert, banh lot comes from Southern Vietnam and is made of rice, tapioca, coconut milk, and sugar.
We can’t write about popular Vietnamese food and dishes to try without mentioning Vietnamese egg coffee. Though technically not a “dish” or food, it deserves a mention: Vietnamese egg coffee is a creamy, foamy sweet drink made with condensed milk and a raw yellow egg beaten into the mixture. While the idea of a raw egg in a coffee drink tends to put people off, the brave souls I know who’ve tried it all loved it.
For non-coffee people like me, there’s a chocolate version. Our local food tour guide in Hanoi took us to a coffee shop that served a hot chocolate with a raw egg.
Pho (rice noodles in broth) and banh mi (baguette sandwiches with meat or vegetables inside) are the most internationally recognised Vietnamese dishes, and are a must-try.
Vietnamese coffee tends to be strong, rich and flavourful. Visitors are often pleasantly surprised by the Vietnamese egg coffee, which contains a raw yolk mixed with condensed milk and coffee.
Just like its landscape and climate, North and South Vietnam differ in their cuisine too. The southern region of Vietnam (particularly Ho Chi Minh City) is renowned for its delicious and diverse dishes, though Hanoi in the north is also known to have some of the best Vietnamese dishes.
