What to Eat in Vietnam

One of the most common questions I’m asked about my year-long sabbatical is which countries had the best food. Greece and Thailand are both pretty high on my list, and those answers usually get met with understanding nods and only occasionally the glazed eyes of someone who’s sorry they asked me about food. But a lot of my acquaintances were surprised to hear me throw Vietnam into the conversation. Vietnam’s cuisine stood out to me because the food in each city I visited truly had its own character. Every city seems to have its own signature dish, each one better than the last. Below are a few of my favorite meals and recommendations for what to eat in Vietnam.

Pho

We’ll start off with an easy one. If you know anything about Vietnamese food, you’ve heard of pho (pronounced ‘fuh’), the country’s trademark noodle soup. Pho bo (‘fuh boh’) is made with beef while pho ga (‘fuh gah’) uses chicken. Both are delicious and can be found anywhere from Hanoi to Saigon and everywhere in between. Ask anyone what to eat in Vietnam and they will undoubtedly include pho on the list. You’ll see it at street stalls, you’ll see it at chains, and you’ll see it with a host of accoutrements like lime, bean sprouts, and hot peppers so you can adjust your dish to your taste.

Spring Rolls

Here’s another you surely know.  Spring rolls are common in many Southeast Asian countries and Vietnam is no exception. You can find them all over with various types of filling. They could be crispy and fried, or fresh with thin wrappers like the prawn stuffed ones seen here. If you don’t get some kind of tasty dipping sauce on the side, something has gone horribly awry and you should probably get up and leave.

Street Food

Vague? Yes. But a must do in Vietnam? Absolutely. Street food is a cornerstone of Vietnamese culture and no matter where you go in the country, you’ll see loads of stalls serving delicious dinners right on the sidewalk. Many of these spots don’t have a name beyond the dish they serve, as many specialize in just one thing. If you’re worried about cleanliness, you don’t need to be. While, yes, the kitchen is out in the open, that affords you the chance to actually see the kitchen in operation and determine for yourself how safe it is to eat there. When in doubt, seeing lots of locals in line is a good sign!

There is no limit to the kind of food served at a street stall, but barbecue is quite common. This joint in Hanoi served barbecue chicken up with pickled baby mango and a sweet chili sauce. They also threw a sweet honey bread on the grill that was to die for.

Banh Mi

Another very common street food find is banh mi (‘ban mee’). During its time as a French colony, Vietnam grew to know and love the baguette and to this day one of the most popular snacks for locals and tourists is this baguette sandwich. There are many varieties of banh mi with pork, chicken, or pate, but all have in common crunchy carrots, lightly pickled cucumber, and some combination of spicy condiments.

Ca Phe Sua Da

The last thing I’ll mention that you can find all over Vietnam is ca phe sua da (‘cah fay soo-ah dah’) or Vietnamese iced coffee. This isn’t like any iced coffee you’ll find elsewhere in the world. Ca phe sua da is very concentrated, very rich, and heavily sweetened with condensed milk. Some people don’t find it to their taste, but I loved it and ordered it whenever I was holed up in a cafe working on this blog or on a freelance project.

Bun Bo Hue

Now things start to get interesting. The city of Hue doesn’t always make it onto tourist  itineraries. Its main attraction is Vietnam’s former imperial citadel, and there’s not a ton else to see. If you do stop there, however, you’ll have a few local specialties to try. Among them is bun bo Hue (‘boon boh hoo-eh’), which translates to Hue-style beef noodle soup. It’s quite similar to pho, but has thicker noodles.

Nem Lui

Another local specialty of Hue is nem lui (‘nehm loo-ee’). Minced pork is seasoned and shaped onto lemongrass skewers to be grilled. Your plate comes with a few skewers, a bit of salad, a pile of rice paper wrappers, and a peanut sesame dipping sauce. You put a bit of salad onto a wrapper, place a skewer over it, roll the wrapper, pop out the lemongrass stem, dip, and enjoy. This was one of my favorite things I ate in all the time I spent in Vietnam.

White Rose Dumplings

A little south of Hue lies the colonial outpost of Hoi An. There, the White Rose Restaurant has become famous for a trademark dumpling dish. The thin steamed wrappers, filled with pork or shrimp, are cut into a distinctive flower pattern and topped with fried shallots. The dish has become so synonymous with Hoi An that many other restaurants serve it. I honestly found the version I tried underwhelming. If you want to try White Rose dumplings, I would recommend seeking out the original.

Cao Lau

On the street food side of Hoi An dining, you’ll find cao lau (‘cow low’). The thick rice noodles in this dish are particular to cao lau and because of Hoi An’s trading post history, many people believe their uniqueness stems from the heavy Chinese and Japanese influences in the area. While the noodles are often the star, the dish isn’t complete with a pile of greens and crispy pork on top.

Ca Phe Trung

Vietnam is famous for its coffee, but Hanoi takes it one step farther. The egg coffee or ca phe trung (‘cah fay troong’) can only be found in Hanoi, and before you say ‘ew gross’ hear me out. The drink doesn’t taste eggy at all. The egg is whipped into a rich thick foam over a cup of very sweet coffee. If you like egg nog, you’ll love egg coffee. It’s a very rich drink perfect for ending a meal. At first I thought it might be too far outside my comfort zone, but after I tried it, I couldn’t believe I had almost gone my trip without having one.

This is a very rudimentary white girl introduction to Vietnamese food. Have a favorite dish of your own? Drop it in the comments!