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45 Traditional Dishes to Look For in Vietnam

45 Traditional Dishes to Look For in Vietnam

For us, Vietnam is one of the world’s best countries for food. We’ve been to Vietnam several times now and Vietnamese cuisine always leaves us wanting for more.

My most recent visit to Vietnam was a month-long stay in which I explored the country’s diverse cuisine from north to south. I ate my way through Sapa, Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon, and the Mekong Delta with the goal of writing a traditional Vietnamese food guide that showcased the best and most interesting dishes Vietnam had to offer.

If you’re wondering what to eat in Vietnam, then this Vietnamese food guide will be very useful to you. It lists 45 of the tastiest Vietnamese dishes you can have throughout the country. In trying these dishes, I hope you fall in love with traditional Vietnamese food as much as we have.

This Vietnamese food guide advises you on what dishes to eat, but if you’re looking for the best Vietnamese restaurants and street food stalls in key cities throughout Vietnam, then be sure to check out our Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Hue, and Hoi An food guides as well. Enjoy!

WHAT IS TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE FOOD?

If I were to use one word to describe traditional Vietnamese food, it would be “balance”. Balance is important in all types of cuisine but it seems to be of particular importance in Vietnamese cuisine.

Traditional Vietnamese cuisine aims to strike a balance in different aspects of its food like taste, nutrients, and presentation, and it does so by paying attention to five elements per aspect.

In spices used for example, a balance is sought between sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty. In presentation, cooks aim to have the colors green, red, yellow, white, and black in their food. Vietnamese food is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world and this is due in part to a balance of nutrients like carbohydrates, fat, protein, minerals, and water.

I noticed this Yin and Yang in Vietnamese food when we ate deep-fried dishes like nem cua be and banh goi in Hanoi. We’re presently living in the Philippines so I’m used to eating deep-fried spring rolls similar to nem cua be.

Our fried spring rolls are typically served with just ketchup or vinegar so I often find them to be one-note and unctuous. In Vietnam however, they’re served with a Vietnamese dipping sauce made with water, cucumber slices, fish sauce, and other ingredients. They’re also served with a heaping bowl of fresh greens like lettuce, coriander, perilla, and mint which you would dunk into the sauce and eat with the fried bits of food.

So in spite of the Vietnamese spring rolls being deep-fried and oily, the experience of eating them was surprisingly refreshing, and much of that had to do with the balance of ingredients, sensations, and temperatures.

It was an eye-opening experience for me, one that gave me a better understanding and appreciation for the food in Vietnam. I was a fan after that.

VIETNAMESE NATIONAL DISHES

What better way to start this traditional Vietnamese food guide than with the country’s national dishes – pho, banh mi, and goi cuon? They’re among the most well-known dishes in Vietnamese cuisine and something you’ll probably have often during your stay in Vietnam.

1. Pho [Order]

Pho is one of the most well-known examples of traditional Vietnamese food. Like banh mi and goi cuon, it’s one of the most popular foods in Vietnam and regarded as a Vietnamese national dish.

Pho is a noodle soup that originated in the north but it’s now popular throughout Vietnam. Regardless of where it’s from, it’s made with four basic ingredients – clear stock, rice noodles (called banh pho), meat (typically beef or chicken), and herbs.

The origin of pho noodle soup can be traced to early 20th century Nam Dinh Province in northern Vietnam. The higher availability of beef due to French demand resulted in a surplus of beef bones which were then used as the base for modern pho soup.

With the Partition of Vietnam in 1954, over a million people fled from the north to the south, bringing with them their affinity for this beloved noodle soup. This helped popularize pho in other parts of Vietnam, which in turn led to further development of the dish.

Unconstrained by the culinary traditions of the north, variations in meat and broth appeared, as did additional garnishes like lime, bean sprouts, culantro, cinnamon basil, hoisin, and hot chili sauce. Today, several varieties of pho soup exist, most notably pho bac or “northern pho”, and pho Sai Gon or “southern pho”.

Recipes for northern pho soup tend to use wider rice noodles and a lot more green onions. Garnishes are generally limited only to vinegar, fish sauce, and chili sauce. Southern pho soup, on the other hand, has a sweeter broth and is topped with bean sprouts and a wider variety of fresh herbs.

2. Banh Mi

Like pho, banh mi is one of the most well-known examples of Vietnamese food. Even if you aren’t that familiar with traditional Vietnamese food or have never been to Vietnam, chances are you’ve at least heard of banh mi. It’s considered a Vietnamese national dish and can be found pretty much anywhere in Vietnam.

Strictly speaking, “banh mi” is the Vietnamese word for the baguette which was introduced by the French during the colonial period. But when most people say “banh mi”, they’re referring specifically to the baguette sandwich made with different types of meat, vegetables, and condiments.

Pork is frequently used in banh mi sandwiches and comes in many forms like paté, grilled patties, Vietnamese sausage, cold cuts, terrine, and floss. Commonly used vegetables in banh mi include cucumber slices, coriander, pickled carrots, herbs, and shredded radish. But like any sandwich, you can basically put whatever you want in a banh mi so there are many varieties made with other ingredients as well like duck, egg, grilled chicken, fish cake, etc.

No matter what you put in a banh mi, what makes this sandwich truly special is the baguette. They make it so crusty and crunchy on the outside but soft and pillowy on the inside that it sort of crumbles in on itself when you take a bite. Banh mi is so incredibly delicious and one of my absolute favorite foods to eat in Vietnam.

3. Nem Cuon / Goi Cuon

Compared to pho or banh mi, Vietnamese spring rolls (or summer rolls) may not be as well known to many foreigners but they’re every bit as delicious.

Known as nem cuon in northern Vietnam and goi cuon in the south, these fresh spring rolls are a Vietnamese national dish. They’re traditionally made with shrimp, pork, vegetables, herbs, and rice vermicelli wrapped in banh trang (Vietnamese rice paper).

Vietnamese spring rolls are often served with a peanut hoisin dipping sauce along with other sauces like nuoc mam pha or fish sauce. Soft, light, and savory-sweet, it’s a delicious and refreshing Vietnamese food classic.

If you prefer deep-fried spring rolls, then there’s an equally popular version of this dish called cha gio (called nem ran in the North).

VIETNAMESE STARTERS / SIDES

4. Banh Cuon

Have you ever had those slippery rice noodle rolls served at Chinese dim sum restaurants called chee cheong fun? Banh cuon is similar to that. It’s a northern Vietnamese noodle dish that’s become popular throughout Vietnam.

Banh cuon are rice noodle rolls made from a thin sheet of steamed fermented rice batter filled with seasoned ground pork and wood ear mushrooms. Topped with herbs and fried shallots and served with a bowl of nuoc cham (Vietnamese fish sauce), they’re typically served with a side dish of gio lua (Vietnamese pork sausage), sliced cucumber, and bean sprouts.

I was watching them make it in Hanoi and one woman would ladle a scoop of the batter onto a convex metal surface where it would quickly solidify into a thin delicate sheet. Another woman would then fill it with ingredients and roll it up before cutting with scissors into bite-sized pieces. All of this happened with a quickness and fluidity of motion that was mesmerizing to watch.

Banh Cuon is typically made with pork (banh cuon nhan thịt) but you can have them filled with other ingredients as well, like shrimp (banh cuon nhan tom tuoi). They’re delicious no matter what they’re made with – soft, slippery, and a little gummy with bits of crunchy fried shallots and fresh herbs.

5. White Rose Dumplings

Like cao lau, banh bao banh vac (or White Rose Dumplings) is a regional Vietnamese dish available only in Hoi An. The recipe for banh bao banh vac is a well-guarded secret that’s been kept in the family for three generations.

Invented and popularized by the grandfather of the owner of White Rose Restaurant, banh bao banh vac is made with translucent white dough filled with spiced minced shrimp or pork. The wrapper is bunched up to resemble flowers which is how the dumplings get their English name. They’re topped with crispy fried shallots and served with a special dipping sauce made with shrimp broth, chilies, lemon, and sugar.

Walking inside Hoi An’s Central Market, I saw many Vietnamese food stalls selling “White Rose Dumplings”. I thought they were knock-offs of the original but as it turns out, nearly all the white rose dumplings sold in Hoi An are supplied by White Rose Restaurant.

When you take a bite of these dumplings, you may notice that the skin is firmer and chewier than traditional Chinese dumplings like har gow. I read that the dough is made with water drawn from the Ba Le Well, so that may have something to do with its chewier texture.

It’s said that the water is filtered and purified 15-20 times before being mixed with the rice paste to form the airy dough. Whatever the secret is, these dumplings are delicious and a must-try in central Vietnam.

From Vietnam

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