Vietnamese Food

Vietnamese food is sure to be a highlight of your trip to Vietnam because the country is the ultimate foodie’s paradise. Vietnamese food is characterized by its vibrant abundance of fresh vegetables, herbs and flavorful broths. Because of this and the minimal oil used in their cooking, Vietnamese food is one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. The dishes are light and fresh, include contrasting textures, and have a balance of hot, sweet, bitter, sour and salty. The cuisine has Chinese and French influences and it varies from North, Central to South Vietnam, due to the differing climates and lifestyles.

Vietnam is one of the world’s largest producers of rice, so you can expect rice to be a heavy hitter in Vietnamese dishes. You can also expect a lot of meat, but in very small portions (along with smaller meal portions in general). Pork is very popular, and while it’s typically my last choice, I found the pork really delicious in Vietnam.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to eat well in Vietnam. Street food stalls and very modest restaurants serve some of the best and most authentic Vietnamese food. And it’s also a steal at only $1-2US per meal.

While eating the street food, you’ll often find yourself sitting on tiny plastic kid-sized chairs.

I quickly fell in love with Vietnamese food and now it’s one of my favorite cuisines. The flavors, the fresh herbs and greens that accompany every dish are so delicious and unique. In my experience, the best food is found in Hoi An, in Central Vietnam, which is known for some of the best food in the country.

You can take a cooking class so you can learn how to recreate your favorite Vietnamese food dishes at home 🙂

DIETARY RESTRICTIONS

Vietnam is pretty friendly to those with dietary restrictions. If you have severe food allergies, be sure to carry one of these cards around that communicate the severity of your allergy in Vietnamese.

GLUTEN INTOLERANT AND CELIAC

Vietnamese food is almost always naturally gluten-free because many dishes are made with rice noodles, rice paper and rice flour instead of wheat.

LACTOSE INTOLERANT

Vietnamese cooking used minimal dairy.

NUT ALLERGIES

Some dishes use peanut sauce and sometimes peanuts garnish a dish.

SHELLFISH ALLERGIES

A lot of dishes contain shellfish, but a lot of dishes also don’t. I have a shellfish allergy and it was easily avoidable in Vietnam.

THE SPICE LEVEL IS CUSTOMIZED

Every meal is accompanied by chilli sauce on the side and it can be added to suit your tastes.

VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS

“Chay” means vegetarian and it also means that you eat the way Vietnamese Buddhists eat. It’s easy enough to be vegetarian in Vietnam because nearly every soup, sandwich and street food has a vegetarian option. But fish sauce can be more difficult to avoid.

Vegan food is easier to find in the more developed areas. As a vegan, you need to say what else you don’t eat. See below for how to communicate this.

ABOUT DOG MEAT

While the Vietnamese do eat dog, I’ve never seen dog on a menu; however, it is more common in northern Vietnam at specific restaurants. Dog is actually very expensive, so it’s highly unlikely that it would be fed to you without your knowledge. The Vietnamese know how Westerners feel about eating dog, so they’re not keen on sharing this aspect of their culture.

VIETNAMESE FOOD DICTIONARY

Toi khong an = I don’t eat

And then you can add the following words:

sua = milk
phô mai = cheese
bo = butter
bò = beef
gà = chicken
cá = fish
thit heo = pork
rau = vegetables
banh = bread
com = rice
bun = noodles
trung = eggs
nuoc mam = fish sauce
mam tom = shrimp paste

Phở – Vietnam’s most famous dish is made with rice noodles, bone broth, bean sprouts and fresh herbs. And you can add chilies, lime and sauces to your liking. You can either get Phở Ga (chicken) or Phở Bo (beef). Traditionally, Pho is a breakfast dish, but it’s available all day.

Banh Mi – The ultimate Vietnamese sandwich (and one of my favorites) made with a fresh baguette, pork (or chicken and sometimes egg), pate, chili, cucumber slices, pickled daikon and carrot, cilantro, chilli sauce and mayo. It might sound like an odd combination, but it’s deliciously addicting. Banh mi is perfect any time of day, but it’s extra amazing as drunk or hangover food.

Cao Lau – Hoi An’s famous noodle dish (and my other favorite) made with barbecue pork, pork crackling, flavorful broth, bean sprouts, lettuce and herbs. Hoi An is the only place that makes Cau Lao because their lye well water is responsible for its chewy and delicious noodles.

Bun Thit Nuong/Bun Cha – Cold rice noodles topped with grilled pork, peanuts, and fresh herbs, greens and vegetables.

Bun Thit Nuong vietnamese food — Bun Thit Nuong

Banh Trang Nuong – This popular street food snack consists of a thin sheet of grilled rice paper topped with egg, dried pork, dried shrimp, green onion and chilli sauce, which makes a Vietnamese “pizza”.

Banh Trang Nuong Vietnamese Pizza — Banh Trang Nuong- Vietnamese pizza

Mi Quang – A turmeric noodle dish served with pork, shrimp, broth, fresh greens and herbs, peanuts. It’s my third favorite and also from the Hoi An area.

Mi Quang Hoi An vietnamese food — Mi Quang

White Rose Dumplings – Another specialty from Hoi An, which is made with shrimp and/or pork.

Goi Cuon – Fresh spring rolls (not fried, but those are good too!) with fresh vegetables,herbs and pork or prawns, and then wrapped in rice paper. Served with a side of hoisin peanut sauce.

Banh Xeo – A crispy and savory turmeric rice crepe stuffed with pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and… you guessed it- fresh herbs.

The fruit is amazing! Vietnam has all your basic, but delicious, tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes and pineapples. But it also has all the funky and sometimes alien Southeast Asian fruits like jackfruit (one of my faves), rambutan, mangosteen, longan, starfruit, dragon fruit, rose apple, custard apple, passion fruit, and the infamous durian. Try them all!

southeast asia fruit — Clockwise from top – longan, mangosteen, bananas, rambutan

VIETNAMESE DRINKS

Fruit Smoothies – Think about all the fresh fruit listed above, but in smoothie form and blended with ice and sweetened condensed milk.

Vietnamese Coffee – Vietnam is the world’s second largest coffee exporter, so they take coffee seriously, thanks to the French influence. Vietnamese coffee is known for its strong and thick brew, a few over-roasted beans, and sweet taste from the sweetened condensed milk. Black coffee is also often served with a lot of sugar, so if you don’t like your coffee sweet, be sure to say so. Vietnamese coffee is served hot or iced.

Egg Coffee – This is more like a dessert as it’s coffee mixed with foamy, sweetened condensed milk and egg yolk.

Iced Green Tea or Herbal Tea – It’s sooo refreshing and it’s unsweetened (which is rare) and it typically only costs $0.20US.

Sugar Cane Juice – You’ll see street stalls with electric or hand-cranked sugar cane squashers to extract sugar cane juice. The added citrusy kumquat juice and salt help bring out the flavor. It sounds like sugar cane juice would be a sugar overload, but its actually healthier than you think because it’s packed with antioxidants and electrolytes.

Fresh Coconut Water – The coconut vendor will open the coconut with a machete so you can drink straight from the coconut. It doesn’t get fresher than that. Coconut water is nutritious and great for rehydration, which helps with the hot and humid climate, hot and sweaty workouts, and hangovers. Once your coconut is empty, the vendor will crack open the whole coconut and cut off a disc of the shell so you can scoop out the coconut flesh and eat it.

Local Beer – There is a big beer culture in Vietnam and it’s dirt cheap at $0.50US a beer.

Enjoy!