Top 10 Delicious Vietnamese Dishes You Should Know

After discovering the list of 7 Great Places to Visit in Vietnam for Foodies, let's look at more details of the most famous Vietnamese dishes to try once you are in Vietnam.

In recent years, the cuisine of Vietnam has become better known and appreciated by foodies for its diversity of choices and delicate tastes. It is a mixture of the quintessence of original Vietnamese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Khmer cuisine, Thai cuisine, and French cuisine, among the most famous in the world. And how is this mixed, it doesn't make a mess but represents a localized diversity worth tasting.

1. Pho - the worldwide famous rice noodle soup

Pho is regarded as Vietnam's iconic soup that is the first thing all tourists want to taste on the first day of arrival to discover the country's cuisine and also the first thing every Vietnamese abroad eats when they return home. It is a noodle with fresh, very thin and fragrant rice noodles that is eaten with beef or chicken broth and other ingredients such as star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger cooked for a long time.

How to Eat?

Pho is normally served in a large bowl with all things together, decorated with green onion and herbs. You eat the Pho with chopsticks to catch the noodles and meat and with a spoon to take the broth. At the table, there is always vinegar, garlic, chili sauce, pepper, or lemon to add into the bowl. People can eat the Pho to their preference.

Note that beef pho broth is distinct from chicken pho so choose the right place to eat well. The most famous cities for Pho are Hanoi and Nam Dinh where you can find good Pho everywhere.

Where to Eat?

• Pho Thin at 13 Lo Duc, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi
• Pho Hoa Pasteur at 260C Pasteur, Ward 8, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Similar Dishes

Good Vietnamese noodle soup goes beyond just Pho. There are other noodle dishes with broths that are famous and delicious in different destinations. For example, there's Banh Da Cua, which is crab noodle broth, Bun Oc, which is sour snail broth, Bun Thang, which is chicken broth, Bun Rieu, which is sour crab broth, Bun Ngan, which is duck broth, all of which are popular in Hanoi. Additionally, there's Bun Bo Hue and Hu Tieu.

2. Bun Cha - pork roasted and eaten with vermicelli noodles

In Vietnamese, "bun" refers to fresh rice noodles, while "cha" means pork that has been fried or roasted over fire. The name of the dish itself clearly indicates its ingredients. Bun Cha is accompanied by a bowl of mixed sauce, which typically includes fish sauce, garlic, chilies, vinegar, and sugar. Each restaurant has its own secret recipe for making the sauce more appealing to customers.

Along with a plate of bun and a bowl of meat in sauce, you may also be served a plate of fresh vegetables and raw herbs to enjoy as a salad.

Hanoi is the most famous city for Bun Cha, with many restaurants offering it for lunch.

How to eat?

You take the "bun" and vegetables and then dip them in the fish sauce. Eat them all with the roasted meat immersed in the sauce bowl.

Where to Eat?

• Bun Cha Hang Quat at Alley 74 Hang Quat Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
• Bun Cha Dac Kim at no. 1 Hang Manh Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

The similar dishes

With the same way of soaking the fresh noodles part together with the dipping sauce, you may also like these dishes:

• Cha Ca - The dish is made of noodles and fried fish served with shrimp sauce, herbs, anito, and peanuts. If the shrimp sauce is too strong, you can substitute it with fish sauce.
• Bun Dau - The dish consists of fresh noodles served with shrimp sauce, herbs, and fried tofu.

3. Nem - the fried rolls

"Nem" is the way to call this dish in the North of Vietnam, while in the South, it is called "Cha Gio". Of course, each region will have a different recipe but the taste does not change that much. You can find nem anywhere in VIetnam. The best "nem" are always those made at home by mothers, grandmothers,...

The most important ingredient of fried rolls is "banh da nem" (rice paper). The other ingredients, including pork, soybean sprouts, black mushrooms, carrot, onion, etc., can be raw or already cooked and then rolled with this paper. When all the rolls are done, they are fried with lots of oil to bring out the golden colours.

How to eat?

This dish is always served with sauce, which changes for each different type of roll. The way to eat this dish is to soak the rolls in the sauce and enjoy them. If the rolls are hot, you take them with chopsticks, but if they cool down, you use your hands.

Where to eat?

• Quan An Ngon at no. 18 Phan Boi Chau Street, Cua Nam Ward, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
• Cuc Gach Quan at no. 92 Thach Thi Thanh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

The similar dishes

• Goi Cuon, also known as spring rolls, is a healthy option for those who avoid oily foods. However, since they contain raw vegetables, it's important to choose a reputable restaurant.
• Nem Lui, also known as Hue rolls, is made by putting all the ingredients in a tray and letting the eaters roll them themselves to make their own Nem Lui.
• Banh Cuon is a Vietnamese dish made with rolling steamed rice flour and filling. It can be found in Hanoi and Cao Bang.
• Pho Cuon is a creative version of Pho. Instead of cutting the Pho into tight strands, Pho Cuon uses the uncut Pho as a blanket for sautéed beef filling with garlic.

4. Banh Mi - the Vietnamese baguettes

Taking the idea of the French baguette, the Vietnamese localized Banh Mi with local ingredients, creating a unique dish. You can try baguettes with pate, egg, and Vietnamese bologna, but they are always served with cilantro, pickles, or other herbs.

How to eat?

To enjoy Banh Mi at its best, take a bite of both bread and meat, vegetables and sauce. Its texture and flavor are amazing.

Where to eat?

You can find Vietnamese baguettes everywhere country, from tourist areas to areas little touched by tourists. Over time, it has become a very popular and easy-to-find dish in Vietnam. If you don't have much time to look around, these are recommendations:

• Banh Mi Lanh at 430 Cua Dai Street, Hoi An Ancient Town, Quang Nam
• Banh Mi 25 at 25 Hang Ca Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
• Banh Mi Nhu Lan at 68 Ham Nghi, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

The similar dishes

• Banh Mi Xiu Mai, consisting of meatballs served on a baguette, is favored by many Vietnamese. The meatballs are typically made with ground pork, fish sauce, garlic, black pepper, and scallions and cooked in a tomato-based sauce.
• Banh Mi Que literally translates to "skewer bread", known for its long, thin shape and crispy texture. It is a popular street food item often filled with pate and chilly sauce.

>> Vietnamese Street Food Tour in Hanoi - Half Day

5. Cao Lau - the rice noodle with herbs

Cao Lau is a unique type of noodle that originates from Hoi An, Vietnam. The noodles are made from rice that has been soaked in water containing ash from trees burnt in Cu Lao Cham. This process gives the noodles their characteristic crispness and dryness. Therefore, Cao Lau can only be found in Quang Nam province, where the ancient city of Hoi An is located. Traditionally, Cao Lau is served with pork and various vegetables from Tra Que village in Hoi An, with little broth.

How to eat?

Cao Lau is usually served in a large bowl with all the ingredients mixed together with a little broth that is already served in the bowl. After a couple of minutes, it is ready to be tasted.

Where to eat?

• Cao Lau Ba Thanh at 26 Thau Phien Street, Hoi An Ancient Town
• Trung Bac Restaurant at no. 87 Tran Phu street, Hoi An Acient Town

The similar dishes

You can discover other delicious Vietnamese noodles with little broth like these:

• Bun Bo Nam Bo - The rice noodles that are served with beef sauteed with garlic, raw salad, and fish sauce.
• Bun Thit Nuong - The rice noodles mixed with roasted pork, carrot and green papaya. This is a specialty of Hue.
• My Quang -The dish is very similar to Cao Lau but the noodle threads are yellow and thinner. My Quang is eaten with sauteed pork, chicken or frog.

6. Thit Kho - Caramel Pork Stew

Thit kho, or Caramel Pork Stew, is a Vietnamese dish that originated from the Chinese caramel Pork. To suit the local taste, the Vietnamese added coconut milk or coconut water and good fish sauce to the stew, creating the typical flavor. In South Vietnamese cuisine, people often cook pork and egg stew as a traditional dishes for Tet - the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

How to eat?

Caramel pork stew is a very popular dish in Vietnamese daily life, usually served with ordinary rice or sticky rice. It enhances the flavor of Vietnamese rice.

Where to eat?

• Tam Vi Restaurant at 4B Yen The street, Dong Da, Hanoi
• Quan Bui Restaurant at 19 Ngo Van Nam, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

The similar dishes

• Caramel fish stew is a popular dish in Vietnam with different variations across the regions. In the northern part of Vietnam, the stew is made with galangal and lemongrass. In central Vietnam, more pepper and chilies are added. Meanwhile, the southern part of Vietnam uses coconut water. If you are a fan of fish, this is definitely a dish worth trying!
• Bo Kho is a hearty and flavorful Vietnamese beef stew. The tender beef is simmered with star anise, cinnamon, cloves, lemongrass, shallots, and fish sauce, resulting in a deep and complex flavor profile. The broth is rich and aromatic, perfect for serving with bread or vermicelli noodles.

7. Banh Xeo - the savory pancake

Banh Xeo, also known as Vietnamese pancake, is a crispy dish made with soybean sprouts and your choice of meat, such as beef, pork, or shrimp.

How to eat?

When you eat Banh Xeo on its own, you may not be able to eat a lot due to its richness. However, when served with a bowl of mixed dipping sauce made of fish sauce, sugar, garlic, vinegar, and accompanied by fresh herbs such as mint, basil, and lettuce, it balances out the richness and complements the Banh Xeo flavour.

Where to eat?

• Banh Xeo Loan Beo at no. 153D Doi Can street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
• Banh Xeo 7 Toi at no. 45 Hoang Quoc Viet street, Ninh Kieu, Can Tho
• Banh Xeo 46A at 46A Dinh Cong Trang street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

The similar dishes

• Banh Khoai is popular in Hue, Vietnam. Basically, its ingredients are the same as Banh Xeo's, consisting of a rice flour batter filled with a variety of savory ingredients, such as pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, and green onions. However, Banh Khoai is a smaller version, and its thicker batter gains its golden color from eggs.
• Banh Khot is even smaller than Banh Khoai. Though tiny, it is still full of shrimp, pork, and green onions. Banh Khot is cooked in a small, skillet-like mold until golden brown.

8. Vietnamese Coffee

Vietnam has renowned coffee plantations that cultivate both robusta and arabica coffee. Among these, the robusta variety is the most popular with the Vietnamese people. Nowadays, many coffee shops prepare a blend of robusta and arabica in a secret ratio to enhance the fragrance.

Where to drink?

• All Day Coffee at 37 Quang Trung Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
• Saigon Coffee Roastery at 232 Vo Thi Sau, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
• Mor Ca Phe at K385A Nguyen Van Linh Street, Thanh Khe, Da Nang

Variations of Vietnamese coffee

In Vietnam, coffee is commonly made using filters and can be customized with additional ingredients depending on personal preference.

• Black coffee is the original and classic coffee.
• Brown coffee is made by adding more condensed milk.
• Salt coffee is made by adding condensed milk, fresh milk, and a pinch of salt.
• Egg coffee is a famous and recommended drink to try in Hanoi. It is made by beating a raw egg with condensed milk and sugar and adding it to hot black coffee.
• Coconut milk coffee is a type of coffee that is mixed with coconut slush or breeze with black coffee.

9. Vietnamese Desserts

Vietnam boasts a diverse agricultural culture. Therefore, the locals incorporate many of its staple crops into their desserts. Rice, beans, potatoes, corn, lotus seeds, coconut, and coconut milk are common ingredients used across the country. Rather than using granulated sugar, they often opt for rock sugar as a substitute.

Where to eat?

The most rustic and delicious Vietnamese desserts are in any local Vietnamese market. 

Variations of Vietnamese dessert

• Sweet soups: Che Sen - lotus seed sweet soup, Che Dau Do - black bean sweet soup, Che Dau Xanh - mung bean sweet soup, etc...
• Banh Bo: The cake made of rice flour, coconut milk, and jaggery sugar is a popular dessert in the Mekong Delta.
• Tao Pho: Also known as tofu pudding, or bean curd pudding, it is made from soy milk. When taste the dish, you will feel the soft, smooth, and delicate custard with a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. 
• Chuoi Nep Nuong: The Banana is covered with sticky rice roasted and then eaten with coconut milk; you can find this dish popular in Southern part of Vietnam.

10. Cakes wrapped in the leaves

In Vietnam, you can find various types of leaf cakes that can be sweet or savory and come in different shapes. However, they are all cooked in a similar way. Typically, they are wrapped with banana leaves and then either boiled or steamed.

Variations of Vietnamese dessert

There are countless types of cakes wrapped in leaves; we would like to recommend the most famous types.

• Banh Chung - a traditional cake in northern Vietnam made with sticky rice, green beans, and pork. It has a square shape and is typically eaten during the Lunar New Year.
• Banh Tet is similar to Banh Chung in ingredients but has a rolled shape, and is a traditional dish served during Tet in Central and Southern Vietnam.
• Banh Bot Loc is a speciality from Hue. They are small and contain shrimp or pork inside.
• Banh Nam is wrapped in banana leaves and then steamed until soft and fluffy. It is yummy when served with the chilly dipping sauce.

In this article, we have compiled a list of the Top 10 Must-Try Dishes in Vietnam. However, it is important to note that this is not an exhaustive list as there are many other dishes with similar ways of cooking. These dishes can vary in the amount of broth used and may be fried, stewed, steamed, or prepared in other ways. This gives you the option to choose from a variety of dishes during your trip to Vietnam. If you are a food lover, you can try a hundred delicious Vietnamese dishes. There are also some unique and unusual dishes that we will cover in a future article.

See more:

• Four Michelin Star Restaurants in Vietnam
• Best Vietnamese Restaurants in Saigon
• Best Vietnamese Restaurants in Hanoi to Try Authentic Local Cuisine
• Cafes in Hanoi - From Specialties to Coffee Chains