Don’t forget to sample Vietnamese cuisines in your family trip to Vietnam. With our abundance in agricultural products, Vietnamese foods are healthy with a combination of fresh vegetables, rice and noodles with meat and seafood. Our traditional dishes are highly praised for their special aroma, eye-catching decoration and delicious taste. Vietnamese cuisines are different from north to south: In the North people use fewer spices, foods in Central Vietnam have hot and spicy flavors while Southern dishes are sweeter. Vietnamese dishes are influenced by French, Chinese, and sometimes Indian cuisines as well.
Pho
Pho is a signature dish of Vietnam. The bowl of the hot fragrant broth, the thick rice noodles, and the sliced bits of the tender beef or chicken wins the gourmets’ praises. You can find Pho anywhere in Vietnam, but this dish tastes the most authentic in our 1000-year-old capital city. There is no strict rule to enjoying Ha Noi Pho, but most people use a spoon and a pair of chopsticks to eat the noodle and slurp the broth. Since the broth can be sweet or spicy, yet very delicious, don’t forget to slurp it. Traditionally, the vinegar, lime juice, and slices of garlic are added to enhance the flavor of the bowl.
Nem (Fried spring rolls)
The main ingredients for fried spring rolls are duck/chicken eggs, ground meat, mushrooms and diced carrots, onions and kohlrabi, rolled in a rice paper. You can choose a variety of meat options, from pork and beef to crabs or shrimps. The rolls are fried in boiling oil and eaten with a special dipping sauce made from lemon juice, chili, sugar and pepper.
Bun cha (Barbecued pork with rice vermicelli)
Bun cha is a cannot-miss dish when you travel to Hanoi. Compared to Pho, Bun cha is usually preferred by foreign tourists. Thin white vermicelli is served with pork which is grilled over a charcoal fire. There are two types of pork for Bun cha: cha vien (ground pork) and cha mieng (grilled thin sliced pork). The highlight of this food is the sweet-and-sour dipping sauce which is a mixture of fish sauce, sugar and rice vinegar. This dish will not be complete without enjoying with fresh herbs and vegetables such as bean sprouts, lettuce, and mint.
Cao lau
Cao lau is the special treat of Hoi An that you can only find in this small ancient town. Cao lau is served with noodles and pork, topped with local vegetables, peanuts, and rice crackers. This food is influenced by Japanese and Chinese cultures that were brought by foreign traders when they settled in this port city. You will see some unique feature in this dish compared to other food in Vietnam: the thick noodle is the same as Japanese udon, the rice crackers and porks are in Chinese style, and the broth is Vietnamese.
Banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich)
The French brought bread to our country during the colonial era and we took it to a different level. Popular fillings of banh mi are pate, fried egg, hotdog, barbecued pork, cucumber, coriander and soy sauce. You can choose different ingredients to make your own quick meal.
Banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake)
‘Xeo’ means sizzling in Vietnamese; it is the sound of the pancake when being fried. This appealing food is made from rice flour and coconut milk, filled with pork, shrimps, bean sprouts, onions and mushrooms. The soul of banh xeo is its sweet fermented peanut butter sauce. You can wrap a little bit of banh xeo in lettuce leaves and dip it in the sauce.
