Vietnamese food has slowly but surely established itself as my favorite cuisine. I’m not going to say it’s better than Moroccan cuisine, which previously held the crown, but I am certainly partial to it. The first time I came to Vietnam, I knew I liked phở, knew it was a great choice for breakfast, and was happy not to venture too much further simply because I knew I’d come back. I did, however, get a good sample of different foods on a street food tour that I dragged my boyfriend along on, which laid the foundations for a love of Vietnamese food.
Vietnamese cuisine is often more subtle than its neighbors’. Traditional Vietnamese cooking is characterized by its emphasis on fresh ingredients, minimal use of dairy and oil, variety of textures, and a reliance on herbs and vegetables. In northern Vietnam, a colder climate limits the production and availability of spices, so foods there are often less spicy than in other regions, with black pepper used in place of chilies.
The use of spices and fresh herbs is fundamental to Vietnamese cuisine and culture, with local people traditionally using fresh herbs, spices, and edible wild plants as folk remedies before Western medicine became widely available. Think about it: phở, one of their most famous meals, is just chicken or beef broth with noodles, meat, and different herbs. It’s not that complicated of a broth, but the charring of the ginger and onions, the cinnamon and star anise, just make it so dimensional that it’s hard not to love.
Something I especially appreciate in the north of Vietnam is the way people actually eat their meals. They’ll order a bunch of dishes for the table and then dish out into their smaller bowls what they want to eat. Most meals become family-style. We were introduced to this way of eating on the Ha Giang Loop, which makes sense, it was certainly the easiest way to feed a bunch of hangry 20-somethings who just got off motorbikes. But after appreciating that style of eating on the loop, I noticed a lot of families doing the same thing at restaurants.
The only note that I have for Vietnamese cuisine, is on the rice porridge front. And it is part of the cuisine — the word for rice porridge in Vietnamese is cháo, and Vietnamese cháo is delicious, but that’s part of the problem. It’s so yummy, but there aren’t nearly enough restaurants selling cháo. To be fair, there are more cháo places in the north than in the south, which makes sense because cháo is a descendant of congee, which is a Chinese dish. But yeah, especially in Ho Chi Minh City at the moment, I’m mourning the loss of my daily chicken jok (cháo/congee) that I was accustomed to in Thailand.
Here are some of my favorite Vietnamese foods that aren’t just phở and bánh mì. Because obviously those are on the list, but you don’t need another girl who just went to Vietnam to tell you how good phở and bánh mì are.
Bánh Cuốn (Steamed Rice Rolls)
These rice rolls are probably my favorite Vietnamese food if I was forced to pick only one. They’re fairly simple: thin sheets of steamed rice batter made from rice flour and tapioca starch, filled with ground pork, garlic, onions, and mushrooms.
The first time I had this was actually in a cooking class where we made it ourselves using a contraption I thought we’d never be able to recreate at home. But then I found there are ways to do it at home without the cotton steaming cloth and big machine. The second time I had it was when it was solidified as my favorite food. Emery and I were slightly deliriously hungry and dehydrated, having walked for miles in the morning, and on our way to find water when we smelled something delicious. Knowing my track record, it was very likely garlic.
Regardless, we made a silent agreement to turn around and find the source of the smell. We found ourselves inside a bánh cuốn restaurant, ordered what the manager told us to order, and ate it. And yeah, it was insanely good.
Bún Chả (Grilled Pork with Rice Noodles)
You just read about my favorite, well, this is Jordan’s favorite. Jordan and his parents actually went to the restaurant in Hanoi where Obama ate when he visited Vietnam and got the Obama Special.
Bún chả is grilled pork and pork meatballs served in a sweet and sour broth with rice vermicelli noodles on the side. The pork is marinated and grilled over charcoal until slightly caramelized, then served in a bowl of nước chấm with pickled vegetables. You dip the noodles and pork into the broth as you eat. I’m still unsure on exactly how to eat it properly—I am certain that somehow I’m doing it wrong—but it’s good. Good choice, Jordan.
Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Savory Pancakes)
These so-called “pancakes” are more like deep-fried thin crispy crepes. Traditionally, you’d add pork and shrimp inside along with bean sprouts, then eat with fresh herbs, vegetables, and edible rice paper (meaning you don’t have to soak the rice paper before using).
I had this on my food tour in Saigon, but then learned how to make it in Hoi An at a cooking class. The batter is made from rice flour, turmeric (which gives it a yellow color), and coconut milk. It’s poured into a hot oiled pan and cooked until crispy, then folded in half like an omelet.
Funnily enough, Emery was craving some two nights before she left, and I managed to accidentally take us back to the exact place we went on our food tour, where I actually made one on the grill myself. I felt like Victor (our tour guide).
Tofu
Every time I ate tofu in Vietnam, I found myself saying it was some of the best tofu of my life. I’m not even kidding. Jordan and Emery can attest to me saying that every time I ate it.
I had fried tofu topped with fish sauce and copious amounts of spring onions. I had tofu stuffed with pork & mushroom and covered in a tomato-ey fish sauce (dậu hũ nhồi thịt?). Other types too, and every time it. Was. Unbelievable.
I need to learn how to cook tofu, because every time I make it, it’s bleh. And as someone who wants to eat less meat in their diet, tofu seems like a great option, until I cook it and taste it and it’s bad. But if the tofu tasted like any of the tofu I’ve eaten in Vietnam, I would have no problem cutting back on my meat consumption.
Bánh Tráng Nướng (Vietnamese Pizza)
Vietnamese pizza is kind of a funny name to me. It makes sense, it’s rice paper on a grill with quail egg and various meats and other stuff on top, so it looks like a pizza. But when it’s served, it’s folded in half, so it’s more like a taco.
It’s a popular street food, I think. I really can’t be sure with this one because it does feel kind of gimmicky, but at the same time, I do see it everywhere there are street food stalls.
There were a few days where this was the only food I wanted to eat. I would get mixed meats (chicken, beef, and pork), which I believe is the traditional version, with extra spring onions. It was the perfect fried food snack.
Bún Cá (Fish Noodle Soup)
The first time I had this was on my food tour in Saigon back in October. And it was really good. Famously, I don’t love fish. And if something tastes too fishy, I’m usually not the biggest fan.
So when I found out the first dish of the night was fish soup, I was not incredibly stoked.
And yet, this was possibly my favorite meal of the night. It tasted like fish, but it did not taste fishy, if that’s possible. It was a manageable amount of fish for me, the broth was delicious, sweet and herby with lots of pickled onions, and it felt like a really light meal.
Cơm Tấm Sườn Nướng (Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop)
This one is a big sleeper hit for Jordan and me. On one of our many hunts for cháo, we found ourselves veering right toward the smell of grilled pork at a rice place. Someone was fanning the pork chops with a hand fan to get a nice sear and almost caramelization on the thin pork chop.
Something about this super simple meal is just absolutely divine. Is it the deep-fried egg on the side? Is it the pickles? Is it the sweet fish sauce that you drown the rice in? Is it the marinade for the pork? I don’t know about the first two, but it’s definitely the last two.
If anyone has a Vietnamese mom or grandma, please DM me the recipe for the pork chop marinade — I will be forever grateful.
Bò Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)
After searching for arguably too long, I accidentally found bò kho on our very last day in Vietnam. I had been recommended the dish a while back, but never had any luck finding it, so by the last day in Vietnam I had actually just given up. Instead I was searching for a bowl of beef phở — since it was our last day, I figured a classic, simple bowl of beef phở would soothe my aching heart.
Alas, I found something even better.
Bò kho is a hearty, rich beef stew made with chunks of beef, carrots, lemongrass, star anise. It’s served with either rice noodles or a bánh mì on the side for dipping. The beef is fall-apart tender, and the broth has this incredible warmth from the spices.
And although it felt a little wrong to eat beef stew for breakfast, it also felt so right. I’m not sure exactly if this is supposed to be a breakfast meal or lunch (it was about noon when I made my rounds trying to find breakfast) but I will say it rivaled the beef stews that my dad makes at home. And if anyone has ever tasted my dad’s cooking, they know what a proclamation that is.
Finding bò kho on our last day in Vietnam felt like the universe giving me one final gift. Like saying, “Here, take this with you.”
I feel like I barely even dipped a proverbial toe into Vietnamese cuisine. There is so much incredible food to try, a couple of things I was scared to try, so many different regions I didn’t visit. And quite a few dishes that I did try that didn’t make their way onto this list. But I am glad that I went at least a tiny bit further into the cuisine. And while not every single thing I ate is on this list, I feel like this is a good look into what I loved eating while I was in Vietnam!
So, if you’re in Vietnam, definitely eat phở and bánh mì, but consider branching out and exploring some of the incredible corners of Vietnamese cuisine. Your taste buds will thank you.
If you’ve visited Vietnam, are there any dishes that I missed that I need to try next time I go?
xx abby
Wow Abby. I love that you have found an even greater love of food and that you are eating your way through the cultures, people and history of each country.
I want to try bò kho - sounds amazing!!!
I’m so hungry after reading this! Loved your descriptions of everything :)