Vietnam is a country with a rich and diverse culinary culture, an ideal destination for those who love food and want to explore the country’s distinctive tastes. With fresh ingredients, combined with sophisticated processing methods, Vietnamese cuisine is always appreciated by the delicacy and flavor of each dish.
If you’re planning to travel to Vietnam and don’t know what to eat, see the article below for more information about the popular foods that you shouldn’t miss when visiting Vietnam.
What should tourists eat in Vietnam?
The most popular and delicious food in Vietnam
Phở
It’s a traditional and authentic Vietnamese dish. This dish has become a symbol of Vietnamese cuisine and is considered one of the best dishes in the world. Includes soft rice noodles, mainly chicken or beef, the stock from bones and spices such as garlic, pepper, ginger, etc… This is a delicious breakfast for Vietnamese and is also an indispensable part of family meals or convivial party meals.
Vietnamese Sandwich “Bánh Mì”
“Banh Mi” is a fresh bread made from flour, salt, sugar and water. However, Vietnamese bread has a very unique flavor and is considered one of the best bread in the world. With spices like pâté, sausages, eggs, grilled marinated meat, vegetables, herbs… Vietnamese sandwich “Bánh Mì” has also become one of the icon of Vietnamese Food.
Meat Cake Rice Noodle “Bún chả”
It’s not a nutritious dish, it’s an indispensable part of Vietnamese food. This dish consists of fresh rice noodles, grilled marinated meat and crispy fermented sour meat cake, accompanied by a delicious dipping fish sauce. It’s a traditional dish from Hanoi, but it’s now very popular and is processed and served in restaurants all over the country.
Broken Rice plate
Broken Rice Plate is a seductive and nutritious dish of Saigon. This dish consists of steamed broken rice, grilled pork, sunshine eggs, steamed egg meatloaf, lettuce, tomato and cucumber, which are served with fish sauce or soy sauce. Broken rice plate is one of Saigon’s favorite breakfast dishes and has become a culinary symbol of the city.
Vietnamese Pancake “Bánh Xèo”
Vietnamese pancake is both delicious and varied, originating from the South and is a favorite of many tourists when visiting Vietnam. The pancakes are made from rice flour, water, butter, and the inputs are usually steamed pork belly, shrimp, yellow mung bean… The pan seared pancake is wrapped and rolled with a variety of salad, herbs and should be dipped in fish sauce juice.
Vietnamese Steamed Rice Rolled Cake “Bánh cuốn”
Steamed Rice Roll Cake is an authentic Vietnamese dish, originating in the North, but is now popular across the country. “Bánh Cuốn” is a batter of rice flour and the traditional filling is made of pork, onion, jicama, and mushrooms which are then rolled up. “Bánh Cuốn” Part of what makes bánh cuốn look so good is the mountain of veggies, herbs on top and also garnished with Vietnamese pork sausage slices.
Traditional food to try when visiting Vietnam
Egg Roll “Nem Rán”
“Nem Rán” is a traditional Vietnamese dish, and is known by many different names such as Egg Rolls or Spring Rolls. This is one of the most popular and favorite dishes in Vietnam. These deep-fried goodies are traditionally rolled with rice paper sheets (bánh tráng) and the filling is made of chopped onion, ground pork, bean thread noodle, chopped wood ear mushrooms. The dish must be served with lettuce,herbs and are meant to be dipped in fish dipping sauce.
Hanoi Fried Fish with Turmeric Dill “Chả Cá Lã Vọng”
“Chả Cá Lã Vọng” is a typical dish of an Old Quarter of Hanoi and now appears in almost every Vietnam guide book for food. The main ingredient of this dish is the fried fish with turmeric and dill. The fried fish comes with rice noodles, peanuts, a lot of fresh dill, toasted sesame crackers, and a pungent fermented shrimp dipping sauce. THis is a must-try dish when visiting Northern Vietnam.
Vietnamese Caramelized Fish Claypot “Cá Kho Tộ”
The Caramelized Fish Claypot is a popular and authentic Vietnamese dish in Vietnamese daily meals. The fish most commonly used is the snakehead fish or catfish and cooked with fish sauce, caramelized sugar, spices and best served with steamed rice and pickled mustard green (dưa chua) or boiled vegetables. It is also a very popular dish during New Year’s Eve and especially in the traditional Vietnamese family meals.
Traditional Vietnamese Family Meal
Traditional Vietnamese Meal usually consists of a variety of dishes, depending on the region and time of year. However, a complete Vietnamese family meal usually includes steamed rice, a salty dish, a vegetable, a sharing soup and dessert.
Steamed rice: White rice is prepared from soft, fragrant rice.
Salty Dish (Main Dish): It could include fish, beef, pork, chicken, duck, frog, deer, shrimp, crab, squid, etc. The main cooking technique is braise, caramelize, steam, boil, roasted, grill. Just like the so-called salty dishes, the dishes are cooked slightly salty to be served with steamed rice.
Vegetable dishes: Vegetables, green leaves vegetables, mushrooms are eaten raw, steamed, boiled or sauteed.
Sharing Soup: Soup is made with vegetables and meat or fish, shrimp and tasted stock. The most common soup is the sweet and sour soup with fish or Gourd and shrimp soup.
Dessert: Includes fresh fruit or sweets treats like cake, sweet porridges.
Enjoy an Authentic Vietnamese meal at Maison Mận-Đỏ
And if you’ve tried all the popular foods that everyone knows when they visit Vietnam, such as Phở, Bún Bò, Bánh Mì, etc, then you should try a full set of Vietnamese family meals of 5 dishes: steamed rice, salty main dishes, vegetables, sharing soup, and desserts to learn all about the culinary culture of Vietnam at Maison Mận-Đỏ restaurant.
Some of the most recommended Vietnamese dishes:
Main dishes: Caramelized Fish Claypot, Shrimp and Pork Caramelized Claypot, Stuffed Squid, Fried Lemongrass Chilli Pork Belly, Fried Lemongrass Chilli Egg Tofu, Fried Tofu Scallion Shiitake Mushroom, Grilled Fish Sauce Iberico Pork, Sauteed Beef with Mushroom, Stir-fried Fish Sauce Squid, Seared Mackerel Salt Chilli Ginger, Roasted Shrimp Salt and Garlic, Wok Tossed Diced Beef, Grilled Lemon Leave Chicken Fillet, Steamed Chicken Scallion Ginger, etc.
Some Vegetables: Mixed Salads, Sauteed Pumpkin Flower, Sponge Gourd, Cauliflower, Braised Young Jackfruit, etc.
Big sharing soup: Shrimp and Gourd Soup, Seaweed and Tofu Soup, Fish Sour Young Bamboo Soup, Paddy Crab Beef Shank Soup
Dessert: Silken Tofu and Durian, Banana Coconut Ice Cream, Sweet Mung Porridge, etc.
Here are some of the most popular foods in Vietnam that you can’t miss when you’re here. From traditional dishes to street dishes, from specialties to authentic Vietnamese meals. Vietnamese cuisine is varied and rich, offering visitors unique and culturally rich culinary experiences.
We hope you take the time to enjoy these wonderful dishes when you have the opportunity to visit Vietnam, to get to know the culture and people of the country through its unique cuisine.
