Top 11 Tempting Dishes for Travelers Visiting Vietnam

Lately, banh mi has surpassed pho to become the most beloved Vietnamese dish among foreign visitors. On many travel or food websites, food blogs, and famous bloggers, 'banh mi' is mentioned with enthusiasm and excitement. It's also a dish that has consistently ranked high in lists of the world's most delicious foods by reputable foreign magazines and websites. BBC has praised banh mi as the best sandwich in the world. There's even a handbook dedicated to Vietnamese banh mi called The Banh Mi Handbook that has been published and well-received by many readers.

Banh mi comes in dozens of different fillings such as meat, pate, sausage, fried eggs, or hotdogs... Each type has its own flavor but they all share the crispy crust, the freshness of pickles and herbs, and the sauce inside. This is a street food dish so travelers can easily find banh mi at any tourist spot in Vietnam. However, the most famous places for banh mi are Hanoi, Nha Trang, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Rolled cake is a type of cake made from thin rice flour, steamed, rolled with filling, and dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce. What makes the special flavor and deliciousness of this dish is the filling. Depending on each locality, rolled cake will have different versions such as Lang Son egg rolled cake, Phu Ly sausage rolled cake, Thai Binh shrimp rolled cake...

However, the most famous is still the rolled cake of Thanh Tri, Hanoi. Thanh Tri rolled cake includes two types: plain and filled with onions, peeled shrimp, minced meat. But no matter which type, it is always served with cinnamon pork sausage, fried tofu, and vinegar fish sauce. When enjoying rolled cake, diners will witness the fascinating process of rolling the cake. Famous addresses selling Thanh Tri rolled cake are: No. 17 Cha Ca Street (Hoan Kiem District), No. 66 To Hien Thanh Street (Hai Ba Trung District) or on streets such as Hang Dieu, Ky Dong, Hang Cot...

Lã Vọng fish cake is a traditional dish of the Doan family at No. 14, Cha Ca Street. Over 150 years, this dish still retains its traditional flavor and has become a special dish of Hanoi. Lã Vọng fish cake has been repeatedly named in foreign media polls and is often rated 5 stars on various large and small culinary travel websites.

The ingredient to make fish cake must be firm fleshed and boneless fish. Not only for its special flavor, what makes foreign tourists love fish cake is the way of enjoying it. With this dish, the chef only plays the role of preparing. Diners will participate in the processing process by dropping the marinated fish pieces into the boiling oil pan until they turn attractive golden yellow. Lã Vọng fish cake is often served with noodles, roasted peanuts, perilla leaves, Lang herbs, shallots, and lime fish sauce.

Quang Noodles is a rustic dish from the land of Quang Nam but has been recognized by the Asian Record Organization as one of the 12 Vietnamese dishes with Asian culinary value. Similar to vermicelli and pho, Quang noodles are made from rice, but they have a different flavor. The noodles are made from rice paper cut into strands with fillings processed from various ingredients such as chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, crab, and fish..

Underneath the noodles are various fresh vegetables. Quang noodles must be served with 9-taste raw vegetables to create a strong flavor: basil, fresh lettuce, fresh cabbage, white bean sprouts, coriander, laksa leaves with finely chopped scallions and thin slices of banana flowers.

Above the noodles are pork, shrimp, chicken, frog meat, snakehead fish (sometimes boiled eggs) along with broth simmered from pig bones. People also add dried and crushed peanuts, finely chopped scallions, herbs, red chilies... The broth is usually called water but it is also a type of broth but very concentrated and less watery. In addition, noodles are also served with sesame rice crackers, adding fragrant crispy peanuts to create a distinctive flavor.

As the signature dish of the ancient capital Hue, Hue beef noodle soup has now made its way to almost every region in Vietnam. However, to truly taste the authentic flavor of Hue beef noodle soup, visitors must visit Dong Ba Market - where renowned chef Anthony Bourdain once savored and exclaimed: 'Hue beef noodle soup is the best soup in the world'.

The main ingredients of Hue beef noodle soup include thick rice vermicelli, beef shank, pork knuckle, and the distinctive broth with a spicy kick from chili peppers, fragrant lemongrass, and shrimp paste. According to experienced chefs, the broth is considered the soul of Hue beef noodle soup. It is simmered from beef bones and various vegetables. The broth must be clear, with a balance of sweetness, sourness, and spiciness to meet the requirements. Hue beef noodle soup is typically served with assorted fresh herbs.

Fresh spring rolls (also known as fresh summer rolls or salad rolls) are easily found in any bustling market or upscale restaurant in the South with prices starting from 5,000 VND/piece. Made from pork, shrimp, fresh vermicelli, and herbs, all these ingredients are wrapped in rice paper and served with either sweet and sour dipping sauce or a rich sauce made from liver and meat. The delight of enjoying fresh spring rolls lies in savoring the deliciousness of all the ingredients, from meat and shrimp to fresh herbs. Being a refreshing and light dish, fresh spring rolls are favored by many diners, especially foreigners.
According to world culinary experts, this is also the healthiest and safest dish for consumption.

Today, due to the diversity of culinary development and the demand for culinary enjoyment, fresh spring rolls have many variations with different ingredients such as vegetables, and various types of meat to suit vegetarians. Some common types of fresh spring rolls include vegetarian spring rolls, pork ear spring rolls, and fermented pork spring rolls.... Depending on personal taste preferences, diners can choose the most suitable ones.

Cao lầu is the name of a specialty dish in three central provinces of Vietnam: Hue, Da Nang, and Quang Nam. However, according to many tourists, enjoying cao lầu in Hoi An (Quang Nam) is the most authentic and enticing. The origin of this dish is still debated. Some believe that cao lầu originated from Japanese udon noodles. Others argue that cao lầu is a dish from China, derived from the term “cao lâu,” meaning one must climb up to eat.

In terms of appearance, cao lầu is quite similar to Quang noodles but more elaborate in preparation and enjoyment. The cao lầu noodles are made from soaked rice ground with ash from the Cù Lao Cham soil, then ground with water from the Ba Le well to preserve the ancient flavor. Cao lầu is only served with char siu pork. Additionally, it is accompanied by other ingredients such as Tra Que herbs, crispy pork skin or pork rind, and crushed roasted peanuts. Cao lầu is usually sold at second-floor eateries so that diners can enjoy the dish while admiring the atmosphere of Hoi An's ancient town.

The name coconut pancakes comes from the sound 'khọt khọt' made during the cooking process. Coconut pancakes are found in many regions in the South but each place has its own unique characteristics. While made from ground rice flour, coconut pancakes in Chau Doc (An Giang province) are mixed with turmeric, and each pancake is topped with a shrimp. In Vung Tau, coconut pancakes maintain the white color of the flour, without fresh shrimp but with crispy fried shrimp sprinkled on top. To experience the authentic flavor of coconut pancakes, visitors should head to Vung Tau as this is the famous specialty of this region.

Guests can enjoy by wrapping the pancake in lettuce leaves, accompanied by shredded papaya, various fresh herbs, and dipping it in a sauce made of spicy, sour, and sweet fish sauce. Coconut pancakes were once one of the 12 Vietnamese dishes recognized in the Asian record book.

Sizzling Cake is a familiar dish across all three regions of Vietnam, but there are differences in size and fillings depending on the region. While the Southern version of sizzling cake is large with generous fillings, the Central Vietnamese sizzling cake is palm-sized, with fewer fillings such as a small shrimp, slices of meat, squid, and a few bean sprouts. At first glance, sizzling cake resembles a pancake, so foreigners often refer to this dish as 'Vietnamese Pancake'.

However, sizzling cake has its distinctive features compared to pancakes thanks to the balanced combination of starch, protein, and fresh vegetables. Speaking of how to enjoy sizzling cake, CNN's renowned culinary writers Helen and Karryn wrote: 'To enjoy this dish like a local, cut the cake into bite-sized pieces, then roll it together with fresh herbs in a piece of translucent rice paper. Finally, dip it in the sweet and sour fish sauce, which is incredibly flavorful.'

It's truly incomplete to visit Vietnam without savoring the world-renowned dish that everyone mentions when talking about Vietnamese cuisine - 'Pho'. The main components of pho are pho noodles and broth (or 'noodle soup' in Southern terms), accompanied by thinly sliced ​​beef or chicken. The most suitable beef for making pho is beef, bone from local cattle breeds. It is also served with condiments such as: hoisin sauce, pepper, lime, fish sauce, chili... used for breakfast or as a late-night snack with a plate of fresh herbs like onions, bean sprouts, and herbs, among which coriander... enjoying a cup of iced black coffee after breakfast, then you've had a truly fulfilling day.

In each region, Pho has different cooking methods and flavors. Typically, Northern pho is characterized by its salty taste, while the Southern one is sweeter and has more vegetables. The pho noodles in the South are smaller than those in the North. However, regardless of the different cooking methods, the flavor of pho in Vietnam always leaves a profound impression on international friends.

Vietnamese Grilled Pork with Vermicelli once made it onto the rankings of street foods and Asian cuisines... as voted by CNN. Bún chả is the perfect combination of two beloved summer dishes: grilled meat and salad (pickled vegetables, fresh herbs). In particular, the grilled pork includes two types: meatballs (made from finely minced pork, then rolled into round balls) or meat slices (cut into evenly thick pieces), marinated with spices and then grilled over charcoal.

The most important component that enhances the allure of bún chả is the dipping sauce. Bún chả dipping sauce is made from simple ingredients such as fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, chili, pepper, green papaya, carrots, but combined skillfully with a unique secret recipe to create an irresistibly sweet and tangy taste. Bún chả is often served with a plate of fresh herbs and is the most popular dish among Vietnamese people in the summer.

Famous bún chả spots in Hanoi include: Bún chả Hương Liên on Lê Văn Hưu street, Bún chả Sinh Từ on Nguyễn Khuyến street, Bún chả Đắc Kim on Hàng Mành street, Bún chả Duy Diễm on Ngọc Khánh street, and various bún chả stalls on Hàng Than, Hàng Quạt, Cửa Đông streets...