Top 16 Most Famous Street Foods in Vietnam

Pho is an indispensable dish when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine. Traveling through any street in Vietnam, you'll almost certainly come across a crowd enjoying pho at a sidewalk pho stall. This simple dish is made from pho noodles, savory broth, fresh herbs, and slices of chicken or beef.

Pho entices diners with its clear and flavorful broth, accompanied by soft, chewy pho noodles and thinly sliced beef or chicken. It's served with various condiments such as hoisin sauce, lime, chili, and fish sauce. Pho is not only delicious but also captivating, as evidenced by its mention in the writings of famous authors like Thach Lam, Nguyen Tuan, Vu Bang... Pho can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Vietnamese pho is affordable, delicious, and can be enjoyed at any time of the day, making it a favorite dish among Vietnamese people.

The French brought bánh mì to Vietnam, but it was the Vietnamese who elevated it to a whole new level. Vietnamese bánh mì is so renowned that you can find a Vietnamese bánh mì stall in almost any corner of the world. Therefore, when you come to Vietnam, trying bánh mì is a must.

As foreign diners, CNN reporters have provided some insightful and interesting perspectives on Vietnamese bánh mì. According to CNN's observations, bánh mì in the North usually consists of basic ingredients such as bread, butter, and pâté, while in the South, the fillings are more diverse with cheese, cold cuts, pickled vegetables, sausage, fried eggs, coriander, and chili sauce.

Vietnamese bánh mì comes in various forms, but the traditional bánh mì remains the most famous. The harmonious combination of crispy fragrant bread, rich pâté, pickled vegetables, a bit of char siu, shredded pork, spring rolls, and various sauces will leave one nostalgic for more.

Right after phở, grilled pork vermicelli is the second dish mentioned by CNN in its list of famous street foods. According to CNN, while phở is considered the most famous dish in Vietnam, grilled pork vermicelli is the top choice for lunch. Around 11 a.m., smoke can be seen rising from various bun cha restaurants across the streets.

The billowing smoke from roadside eateries as they grill pork over charcoal is the most distinctive feature of bun cha establishments. The pieces of meat, slightly charred and crispy after grilling, are served with a bowl of dipping sauce, a basket of fresh herbs, and a plate of vermicelli. A complete serving of bun cha includes grilled meat, vermicelli, accompanied by fresh herbs, and dipping sauce. In some places, this combination is further enhanced with a plate of delicious crab spring rolls. That's also what Former President Obama enjoyed with Chef Bourdain in Hanoi.

Another dish that appears on this list is the fresh spring rolls. This is a perfect choice to diversify your palate if you're tired of greasy foods. A carefully wrapped fresh spring roll with both meat and vegetables, accompanied by a flavorful dipping sauce, can make your gatherings with friends even more enjoyable.

Fresh spring rolls are a combination of various ingredients: vegetables, meat, ... rich in nutrients and easy to make. They can be served as a snack or as a main dish in your daily menu.

Especially, fresh spring rolls are also suitable for entertaining, parties, and gatherings because they are oil-free, stimulating everyone's appetite and making the food more delicious.

Shrimp and pork fresh spring rolls feature a combination of various colors, making them very appealing. The price for each roll ranges from 5,000 to 10,000 VND.

Bánh xèo stands out as one of Vietnam's most famous dishes, beloved by both locals and international friends.

Bánh xèo boasts a golden and crispy exterior infused with the fragrant aroma of turmeric powder and coconut milk. Its filling consists of a delightful blend of shrimp, pork, fresh bean sprouts, and a subtly sweet flavor. The accompanying dipping sauce, a harmonious mix of sweet and sour fish sauce, enhances its already delicious taste. Vietnamese people often enjoy this dish by cutting the bánh xèo into bite-sized pieces, wrapping them in rice paper along with fresh herbs, and dipping them into the distinctive dipping sauce.

The name cao lầu also makes it to the list of the top 10 most delicious street foods in Vietnam. This distinctive dish from Hoi An features noodles unlike pho or bun, reminiscent of Japanese udon, paired with pork and crispy wontons similar to those in Chinese cuisine, but the broth and fresh herbs are distinctly Vietnamese.

And it's no coincidence that when people mention cao lầu, they think of Hoi An, and vice versa. Because only in Hoi An can you taste the most amazing cao lầu thanks to the trio that defines it – the water from Ba Le Well, ashes from Cu Lao Cham, and Tra Que herbs, unique to Hoi An.

The list of Vietnam's delicious street foods also includes xôi. Xôi isn't just a side dish or a simple snack, it can also be a main course.

A small packet of xôi, combined with various ingredients like shredded chicken, roast pork, or fried eggs, sprinkled with some crispy shallots, becomes absolutely delicious!

Appearing last on the list, egg coffee is the dish praised by CNN with no shortage of compliments. Despite being a beverage, you can totally enjoy egg coffee as a dessert.

This is the dish that foreign tourists must try when they come to Hanoi. The fluffy beaten egg whites, covering the rich, distinctive Vietnamese coffee, are a must-try. Although only found in small alleys in Hanoi, egg coffee shops are always extremely crowded.The fragrant taste of egg yolk, the rich aroma of coffee, all create an irresistible duo.

If you want your street food adventure to be complete, don't forget about fried flour cake - a famous snack in Saigon.

Fried flour cake is made from flour and tapioca flour mixed with a little cooking oil, then spread thinly on a hot pan and fried until crispy, finally an egg mixture is poured on and spread thinly. Fried flour cake is often served with pickled papaya, onions, chili sauce, and vinegar. Easy to eat but a bit greasy, so people often choose fried flour cake as a snack after school or in the late afternoon or evening when hungry.

Caramen is an old dish but never goes out of style. Nowadays, caramen is diversified with nearly 10 different types such as pearl caramen, sticky rice caramen, yogurt caramen, fruit caramen...

Caramen has an attractive golden color, a creamy texture of eggs with milk blended with a balanced bitterness, very easy to crush. At some locations, caramen is also combined with fruits, pearls, coconut jelly... to bring extremely appealing flavors.

Rice Pyramid Dumpling is a characteristic snack you can't miss. In Hanoi, there's a famous rice pyramid dumpling stall on Thuy Khuê Street. Not only larger in size compared to other stalls, the rice pyramid dumplings here are soft and elastic without being mushy, always delicately scented with rice flour. The filling is made from finely minced shoulder meat mixed with wood ear mushrooms, offering a rich and flavorful taste.

Rice pyramid dumplings are perfect for breakfast or afternoon snacks, providing you with a satisfying meal. Many people enjoy rice pyramid dumplings with a bit of chili sauce or pepper.

Passing by the stall selling banana and sweet potato cakes, seeing those golden crispy cakes stacked on the shelf, anyone can't resist the temptation.

The ingredients for banana and sweet potato cakes are nothing special, just wheat flour, a few slices of banana, slices of sweet potato fried until golden. It's simple, but the taste of this dish is unforgettable. Banana cakes have a light sour and sweet taste; sweet potato cakes are both creamy and fragrant, with a simple and rustic flavor of sweet potatoes. This is a special dish popular in the winter days.

This is one of the favorite cooling dishes in the summer in the Northern region. Nowadays, young people have creatively come up with a mixed tofu pudding dish that is extremely attractive instead of just eating regular tofu pudding. A bowl of mixed tofu pudding costs from 6,000 to 10,000 VND with a unique combination of the cool sweetness of sugar, the delicious fragrance of fresh coconut, and the chewy texture of basil seeds.

A simple dish but increasingly popular, Mixed Rice Paper Salad has become an essential snack for every gathering.

A serving of mixed rice paper salad consists of shredded rice paper mixed with the flavors of cashew oil, shrimp salt, dried beef, dried squid, shallot oil, roasted peanuts, fried shallots, laksa leaves, and quail eggs... A pack of mixed rice paper salad is very affordable, ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 VND per serving.

Walking along the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, it's not difficult to come across women carrying on their shoulders the ingredients for making mixed rice paper salad. This dish can even be considered a characteristic feature of Saigon's street food culture.

Stir-fried corn is a harmonious blend of various flavors and colors in cuisine. The sweetness of corn combined with the savory taste of shrimp floss, along with a hint of buttery richness and the aroma of onions, creates a dish that is loved by many.

Stir-fried corn has been a favorite among generations of Saigonese youth due to its delicious flavor and affordable price. Each box of stir-fried corn, priced at around 10,000 VND, is available at most mobile food carts. Particularly notable is the stir-fried corn at Turtle Lake with its exceptionally fragrant buttery taste.

When in Da Nang, you cannot miss out on the fragrant and spicy sucking snails found on every street corner, but the cheapest and most popular spot is the snail stall in Bac My An market. Although the stall is very small and located right at the entrance to the market, it is always crowded.

The snails here come in only two types: sucking snails and spotted Babylon snails. The snails are cooked to perfection, with a savory and slightly sweet broth, served with a side of crispy shredded papaya. A plate of snails costs only 7,000 VND. Typically, each person orders one plate, but if you like, you can also order an additional piece of rice paper for 2,000 VND, dip it into the broth, and enjoy it along with the snails.