Top 20 Most Loved Foods by College Students

Whether it's hot or cold weather, most college students adore this dish because the fruits are cut into small, bite-sized pieces, making it enjoyable to eat while hanging out with friends. The ingredients for a bowl of mixed fruit salad are quite enticing, mainly consisting of fruits such as dragon fruit, jackfruit, mango, pineapple, watermelon, and more, depending on the season, along with condensed milk, yogurt, unsweetened milk, fresh coconut, and coconut water, lime. These ingredients are not only good for the skin, which college students often care about, but also quite affordable, costing only around 20-25k VND per bowl of mixed fruit salad, making it a perfect choice.

Fried Fermented Pork Roll - a street food that grabs the attention of most students. In nem chua rán, you'll find the sour taste of meat, the chewiness of pork skin, the spiciness of chili, the aroma of garlic, and the sweet bitterness of star anise, creating a memorable experience. Those who have tasted the crispy and hot nem chua rán will never forget its unique flavor. The sensation of biting into the crispy nem chua mixed with the spicy chili sauce, the refreshing taste of pickled bean sprouts or cucumbers as side dishes make you forget everything around you... The price is also very student-friendly, with a plate serving three people for only 15-20,000 VND.

Bubble tea is not a strange drink to students, but it has become a trendy beverage that has knocked out many young people. There are various types of bubble tea: Thai tea, strawberry, orange, cocoa, chocolate, peach, black tea, cheese tea... along with colorful jelly, chewy tapioca pearls that students love, and different cup sizes for students to choose whether to drink a lot or a little, and they can also choose the sugar and ice level according to their preference. Bubble tea shops know how to cater to students' tastes very well. Its price is also very reasonable, ranging from 15-25k VND for a refreshing bubble tea.

Quail Eggs Stir-fried in Tamarind Sauce - The sweet and sour flavor of tamarind sauce mixed with the richness of quail eggs and the distinctive aroma of ginger and coriander will make young people crazy about this dish. This dish is prepared easily. Just boil the quail eggs, peel them, then stir-fry with tamarind sauce. Then season with spices to taste and garnish with coriander and ginger on top of the quail eggs to serve. And there you have a very attractive dish of quail eggs stir-fried in tamarind sauce that students love so much. The price of a dish of quail eggs stir-fried in tamarind sauce is only from 25-30k VND, very student-friendly, isn't it, guys?!

Snails - there are various dishes made from snails: boiled snails, stir-fried snails, snail meat... all for the price of 15,000 - 20,000 VND per serving, enough for a group of student friends to gather and enjoy during the chilly weather. Eating snails is delightful because of the spices, accompanied by dipping sauces like salted kumquats, pickled starfruits, pickled onions, and cucumber... Eating snails at night, sitting leisurely with friends, sharing some jokes, and chatting about light topics is simply wonderful.

Made from a blend of various ingredients, accompanied by a slightly spicy sweet dipping sauce, popiah has become a popular street food among many college students. Popiah, also known as spring rolls or Chinese fresh rolls, is a dish in Teochew (Chaozhou) and Fujianese cuisine, commonly found in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. In Fujian, it is typically found in Ha Môn, while in Guangdong, it is prevalent in the Trieu San region to the east of the province during the Qingming Festival.

In Vietnam, this dish was introduced by Teochew immigrants. In Vietnam, savory popiah is made with ingredients such as Chinese sausage, quail eggs, carrots, lettuce, jicama (called sắn in the South), or turnips, dried shrimp, herbs... all finely chopped and rolled in wheat flour wrappers. The accompanying sauce is a mixture of chili sauce mixed with finely crushed peanuts fried in oil with dried shallots. For sweet popiah, the ingredients include a piece of molasses candy or brown sugar rolled with grated coconut.

You'll surely swoon at the aroma of grilled meat skewers. Each skewer typically costs around 6,000 VND. This is a staple food for college students. There's nothing better than strolling down the street while enjoying grilled meat skewers. Grilled meat skewers are often served with bread and a bit of sweet and spicy chili sauce, making you want to keep eating until you're full. This affordable and delicious hot dish is highly favored by college students, perfect for both indulging and satisfying hunger cravings, especially when paired with bread.

Grilled rice paper emerged after the legendary mixed rice paper about a year ago. According to many sources, grilled rice paper originated from Da Lat, making its way to night markets, dining areas near universities, and being warmly welcomed by students. The rice paper is spread with fermented shrimp paste and grilled with minced meat, quail eggs, fried shallots, chili sauce, and rolled up.

In recent years, Phan Thiet grilled rice paper has started to gain popularity among students. The highlight of Phan Thiet grilled rice paper is its rich toppings: pickled papaya, quail eggs, crispy fried bread, fried shallots, spring onions, pork sausage, fermented pork roll,... the most special is the creamy butter sauce for only 10,000 VND each.

Just finished classes, chatting lively with friends, and as soon as you spot a street vendor passing by, you'll surely forget the conversation and rush over, sitting beside the vendor and quickly scooping rice paper into a large bowl or nylon bag. Then, choose a variety of ingredients like boiled quail eggs, dried beef, dried shrimp, chopped green mango, roasted peanuts, fragrant fried shallots... to mix with the rice paper. Just add a little seasoning like soy sauce, ketchup, sugar, seasoning powder, chopped cilantro... into the mixture, toss well so that the ingredients blend together and you can dig in deliciously. Those chewy rice paper pieces, spicy dried beef, fatty boiled quail eggs soaked in the sweet and sour sauce are extremely enticing. The price of this dish is also very student-friendly, from 15-20k/portion.

Boiled and grilled corn with garlic butter is a very popular snack in university areas during rainy months. Sticky and yellow corn is grilled over charcoal stoves in pushcarts emitting a strong aroma. Grilled corn with garlic butter costs from 8 - 10 thousand dong per ear.

Grilled corn is evenly golden on all sides, with the kernels slightly charred. The garlic butter served with it is usually seasoned to be both salty and sweet, enhancing the flavor of the grilled corn when eaten together. Once you've tasted this dish, you'll surely find it hard to forget its flavor.

Student crab soup isn't extravagant with crab claws, pork brains, or fish bladders. A $15 crab soup cup is simple with eggs, a bit of minced crab meat, mushrooms, golden corn, fried shallots, cilantro,... when eaten, add a little pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Some places even add quail eggs for extra flavor.

In general, student crab soup is quite simple yet it's a dish that many young people love, especially in the late afternoon after classes. A hot cup of crab soup is a fantastic choice.

Tofu pudding, also known as soybean pudding, is a countryside snack, but for students, it's an essential treat on chilly evenings.

For just 5,000 VND, you can have a cup of tofu pudding, either hot or cold, soft, and fragrant with the scent of beans. The sweet and aromatic sugar syrup blends with the coconut milk. This is a snack that students often seek out every evening.

Fried fish cakes - a snack no more familiar with students. Its inception remains unclear, but to this day, it's still beloved and easily found along sidewalks, streets, and night markets. About 5 years ago, fried fish cakes sparked a trend with the slogan: all sticks priced at 2k.

Today, the price varies depending on the type. Fish cakes, beef balls, shrimp balls, chicken balls, fried tofu... usually cost 4 - 5k per skewer. Sausages, scallops, dumplings, wontons, cheese fish cakes, crab sausage... generally have higher prices. Most of the time, fried fish cakes are served with fried tofu and dipped in chili sauce, black bean sauce, and sweet and sour sauce.

Buttered corn has been reigning in the snack world for over a decade. Typically, sticky and yellow corn are mixed together to make the corn stir-fry both chewy and sweet. Stir-fried with butter, dried shredded pork, and spring onions, buttered corn is incredibly simple yet incredibly addictive.

Buttered corn comes in various prices, from small boxes at 10,000 VND to large boxes at 20,000 VND. This is also a dish that young people love immensely. Whether it's due to its simplicity or its flavor, you'll easily encounter these buttered corn carts wherever you go.

Beef offal stew is not a dish everyone can taste, but once you try it, you won't forget its flavor. Intestines, stomach, guts, liver,... of beef are stewed with five-spice powder and the highlight is the delicious, creamy coconut milk that creates the distinctive flavor of this dish.

Beef offal stew is often sold in the evening, served with crispy hot bread or eaten with instant noodles, especially delicious with the stimulating tamarind dipping sauce. Today's students not only consider beef offal stew as a snack but also as a substitute for dinner. A portion of beef offal stew usually costs between 15 and 23 thousand depending on the location.

Fried rice flour cake is a simple dish made from rice flour, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, making it a highly attractive snack. Depending on the location and customer's taste, fried rice flour cakes will be prepared differently. The crispy golden cakes, with a touch of green from spring onions, a sprinkle of papaya, a dash of red chili sauce, and the fragrant aroma of fried eggs, have captivated many Saigonese residents.

It would be a big miss not to mention the sour fruits, either pickled or simply eaten fresh. Among the childhood favorites that students are now endorsing are green mangoes, green oranges, tamarinds, starfruits, and more.

With various ways to enjoy them, from eating raw to dipping in salt or shrimp paste, shaking with salt and fish sauce, the most special being sweet and sour pickling. You don't have to go far to find them; stalls full of tempting fruits are often found along sidewalks, whether in the morning or afternoon. You can buy them at any price: 10k, 15k, or 20k, all are acceptable.

Dried beef salad is a simple, easy-to-make dish. When you go out to eat dried beef salad, you don't have to wait long. As soon as you order, you'll have a plate of colorful and delicious dried beef salad. Dried beef salad must be eaten with shredded papaya. The papaya is shredded, soaked in saltwater to remove the bitterness and enhance the crispiness. On top, it is adorned with finely chopped cilantro, adding flavor and creating an elegant and eye-catching color, along with crispy roasted peanuts and shrimp crackers, so delicious that it's overwhelming. The difference in dried beef salad lies in the dressing, with each place having its own secret. Delicious dressings are usually made from a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, and chili sauce. Eating dried beef salad doesn't make you feel full, it's very light on the stomach yet stimulates the taste buds.

The characteristic of this dish is the sound created by the hu tieu vendor using bamboo sticks and a stainless steel spoon tapping together to make a clacking sound throughout the streets and alleys. Anyone who wants to eat, just steps out into the alley, calls out, and a few minutes later, they have a bowl of piping hot hu tieu with thin slices of meat, bean sprouts, chives, dried shallots, and a fragrant piece of lard. The allure of the dish lies in the fact that individually, the ingredients may not be special, but when combined, they create an extraordinary flavor. Dry hu tieu noodles are usually served with a side bowl of clear broth, garnished with fresh chives.

This dish, seemingly expensive, turns out to be extremely affordable at just 20,000 VND per serving. Instead of having to go to famous fast-food chains to buy a portion of shaken chicken, it is now available on the menu of many street food stalls. The chicken is marinated, coated in flour, deep-fried until crispy, then cut into square pieces in a paper bag and shaken with cheese powder. It is often served with ketchup, chili sauce, or mayonnaise, all of which provide a delightful experience.