Vietnamese Cuisine – Top 20 Traditional Dishes You Must Try In Vietnam!

All the countries in the world have their cuisines. Now, there are different types of dishes that fall under region/country-wise cuisines. However, the traditional dishes of a certain cuisine win the heart of a foodie. Vietnamese cuisine is no different.

Here are ten top Vietnamese dishes you can try out in case you visit the country. Go through the entries and find that the list contains different types of dishes with places you can try them!

Top 10 Traditional Vietnamese Cuisine Dishes to Try on Your Visit to the Land of the Blue Dragon

Here are the top ten Vietnamese cuisine recipes you can try while visiting the country. Have a look: 

1. Pho

The Pho Pho is a noodle dish made traditionally in Vietnam. It has both veg and non-veg variants. The meats used in the non-veg variant are chicken and beef. On the other hand, you can find fresh veggies and herbs like onions and parsley in the veg variant.

In Vietnam, the Pho Pho acts as a staple diet among the people.

Best Place to Try Pho in Vietnam:

Viist Phở Việt Nam in ho Chi Minh City to try the best Pho Pho. On our recent trip to the land of the blue dragon, we found this place to have the best-tasting broth that has us thinking about the cuisine months after returning!

2. Banh Khot

Who doesn’t like pancakes? Who doesn’t like them crispy? Well, the Banh Khot dish is nothing but a delicacy of pancakes. This dish is made up of onions, butter, and pork belly. The Vietnamese people use the fish sauce as a dip in this dish.

Best Place To Try Banh Khot:   

Vũng Tàu is the place to go to, the closest beach town from Ho Chi Minh City, just two hours away! The special thing about this place is the Banh Khot – the juiciest, most authentic way to try the cuisine when you’re in the country!  

The rice flour with your choice of meat – seafood or chicken and pork – will give you the best experience. You can easily gobble down 10-20 with a side of mandatory herbs – mint to Thai basil! 

3. Cao Lau Noodles

If you are looking for a chewy- tasty noodle dish in Vietnam, probably, you are looking for the Cao Lau Noodles.  This dish is quite famous among foreigners for its delicate taste.

Yet another reason why the Cao Lau Noodles is more famous than any other dish in Vietnam is due to its affordability. You can get this dish for no more than $5 in the street joints.

Best Place to Try Cao Lau Noodles:  

Cao Lau Thanh in Hội An is the place to get the best experience of this cuisine. The delicious and flavorful bowl of Cao lau here will be the best noodles you’ve had in the country.

4. Pho Cuon

Pho means noodles when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine. So, the Pho Cuon is nothing but rolled noodles. This dish is again famous for its taste. Moreover, among the spices, there is basic seasoning.

You can either use this dish as a regular meal or a snack dish. It would all depend on the number of roles you eat.

Best Place To Try Pho Cuon in Vietnam: 

Pho Cuon Huong Mai in Hanoi is the place to go when you want to try this unique presentation of Pho! A local favourite, this is how I found the rolled Pho heaven during my trip to Vietnam.

5. Ca Kho To

Fish dishes are the best in Vietnam. You can try the  Ca Kho To which is nothing but the catfish dish of the country. It is a main course side dish. You can find all the traditional spices in this dish. You can even ask the restaurant vendor to make this dish a bit hot by adding some more peepers. 

Best place to try Ca Kho To:

Dong Hoa Xuan Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City is the place to go for braised fish in a clay pot – the dish. You’ll smell the food before you see or taste it, and that’s the best thing about local cuisine anywhere you go.

Vietnam has that specially curated list of authentic dishes that cannot be missed!

6. Bot Chien

Bot Chien is a flour cake made of rice. You can get the best Bot Chein in the city food vendors of Vietnam. So, you can taste this recipe as an evening snack. Often, you can find eggs served with the dish. In some places, you can find Bot Chien served with a lot of veggies.

Best Place To Try Bot Chien:

Any street food stall in Saigon city is perfect for trying this unique Vietnamese cuisine – some stalls around the city serve it with a handful of crisp and fresh green papaya on top. So don’t worry about all the oil.

7. Com Tam

Broken rice is one of the very famous recipes in Vietnam. This is one of the regular dishes for the people in Ho Chi Minh City. People eat it with Vietnamese Beef Curry and at times, with vegetable mixes. Broken rice meals are quite cheap and tasty but they are quite traditional.

Best Place to Try Com Tam in Vietnam:

Com Tam Ba Ghien has become my go-to place in Saigon when I want to try Com Tam Ba Ghien. This serves the best version of this cuisine, packing massive flavors in a simple combination of rice and grilled pork chop.

8. Banh Can

The Banh Can dish is very similar to Banh Khot. Well, this dish is even similar to Idly in the Indian Cuisine.  However, this has a filling. IN Vietnam, the Banh Can dish is made with different types of fillings like meatballs, pork, squids, etc.

It is mainly a summertime delicacy in the country where you can find green mangoes served in the dish. At times, you can also find a fish sauce with the recipe.

Best Place To Try Banh Can In Vietnam:  

Simply go to Nha Trang to try the most authentic Banh Can. The circular clay pans containing rice flour pancakes offer flavors that cannot be found in any other pancake you’ve tried.  

You can find various toppings from shrimp to squid that enrich the gastronomical experience.

9. Ca Phe Trung

You might think that putting scrambled eggs on your coffee would not be a good idea but actually, it is.

In the case of Ca Phe Trung, one of the traditional drinks of Vietnam, the egg yolk is scrambled and mixed with the elite black coffee.

As a result, the drinker gets a tangy taste.  You can choose any coffee, however, and drink the espresso. As a foreigner, you might have some problems drinking coffee but you must try it always.

Best Place To Try Ca Phe Trung:  

The famous Café Giảng in Hanoi is the one to go to when trying this unique coffee blend. Only in Vietnam will you find this eyebrow-raising coffee that is all about the yolky flavour and the punch of coffee.

10. Goi Ca Mai

Raw fish is a monopoly in the Far East Asian Cuisine and it is traditionally made in the Saigon Vietnamese cuisine. The best you can do is eat this dish as sushi (if you have ever tried it).  In other cases, it can even taste like a jellyfish salad.

So, as soon as you land in the country, you can search for Vietnamese Cuisine near me and try the dish.

Best Place to Try Goi Ca Mai:

These white body fish salads are something that you try in their most authentic form in Vung Tau. You can try this cuisine anywhere in the coastal city as you are guaranteed to find something unique in each place.  

So, if you were wondering is Vung tau worth visiting, this should give you enough reason to reconsider.  

Bonus! 10 More Vietnamese Cuisine to Try

Here’s a list of another 10 dishes that will elevate your visit to the country. Check out the list and the places you can try them in for an authentic taste: 

1. Bún Bò Huế

which represents the royal legendary cuisine of Hue, is a unique demonstration of taste and beauty. The characteristic red broth comes from the hours of simmering beef bones and lemongrass stalks that produce a citrusy broth worth returning for. Try it in Quan Bun Bo Hue, Hue.  

2. Cơm Gà

combination of rice and chicken with fresh ingredients from the countryside that mix with fish sauce flavours. The dish also contains herbs and radishes, with a few leaves of Vietnamese coriander. Try this eccentric cuisine in Com Ga Hien, Hoi An.

3. Mì Quảng

Part salad, part soup that comes in a bowl full of heartiness. This dish is a simple, turmeric-enriched noodle and broth rich in peanut oil. You can combine this with chicken, shrimp, pork belly, and fish! Try this dish at Quan Mi Quang Ba Mua, Thanh Khe, Da Nang.

4. Bánh Xèo

A widely eaten cuisine around south and central Vietnam. The crispy crepe is assembled with boiled pork, bean sprouts, minced pork, and shrimp. Then the crepe is folded like a crepe – best had when fresh off the skillet. Try it in Banh Xeo 46 in Ho Chi Minh City.

5. Bún Chả

The overnight sensation after Anthony Bourdain and President Obama were pictured scarfing it down. This speciality of the Old Quarter in Hanoi has been a local favourite.

It comprises cold rice vermicelli (Bún) with slices of seasoned pork belly and a mountain of fresh, crispy herbs. All of this swim in a hot bowl of fish sauce-based broth. Try this in Bun Cha Huong Lien, Hanoi.  

6. Xôi 

Vietnamese sticky rice comes in sweet and savoury options. This inexpensive breakfast fix tastes best in Xoi Yen, Hanoi.  

7. Bánh Bèo 

A quick fix in Central Vietnam topped with a creamy mung bean paste and shrimp. The cakes are trimmed with crouton or indulgent crunchy fried pork fat. The cuisine pairs best with nước chấm. Try this in Quan Hanh, Hue.

8. Bún Riêu

A tomato and crab interplay, making it a standout dish. The hearty soup bursts with acidity and components, including crab meat, stewed tomatoes, and blocks of tofu. This floats in a flavorful broth with clusters of minced crab, ground pork, and egg. Try this in Bún Riêu Cua Thanh Hồng, Hanoi.  

9. Gỏi Cuốn

An action-packed salad roll made from softened sheets of rice paper filled with a stack of leafy greens. This roll has a combination of pork tenderloin and shelled shrimp. Dunk these in a bowl of hoisin sauce at Quan An Ngon, Hanoi.  

10. Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang

The standard street food in South Vietnam features a bowl of noodles with a broth of pork bones and noodles. Try the dish in Hu Tieu Co Huong, Ho Chi Minh City.

Final Words

Vietnamese cuisine is very similar to other countries in the Far East. Well, you can visit the country if you want to explore the food and the tourist spots. The best you can do is take all your meals from the street itself. This can help you get the real taste.

All the dishes in the article are available in the restaurants but are expensive. Moreover, you might not get the authentic taste. The best you can do is ask your guide about the right place where you can taste the dishes.  Expect him to take you to the best food joint.

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