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Vietnamese food is fresh, fragrant, balanced and astonishingly varied from north to south. The north leans savoury and restrained, the centre is spicier and more royal in its complexity, and the south is sweeter and herb-heavy. These ten dishes are the ones to seek out — and where the best version usually is.
1. Pho
The national dish: flat rice noodles in a clear broth simmered for hours with charred ginger and onion, star anise and cinnamon. Hanoi's version is simpler and lets the broth speak; the south adds a plate of herbs, bean sprouts, lime and chilli for you to build yourself. Traditionally a breakfast, and still best before 9am when the pot is fresh.
2. Banh mi
The clearest edible trace of the colonial period: a light, thin-crusted baguette — made with rice flour, which is why it shatters rather than tears — filled with pâté, cold cuts or grilled pork, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, coriander and chilli. The best come from carts, not cafés.
3. Bun cha
Grilled pork patties and belly in a sweet-sour dipping broth, served with cold rice noodles and a mound of herbs. A Hanoi lunch dish, cooked over charcoal on the pavement — follow the smoke.
4. Cao lau
Only properly found in Hoi An: thick, chewy noodles, slices of pork, fresh greens and crisp croutons, with just enough broth to bind it. The recipe is tied to the town's own well water, which is why it travels badly.
5. Banh xeo
Crisp turmeric-yellow crepes filled with prawns, pork and bean sprouts. You tear off a piece, wrap it in lettuce and herbs, and dip. Messy, communal and worth it.
6. Goi cuon
Fresh — not fried — spring rolls: prawn, pork, herbs and rice noodles in translucent rice paper, with peanut or fish-sauce dip. The lightest thing on any menu.
7. Bun bo Hue
Central Vietnam's answer to pho and, for many people, the better bowl: thicker round noodles in a spicy lemongrass and shrimp-paste beef broth. Hue is the home, but it is served nationwide.
8. Com tam
"Broken rice" — grains cracked during milling, once the cheaper option and now a Saigon institution — with grilled pork chop, shredded pork skin, a steamed egg cake and pickles.
9. Banh cuon
Delicate steamed rice-flour sheets rolled around minced pork and wood-ear mushrooms, topped with fried shallots. Made to order on a cloth stretched over steam, which is worth watching.
10. Cà phê trứng — egg coffee
Not a dish, but essential. Whipped egg yolk and condensed milk poured over strong coffee, invented in Hanoi during a milk shortage. Somewhere between a drink and a dessert.
Eating well, practically
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous food in Vietnam?
Pho, the rice-noodle soup, is the best-known dish internationally. Within Vietnam, bun cha, banh mi and regional specialities like cao lau and bun bo Hue are just as central to everyday eating.
Is Vietnamese street food safe to eat?
Generally yes, and it is where much of the best food is. Choose busy stalls with high turnover where the food is cooked in front of you, and ease in over the first few days if you have a sensitive stomach.
