Vietnamese cuisine
Historical influences
Besides indigenous Vietnamese influences, which are the major core of Vietnamese food, owing to historical contact with China and centuries of sinicization, some Vietnamese dishes share similarities with Chinese cuisine. In culinary traditions, the Chinese introduced to Vietnam several dishes, including vằn thắn/''hoành thánh, xá xíu, há cảo, hủ tiếu, mì, bò bía, bánh quẩy, mooncake and bánh pía, bánh tổ, sủi dìn, bánh bò, bánh bao, cơm chiên Dương Châu, and mì xào. The Vietnamese adopted these foods and added their own styles and flavors to the foods. Ethnic minorities in the mountainous region near the China–Vietnam border also adopted some foods from China. Ethnic Tày and Nùng in Lạng Sơn province adopted thịt lợn quay and khâu nhục from China. Some New World vegetables, such as chili peppers and corn, also made their way to Vietnam from the Ming dynasty.The French introduced baguettes to Vietnam, which were combined with Vietnamese stuffing to become a popular fast food in Vietnam called bánh mì thịt, known overseas as "Vietnamese baguettes". Bánh mì is just the bread, whereas thịt implies meat or stuffing. The French also introduced Vietnam to onions, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, lettuce, tarragon, carrot, artichoke, asparagus, and coffee.
The western-introduced ingredients often have a name derived from a similar native Vietnamese ingredient, then adding the word tây. Onions are called hành tây, asparagus as măng tây and potatoes are called khoai tây in Vietnamese, which reflects their origin before arriving in Vietnam. French-influenced dishes are numerous and not limited to: sa lát, pâté, patê sô, bánh sừng trâu/bánh sừng bò, bánh flan, ya ua, rôti, bơ, vịt nấu cam, ốp lết, ốp la, phá xí, bít tết, sốt vang, dăm bông, and xúc xích. Owing to influences from French colonial rule, the French Indochinese countries of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia have several shared dishes and beverages, including baguettes and coffee. The French also introduced the use of dairy products in Vietnamese-French fusion dishes.
Vietnamese cuisine also has influences from Champa, Malaysia and Cambodia. The use of coconut milk and various central dishes such as bánh khọt were influenced by Cham cuisine. Spices including curries were also introduced to Vietnam by Malay and Indian traders. Though not common in the north, cà ri is a quite popular dish in central and southern Vietnam. The most common form is chicken curry, and to a lesser extent, goat curry. Chicken curry is an indispensable dish in many social gathering events, such as weddings, funerals, graduations, and the yearly death anniversary of a loved one. Similar to Cambodia, curry in Vietnam is eaten either with bread, steamed rice, or round rice noodles. Mắm bồ hóc or prahok, adopted from ethnic Khmer in Southern Vietnam, is used as a central ingredient of a Vietnamese rice noodle soup called bún nước lèo which originated with ethnic Khmers in Vietnam and is not found in Cambodia.
Owing to contact with previous communist countries from Eastern Europe, the Vietnamese adopted dishes such as stuffed cabbage soup, sa lát Nga and bia Tiệp''.
Regional cuisines
The mainstream culinary traditions in all three regions of Vietnam share some fundamental features:- Freshness of food: Most meats are only briefly cooked. Vegetables are eaten fresh; if they are cooked, they are boiled or only briefly stir-fried.
- Presence of herbs and vegetables: Herbs and vegetables are essential to many Vietnamese dishes and are often abundantly used.
- Variety and harmony of textures: Crisp with soft, watery with crunchy, delicate with rough.
- Broths or soup-based dishes are common in all three regions.
- Presentation: The condiments accompanying Vietnamese meals are usually colorful and arranged in eye-pleasing manners.
In northern Vietnam, a colder climate limits the production and availability of spices. As a result, the foods there are often less spicy than those in other regions. Black pepper is used in place of chilies as the most popular ingredient to produce spicy flavors. In general, northern Vietnamese cuisine is not bold in any particular taste—sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, or sour. Most northern Vietnamese foods feature light and balanced flavors that result from subtle combinations of many different flavoring ingredients. The use of meats such as pork, beef, and chicken were relatively limited in the past. Freshwater fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, such as prawns and shrimp, squid, crabs, clams, and mussels, are widely used. Many notable dishes of northern Vietnam are crab-centered. Being the cradle of Vietnamese civilization, northern Vietnam produces many signature dishes of Vietnam, such as bún riêu and bánh cuốn, which were carried to central and southern Vietnam through Vietnamese migration. Other famous Vietnamese dishes that originated from the north, particularly from Hanoi, include "bún chả", phở gà, chả cá Lã Vọng.
The abundance of spices produced by Central Vietnam's mountainous terrain makes this region's cuisine notable for its spicy food, which sets it apart from the two other regions of Vietnam, where foods are mostly not spicy. Once the capital of the last dynasty of Vietnam, Huế's culinary tradition features highly decorative and colorful food, reflecting the influence of ancient Vietnamese royal cuisine. The region's cuisine is also notable for its sophisticated meals consisting of many complex dishes served in small portions. Chili peppers and shrimp sauces are among the frequently used ingredients. Some Vietnamese signature dishes produced in central Vietnam are bún bò Huế and bánh khoái.
The warm weather and fertile soil of southern Vietnam create an ideal condition for growing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and livestock. As a result, foods in southern Vietnam are often vibrant and flavorful, with liberal uses of garlic, shallots, and fresh herbs. Sugar is added to food more than in the other regions. The preference for sweetness in southern Vietnam can also be seen through the widespread use of coconut milk in southern Vietnamese cuisine. Vast shorelines make seafood a natural staple for people in this region. Some signature seafood dishes from southern Vietnam include bánh khọt and bún mắm.
Mekong Delta cuisine relies heavily on fresh products which are abundant in the new land with heavy use of palm sugar, fermented fish, seafood and wild herbs and flowers. The history of the region being a newly settled area reflects on its cuisine; ẩm thực khẩn hoang or "settlers' cuisine" means dishes are prepared fresh from wild and newly-caught ingredients. The cuisine is also influenced by Khmer, Cham and Chinese settlers.
The cuisine of the Northern and Central Highlands regions is influenced by tribal traditions, with items such as thắng cố, dried meats, cơm lam and rượu cần.
Relation to Vietnamese philosophy
Vietnamese cuisine always has five elements which are known for its balance in each of these features.- Many Vietnamese dishes include five fundamental taste senses : spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet, corresponding to five organs : gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, stomach, and urinary bladder.
- Vietnamese dishes also include five types of nutrients : powder, water or liquid, mineral elements, protein, and fat.
- Vietnamese cooks try to have five colours in their dishes: white, green, yellow, red and black.
- Dishes in Vietnam appeal to gastronomes via the five senses : food arrangement attracts the eyes, sounds come from crisp ingredients, five spices are detected on the tongue, aromatic ingredients coming mainly from herbs stimulate the nose, and some meals, especially finger food, can be perceived by touching.
Five-element correspondence
Yin-yang balance
The principle of yin and yang is applied in composing a meal in a way that provides a balance that is beneficial for the body. While contrasting texture and flavors are important, the principle primarily concerns the "heating" and "cooling" properties of ingredients. Certain dishes are served in their respective seasons to provide contrasts in temperature and spiciness of the food and environment. Some examples are:- Duck meat, considered "cool", is served during the hot summer with ginger fish sauce, which is "warm". Conversely, chicken, which is "warm", and pork, which is "hot", are eaten in the winter.
- Seafoods ranging from "cool" to "cold" are suitable to use with ginger.
- Spicy foods are typically balanced with sourness, which is considered "cool".
- Balut, meaning "upside-down egg", must be combined with Vietnamese mint .
Food in relation to lifestyle
Because of economic conditions, maximizing the use of ingredients to save money has become a tradition in Vietnamese cooking. In earlier decades, and even nowadays in rural areas, every part of a cow is used, from the muscle meat to the intestines. The higher quality cuts from farmed animals would be cooked in stir-fry dishes and soups, while the secondary cuts would be used in blood sausages or for preparing broth. The same goes for vegetables like scallions: the leafy part is diced into small bits which are used to add flavor to the food while the crunchy stalk and roots are replanted.
Nước mắm is the most commonly used condiment in Vietnamese cooking. It is made from fermented raw fish and is served with most of the Vietnamese dishes. A traditional southern Vietnamese meal usually includes cơm trắng, cá kho tộ, canh chua cá lóc, and it would be incomplete without fish sauce served as a condiment. Cooking and then serving fish in the same clay pot has been proven to be an ancient tradition.
The foods from each region in Vietnam carry their distinctive and unique characteristics that reflect the geographical and living conditions of the people there. The traditional southern Vietnamese meal is made up of fresh ingredients that the fertile Mekong Delta could provide, such as ca loc, and a wide range of tropical fruit like mangosteen, mango, and dragon fruit. The southern-style diet includes vegetables, fish and tropical fruits as the main ingredients.
Central Vietnam is the region in which food is prepared with the strongest, boldest flavors. The coastline around the central Vietnam area is known for its salt and fish sauce industries; these two condiments are central to their daily diets.
Northern Vietnamese cuisine has a strong Chinese influence, and its most famous dish is pho. While plain rice is a staple in the southern Vietnamese diet, the north has a preference for noodles. Owing to the notable differences in climate and lifestyles throughout the three main regions of Vietnam, the foods vary. Northern Vietnamese cooking is the least bold and spicy in flavor compared to the foods from central and southern Vietnam.
Typical Vietnamese family meal
Daily meals of Vietnamese people are quite different from Vietnamese foods served in restaurants or stalls. A typical meal for the average Vietnamese family would include:- Cơm trắng: parboiled white rice
- Món mặn or main dishes to eat with rice: fish/seafood, meat, tofu
- Rau: sauteed, boiled or raw fresh green vegetables
- Canh: or other kinds of soup
- Nước chấm: dipping sauces and condiments depending on the main dishes, such as pure fish sauce, ginger fish sauce, tamarind fish sauce, soy sauce, muối tiêu chanh or muối ớt
- Small dish of relishes, such as salted eggplant, pickled white cabbage, pickled papaya, pickled garlic or pickled bean sprouts
- Tráng miệng or desserts: fresh fruits, drinks or sweets, such as chè.
Feast
A feast is a significant event for families or villages, usually up to twelve people for each table. A feast is prepared for weddings, funerals, and festivals, including the longevity-wishing ceremony. In a feast, ordinary foods are not served, but boiled rice is still used.A Vietnamese feast has two courses: the main course and dessert. All dishes, except for individual bowls of rice, are enjoyed collectively. All main course dishes are served simultaneously rather than one after another. The major dish of the main course is placed in the center of the tables, usually big pots of soup or a hot pot.
A basic feast consists of ten dishes: five in bowls : bóng, miến, măng, mọc, chim or gà tần and five on plates : giò, chả, gà or vịt luộc, nộm and xào. This kind of feast is traditional and is organized only in northern Vietnam. Other variations are found in central and southern Vietnam.
Four dishes essential in the feast of Tết are chả giò , nem, ninh and mọc. At this time, the feast for offering ancestors includes sticky rice, boiled chicken, Vietnamese rice wine, and other foods preferred by ancestors. Gifts are given before guests leave the feast.
Royal cuisine
In the Nguyễn dynasty, the 50 best chefs from all over the kingdom were selected for the Thượng Thiện board to serve the king. There were three meals per day—12 dishes at breakfast and 66 dishes for lunch and dinner. An essential dish was bird's nest soup. Other dishes included shark fin, abalone, deer's tendon, bears' hands, and rhinoceros' skin. Water had to come from the Hàm Long well, the Báo Quốc pagoda, the Cam Lồ well, or from the source of the Hương River. Rice was the de variety from the An Cựu imperial rice field. Phước Tích clay pots for cooking rice were used only a single time before disposal. No one was allowed to have any contact with the cooked dishes except for the cooks and Thượng Thiện board members. The dishes were first served to eunuchs, then the king's wives, after which they were offered to the king. The king enjoyed meals alone in a comfortable, music-filled space.Cultural importance
is used as the connection between the worlds of the living and the dead. Bánh phu thê is used to remind new couples of perfection and harmony at their weddings. Food is often placed at the ancestral altar as an offering to the dead on special occasions. Cooking and eating play an extremely important role in Vietnamese culture.Proverbs
The word ăn is included in a great number of proverbs and has a large range of semantic extensions.- Ăn trông nồi, ngồi trông hướng = Be careful of possible faux pas.
- Ăn theo thuở, ở theo thì = living in accordance to one's limit and social circumstance.
- Cha ăn mặn, con khát nước = Bad actions will later bring bad luck/consequences to descendants.
- Nhai kĩ no lâu, cày sâu tốt lúa = Careful execution brings better results than hasty actions.
- Học ăn, học nói, học gói, học mở = Everything needs to be learned, even the simplest, start from "how to eat" politely.
- Ông ăn chả, bà ăn nem rán = Both husband and wife are having affairs.
- Chán cơm thèm phở = A man gets bored of his wife and finds another girl.
- Ăn bánh trả tiền = Pay before having sex with prostitutes..
- Ăn vụng không biết chùi mép = Committing adultery but leaving a trace.
International popularity
Television shows featuring Vietnamese food have increased in popularity. Luke Nguyen from Australia currently features a television show, Luke Nguyen's Vietnam, dedicated on showcasing and instructing how to cook Vietnamese dishes.
On The Great Food Truck Race, a Vietnamese sandwich truck called Nom Nom Truck received the most money in the first five episodes.
Anthony Bourdain wrote:
You don't have to go looking for great food in Vietnam. Great food finds you. It's everywhere. In restaurants, cafes, little storefronts, in the streets; carried in makeshift portable kitchens on yokes borne by women vendors. Your cyclo-driver will invite you to his home; your guide will want to bring you to his favorite place. Strangers will rush up and offer you a taste of something they're proud of and think you should know about. It's a country filled with proud cooks—and passionate eaters.
Gordon Ramsay visited Vietnam in his reality show Gordon's Great Escape – S02E02 and fell in love with the taste of the culinary here. Especially the dish called Hủ tiếu Mì by Mrs. Dì Hai, prepped and served on a small boat in Cái Răng floating market, Cần Thơ. He even praised it as "The greatest dish I have ever eaten" when he brought it up as one of the dishes for the elimination challenge for the top 5 finalists of American MasterChef season 4 episode 21.
In 2024, CNN included phở in its list of the "20 Best Soups in the World," highlighting its rich broth and aromatic spices.
Cooking techniques
Some common Vietnamese culinary terms include:- Rán, chiên – fried dishes
- * Chiên nước mắm – fried, then tossed with fish sauce
- * Chiên bột – battered, then deep-fried
- Áp chảo – pan-fried, then sautéed
- Xào – stir-fry, sautéing
- * Xào tỏi – stir-fry with garlic, a very common way of cooking vegetables
- * Xào sả ớt – sautéed with lemongrass and chili pepper
- * Xào lăn – pan-searing or stir-frying quickly to cook raw meat
- * Xáo măng – braised or sautéed with bamboo shoots
- Nhồi thịt – stuffed with minced meat before cooking
- Sốt – saucing
- Kho – stew, braised dishes
- * Kho khô – literally 'dried stew'; cooked until the sauce thickens
- * Kho tiêu/kho gừng/kho riềng – stewed with peppercorns, ginger, galangal
- Coriander leaf
- Lemongrass
- Dill
- Elsholtzia ciliata
- Long coriander/culantro
- Rice paddy herb
- Houttuynia cordata
- Parsley
- Peppermint
- Perilla
- Spearmint
- Thai basil sometimes substituted with sweet basil in the United States
- Hot mint
Condiments and sauces
Condiments
Vietnamese usually use raw vegetables, rau sống, or rau ghém as condiments for their dishes to combine properly with each main dish in flavour. Dishes in which rau sống is indispensable are bánh xèo and hot pot. The vegetables principally are herbs and wild edible vegetables gathered from forests and family gardens. Leaves and buds are the most common parts of vegetables used. Most of the vegetables have medicinal value.Rau sống includes lettuce, raw bean sprout, herbs, shredded banana flower, green banana, water spinach, mango bud and guava leaves.
Herbs and spices
- Coriander and green onion leaves can be found in most Vietnamese dishes.
- A basic technique of stir-frying vegetable is frying garlic or shallot with oil before putting the vegetable into the pan.
- In northern Vietnam, dishes with fish may be garnished with dill.
- In central Vietnam, the mixture of ground lemongrass and chili pepper is frequently used in dishes with beef.
- In southern Vietnam, coconut water is used in most stew dishes.
- The pair culantro and rice paddy herb is indispensable in all kinds of sour soups in the southern Vietnam.
- Spearmint is often used with strongly fishy dishes.
- Perilla is usually used with crab dishes.
Pairing
- Chicken dishes are combined with lime leaves.
- Crab and seashell dishes are combined with fishy-smelling herb and perilla.
- Dishes reputed as "cold" or "fishy-smelling", such as catfish, clams, or snails, are combined with ginger or lemongrass.
- Beef dishes are combined with celeries or pineapples.
Sauces
- Nước chấm
- Mắm tôm
- Nước mắm can be used as it is or mixed with lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and chili. This mixture is called nước mắm pha.
- Tương is made from fermented soybeans.
- Soy sauce mostly is used in marinades and sauces.
- Hoisin sauce is used in Southern Vietnam to mix with phở while serving.
- Hot chili sauce.
Food colourings
- Red – usually from beetroot or by frying annatto seeds to make oil
- Orange – usually used for sticky rice, comes from gac
- Yellow – from turmeric
- Green – from the pandan leaf or katuk
- Purple – from the magenta plant
- Black – in banh gai is from the ramie leaf
- Dark brown – for stew dishes, uses nước màu or nước hàng, which is made by heating sugar to a temperature above that of caramel.
Popular dishes
When Vietnamese dishes are referred to in English, it is generally by the Vietnamese name without the diacritics. Some dishes have gained descriptive English names, as well.Popular Vietnamese dishes include:
Noodle soups
Vietnamese cuisine boasts a huge variety of noodle soups, each with distinct influences, origins and flavours. A common characteristic of many of these soups is a rich broth.| Name | Description |
| Bún bò Huế | Spicy beef noodle soup originated from the royal city of Huế in Central Vietnam. Beef bones, fermented shrimp paste, lemongrass, and dried chilies give the broth its distinctive flavors. Often served with mint leaves, bean sprouts, and lime wedges. Pig's feet are also common ingredients at some restaurants. |
| Bún măng vịt | Bamboo shoots and duck noodle soup. |
| Bún ốc | Vermicelli with snails |
| Bánh canh | A thick tapioca/rice noodle soup with a simple broth, often includes pork, crab, chicken, shrimp, spring onions and fresh onions sprinkled on top |
| Bún riêu | A noodle soup made of thin rice noodles, topped with crab and shrimp paste, served in a tomato-based broth and garnished with bean sprouts, prawn paste, herb leaves, tamarind/lime, tofu, water spinach, and chunks of tomato |
| Mì | A Chinese-influenced wheat noodle soup. |
| Phở | A noodle soup with a rich, clear broth made from a long boiling of meat and spices, its many varieties are made with different meats along with beef meatballs. Phở is typically served in bowls with spring onion, slices of semi-cooked beef, and broth. In the south, bean sprouts and various herbs are also added. |
| Phở satế | Spicy noodle soup with thinly sliced rare beef steak, satế hot chili sauce, sliced cucumber, tomatoes, and peanut |
| Mì vịt tiềm | Yellow noodle soup with roasted duck and Chinese broccoli |
| Bún chả cá | Rice vermicelli soup with fried fishcake |
| Hủ tiếu | A noodle soup with many varied styles, including a 'dry' version, which was brought to Vietnam by way of Chinese immigrants from Cambodia. The noodles are usually egg noodles or rice noodles, but many other types may be used. The soup base is made of pork bones. |
Soup and ''cháo'' (congees)
| Name | Description |
| Súp măng cua | Asparagus and crab soup typically served as the first dish at banquets |
| Lẩu | A spicy variation of the Vietnamese sour soup with assorted vegetables, meats, seafood, and spicy herbs |
| Cháo | A variation of congee, it uses a variety of different broths and meats, including duck, offal, fish, etc. When chicken is used, it is called cháo gà. |
| Cháo lòng | Rice porridge with pork intestine, liver, gizzard, heart, and kidney |
| Bò kho | Beef stew with carrots, usually served with toasted bread or rice noodles |
| Nhúng dấm | Fire pot with a combination of sliced rare beef and seafood cooked in sour broth, served with thin rice vermicelli noodles, fresh vegetables, rice spring roll wrapper, and dipping sauce |
| Canh chua | Vietnamese sour soup – typically includes fish, pineapples, tomatoes, herbs, beansprouts, tamarind, and various kinds of vegetables |
Rice dishes
| Name | Description |
| Cơm chiên Dương Châu | A Chinese fried rice dish, named after the Yangzhou region in China, it is a well-known dish in Vietnam. |
| Cơm gà rau thơm | This dish is rice cooked in chicken stock and topped with fried then shredded chicken, with mint and other herbs. The rice has a unique texture and taste that the fried mint garnish enhances. It is served with a special herb sauce on the side. |
| Cơm hến | Rice with clams – a popular, inexpensive dish in the city of Huế and its vicinity |
| Cơm chiên cá mặn | Fried rice with salty fermented fish and chopped snow pea and chicken |
| Cá/thịt kho | A traditional family dish of fish or pork braised in a clay pot and served with sweet and sour soup |
| Gà xào gừng | Chicken sauteed with ginger and fish sauce |
| Bò lúc lắc | Cubed beef sauteed with cucumber, tomatoes, onion, pepper, and soy sauce |
| Cơm lam | Rice cooked in a bamboo tube either boiled or steamed |
| Cơm tấm | In general, grilled pork is mixed with bì over com tam and is served with sweet and sour fish sauce. Other types of meat, prepared in various ways, may be served with the broken rice. Barbecued beef, pork, or chicken are common choices and are served with the broken rice. The rice and meat are accompanied by various greens and pickled vegetables, along with a prawn paste cake, steamed egg and grilled prawns. |
Sticky rice dishes
| Name | Description |
| Bánh chưng | Sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with mung bean paste, lean pork and black pepper, it is traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year. Bánh chưng is popular in the North, while the similar bánh tét is more popular in the South. Bánh tét has the same content, except it is cylindrical in shape, and lean pork is substituted with fatty pork. |
| Xôi | Sticky rice with coconut milk, cooked the same way as one cooks rice, or steamed for a firmer texture and more flavorful taste, in a number of varieties |
| Xôi Mặn | A popular Vietnamese street food. Savory sticky rice accompanied with lots of mix-ins, typically lạp xưởng, dried shrimp, chả lụa, pork floss, shittake mushrooms, and topped with soy sauce. |
Bánh
The Vietnamese name for pastries is bánh. Many of the pastries are wrapped in various leaves and boiled or steamed. One of the historic dishes, dating to the mythical founding of the Vietnamese state is bánh chưng. As it is a savory dish and thus not a true pastry, bánh chưng and the accompanying bánh dày are laden with heaven and earth symbolism. These dishes are associated with offerings around the Vietnamese New Year. Additionally, as a legacy of French colonial rule and influence, bûche de Noël is a popular dessert served during the Christmas season.| Name | |
| Bánh bao | A steamed bun dumpling that can be stuffed with onion, mushrooms, or vegetables, bánh bao is an adaptation from the Chinese baozi to fit Vietnamese taste. Vegetarian banh bao is popular in Buddhist temples. Typical stuffings include slices of marinated barbecued pork from Chinese cooking, tiny boiled quail eggs, and pork. |
| Bánh bèo | A central Vietnamese dish, it consists of tiny, round, rice flour pancakes, each served in a similarly shaped dish. They are topped with minced shrimp and other ingredients, such as chives, fried shallots, and pork rinds, eaten with nước chấm. |
| Bánh bột chiên | A Chinese-influenced pastry, it exists in many versions all over Asia; the Vietnamese version features a special tangy soy sauce on the side, rice flour cubes with fried eggs, and some vegetables. This is a popular after-school snack for young students in southern Vietnam. |
| Bánh bột lọc | A Huế food, it consists of tiny rice dumplings made in a clear rice-flour batter, often in a small, flattish, tube shape, stuffed with shrimp and ground pork. It is wrapped and cooked inside a banana leaf, served often as Vietnamese hors d'œuvres at more casual buffet-type parties. |
| Bánh xèo | A flat pan-fried dish made of rice flour with turmeric, shrimp with shells on, slivers of fatty pork, sliced onions, and sometimes button mushrooms, fried in oil, usually coconut oil, which is the most popular oil used in Vietnam. It is eaten with lettuce and various local herbs and dipped in nước chấm or sweet fermented peanut butter sauce. Bánh tráng rice paper wrappers are sometimes used as wrappers to contain banh xeo and the accompanying vegetables. |
| Bánh nậm | A Huế food, it is a flat steamed rice dumpling made of rice flour, shallots, shrimp, and seasoned with pepper. It is wrapped and cooked in banana leaves and served with fish sauce. |
Wraps and rolls
| Name | Description |
| Bánh cuốn | Rice flour rolls stuffed with ground pork, prawns, and wood ear mushroom, they are eaten in a variety of ways with many side dishes, including chả. |
| Bì cuốn | Rice paper rolls with the bì mixture of thinly shredded pork and thinly shredded pork skin tossed with powdered toasted rice, among other ingredients, along with salad; it is similar to summer rolls. |
| Bò bía | Stir-fried jicama and carrots are mixed with Chinese sausage and shredded scrambled eggs, all wrapped in a rice paper roll, dipped into a spicy peanut sauce. It is of Chinese origin, having been brought over by the immigrants. In Saigon, it is common to see old Teochew men or women selling bò bía at their roadside stands. The name bò bía phonetically resembles its original name popiah in the Teochew language. |
| Chả giò or nem rán | A kind of spring roll, it is deep-fried flour rolls filled with pork, yam, crab, shrimp, rice vermicelli, mushrooms and other ingredients. The spring roll goes by many names – as many people actually use the word "spring roll" while referring to the fresh transparent rice paper rolls, where the rice paper is dipped into water to soften, and then rolled up with various ingredients. Traditionally, these rolls are made with a rice-paper wrapper, but in recent years, Vietnamese chefs outside of Vietnam have changed the recipe to use a wheat-flour wrapper. |
| Gỏi cuốn | Also known as Vietnamese fresh rolls, salad rolls, or summer rolls, they are rice-paper rolls that often include shrimp, herbs, pork, rice vermicelli, and other ingredients wrapped up and dipped in nước chấm or peanut sauce. Spring rolls almost constitute an entire category of Vietnamese foods, as the many different kinds of spring rolls have different ingredients in them. |
Bánh tráng can be understood as either of the following:
- Bánh tráng cuốn
- Bánh tráng nướng, or bánh đa in the north
Sandwiches and pastries
| Name | Description |
| Bánh mì kẹp thịt | Vietnamese baguette or French bread is traditionally filled with pâté, Vietnamese mayonnaise, cold cuts, jalapeños, pickled white radish, pickled carrot, and cucumber slices. While traditional cold cuts include ham, head cheese, and Vietnamese bologna, varieties of stuffing such as eggs, canned sardines, shredded pork, fried tofu, and grilled meats are common. Sandwiches are often garnished with coriander leaves and black pepper. |
| Bánh Pâté chaud | A French-inspired meat-filled pastry, it is characterized by flaky crust and either pork or chicken as the filling. |
| Bánh mì ốp la | Vietnamese-style fried egg sandwich. "Ốp la" means "sunny-side up". |
Meat dishes
| Name | Description |
| Bò kho | A beef and vegetable stew, it is often cooked with warm, spicy herbs and served very hot with French baguettes for dipping. In northern Vietnam, it is known as bò sốt vang. |
| Bò lá lốt | A dish of spiced beef rolled in a betel leaf and grilled |
| Bò lúc lắc | French-influenced dish of beef cut into cubes and marinated, served over greens, and sautéed onions and tomatoes, eaten with rice |
| Bò 7 món | Multi-course meal consisting of seven beef dishes. Developed during the French colonial era when beef became more widely consumed. |
| Cá 7 món | Similar course arrangement as Bò 7 món substituting beef with fish. Less popular than the original variant. |
| Chả lụa or giò lụa | A sausage made with ground lean pork and potato starch, it is also available fried; known as chả chiên. Various kinds of chả are made of ground chicken, ground beef, fish, or tofu. |
| Gà nướng sả | Grilled chicken with lemon grass, lemongrass grilled beef and other meats are also popular variations. |
| Giò thủ | Giò thủ is a brawn made of fresh bacon, pig's ears, garlic, scallions, onions, black fungus, fish sauce and cracked black pepper. |
| Nem nướng | Grilled meatballs, usually made of seasoned pork, they are often colored reddish with food coloring and with a distinct taste, grilled on skewers like shish kebabs. Ingredients in the marinade include fish sauce. |
| Nem nguội | A Huế dish and a variation of the Nem nướng meatballs, these also come from central Vietnam. They are chilled, small and rectangular in shape, and stuffed with vermicelli. The reddish meat is covered with peppers and typically a chili pepper. Very spicy, they are eaten almost exclusively as a cocktail snack. |
Seafood dishes
| Name | Description |
| Bánh Tôm | Prawn and sweet potato fritter |
| Cá cuốn ho | A roll with fish and spring onions |
| Cá kho tộ | Caramelized fish in clay pot |
| Chạo tôm | Prawn paste/cake on sugarcane |
| Cua rang muối/me | Wok-tossed crab with salt and pepper/tamarind |
Salads
Nộm or Gỏi is Vietnamese salad; of the many varieties, the most popular include:| Name | Description |
| Gỏi đu đủ | Vietnamese papaya salad typically with shredded papaya, herbs, various meats such as shrimp, slices of pork, liver, or jerky, herbs, and with a more vinegar-based rendition of nước chấm |
| Gỏi Huế rau muống | A salad dish originating from Huế, including water spinach |
| Nộm ngó sen | Lotus stem salad, with shrimp and pork or chicken |
| Gỏi đậu hủ | Tofu salad with shredded cabbage, mint, and soy dressing |
| Gỏi nhệch | Rice paddy eel salad with shredded vegetables |
| Nộm sứa | Jellyfish salad with carrot, cucumber, and sesame dressing |
| Gỏi chân vịt | Duck feet salad with shredded cabbage and sweet and sour fish sauce |
| Bò tái chanh | Shredded salad with thinly sliced rare beef, fresh lemon, onion, fried onions, and fish sauce |
| Gỏi gà bắp cải | Chicken and cabbage salad |
| Gỏi mít | Young jackfruit salad with peanuts, mint, and fish sauce |
Curries
- Vietnamese curry is also popular, especially in the center and south, owing to the cultural influence of Indian, Khmer and Malay traders.
- Another type of well-known Vietnamese curry is beef brisket curry or oxtail curry. The beef curries are often served with French bread for dipping, or with rice.
- Cà ri gà is a popular Vietnamese curry made with chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes, and peas in a coconut curry sauce. It is also served with rice or baguette.
Preserved dishes
| Name | Description |
| Bắp cải muối xổi | Quick-pickled shredded cabbage |
| Dưa chua, Dưa cải muối chua | Made from a kind of mustard green |
| Cà pháo muối | Made from Vietnamese eggplant |
| Dấm tỏi | Pickled garlic cloves in vinegar |
| Dưa kiệu | Made from Allium chinense, this is a dish of the Tết holiday. |
| Dưa hành | Made from spring onion bulbs or shallot |
| Dưa món | Made from carrot, white radish, or green papaya |
| Măng muối | Made from sliced bamboo shoot with chilies |
| Ớt ngâm | Pickled chilies in rice vinegar |
| Rau cần muối xổi | Quick-pickled water celery |
| Tôm chua | Sweet and spiced pickled shrimp |
Mắm
Mắm is a Vietnamese term for fermented fish, shrimp or other aquatic ingredients. It is used as main course, as an ingredient or as condiment. The types of fish most commonly used to make mắm are anchovies, catfish, snakeheads, and mackerels. The fish flesh remains intact, and can be eaten cooked or uncooked, with or without vegetables and condiments. Fish sauce is literally called "mắm water" in Vietnamese and is the distilled liquid from the process of fermentation of mắm.| Name | Description |
| Mắm tôm | Fermented shrimp paste |
| Mắm cáy | Made from Sesarmidae, in north central coast of Vietnam |
| Mắm cá thu | Made from mackerel fish, usually in Bình Định province |
| Mắm nêm | Usually made from round scad fish, in central Vietnam |
| Mắm ruốc | Made from krill, from central Vietnam |
| Mắm cá linh | Made from a kind of fish that immigrates to the Mekong Delta every flood season from Tonlé Sap, Cambodia |
| Nước mắm or mắm mặn | General name for all fish sauces but usually refer to pure extracted anchovy fish sauce |
Fermented meat dishes
Nem chua, a Vietnamese fermented meat served as is or fried, is made from pork meat, coated by fried rice, mixed with pork skin and then wrapped in country gooseberry leaves or Erythrina orientalis leaves. The preservation process takes about three to five days.Sausages
Vietnamese sausage, giò, is usually made from fresh ground pork and beef. Sausage makers may use the meat, skin or ear. Fish sauce is added before banana leaves are used to wrap the mixture. The last step is boiling. For common sausage, 1 kg of meat is boiled for an hour. For chả quế, the boiled meat mixture will then be roasted with cinnamon.Vegetarian dishes
Vegetarian dishes in Vietnam often have the same names as their meat equivalents, e.g. phở bò, but with chay sign in front, those dishes are served with tofu instead of meat. Nearly every soup, sandwich and street food has its vegetarian correspondent. Sometimes you can also see notations like "phở chay", "bánh mì chay" or "cơm chay". Vegetarian food in comparison the normal dishes are almost always cheaper, often half of the normal price. Vegetarian restaurants are mostly frequented by religious Vietnamese people and are rarely found in touristic areas. Vegetarian food is also eaten to earn luck during special holiday and festival, especially during Lunar New Year where Vietnamese culture serve vegetarian food regardless of their religion.Desserts
| Name | Description |
| Chè | A sweet dessert beverage or pudding, it is usually made from beans and sticky rice. Many varieties of chè are available, each with different fruits, beans, and other ingredients. Chè can be served hot or cold and often with coconut milk. |
| Rau câu | This popular dessert is made with a type of red algae called Gracilaria and is flavored with coconut milk, pandan or other flavors. It is eaten cold by itself or added to drinks and Chè. |
| Chuối chiên | Banana deep-fried in a batter, often served hot with cold ice cream, usually vanilla or coconut |
| [Crème caramel|Bánh flan] | Influenced by French cuisine and served with caramel or coffee sauce |
| Sinh tố | A fruit smoothie made with just a few teaspoons of sweetened condensed milk, crushed ice and fresh, local fruits. The smoothies' many varieties include custard apple, sugar apple, avocado, jackfruit, soursop, durian, strawberry, passionfruit, dragonfruit, lychee, mango, and banana. |
| Sữa chua | Local variant of yogurt, which was brought to Vietnam by French colonists. Made with condensed milk, it has a sweet, tart flavor. It can be eaten in its cool, soft form, or frozen, in which form it is often sold in small, clear bags. |
| Bánh bò | A sweet and airy sponge cake flavored with coconut milk, made from rice flour, water, sugar, and yeast. |
| Bánh da lợn | A sweet, soft, steamed layer cake made with rice flour, mung bean, coconut milk, water, and sugar with alternating layers of starch and flavored filling. Taro or durian are typically used for the layers of filling. |
| Bánh rán | A deep-fried glutinous rice ball dish. |
Mứt
Vietnamese use fruits in season. When the season is passing, they make candied fruit, called ô mai, and fruit preserves, called mứt. The original taste of ô mai is sour, sweet, salty, and spicy. The most famous kind of ô mai is ô mai mơ, made from apricots harvested from the forest around Perfume Pagoda, Hà Tây province. This ô mai consists of apricot covered by ginger, sugar, and liquorice root slivers.Tofu
is widely used in Vietnamese cuisine. It is boiled, fried or used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes.Other soybean products range from soy sauce, fermented bean paste, and fermented bean curd to douhua.
Bò kho
is a dish made from beef with a stewing method, originating from the South of Vietnam. Originally, Southern Vietnamese people served Bo kho with many kinds of herbs to enhance the flavor of the dish. Although it is called "kho", the main cooking method of the dish is braising. The stewing method is used to marinate and tenderize the beef before braising.Phở
Phở is a traditional Vietnamese dish originating from Van Cu, Nam Định province. It is traditionally served with a variety of herbs to enhance its flavor. Nowadays, there are many different ways to prepare and flavor phở. In Vietnam, there are different names to distinguish them: Northern phở, Huế phở, and Saigon phở. In 2016, the Japanese chose April 4 of each year as Vietnam's Phở Day in Japan. In Vietnam, on December 12, 2017, Tuổi Trẻ newspaper cooperated with Acecook Vietnam Company to organize the first Phở Day. This will be an annual traditional activity. Since 2018, "Phở Day" will be organized as a community cultural and tourism activity.Exotic dishes
The use of ingredients typically uncommon or taboo in most countries is one of the quintessential attributes that make Vietnamese cuisine unique. While unusual ingredients can only be found in exotic restaurants in many countries, Vietnamese cuisine is deemed atypical in that the usage of these ingredients can play a customary role in daily family dishes regardless of social class.A common and inexpensive breakfast dish that can be found in any wet market, balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly developed embryo inside, which is boiled and eaten in the shell. It is typically served with fresh herbs: rau răm, salt, and black pepper; lime juice is another popular additive, when available. A more unusual version of balut dish—fetus quail is a snack favored by many Vietnamese students. Paddy crab and paddy snail are the main ingredients in bún riêu ốc—a popular noodle dish—and in some everyday soup dishes and braised food. Family meals with silkworms, banana flowers, sparrows, doves, fermented fish and shrimp are not rare sights. Seasonal favorites include ragworms, which are made into many dishes such as fried rươi omelet, fermented rươi sauce , steamed rươi , stir-fried rươi with radish or bamboo shoot .'' Three-striped crab is popular in several southern provinces, including Cà Mau, Sóc Trăng and Bạc Liêu; it is eaten fermented, stir-fried or steamed.
Northern Vietnamese cuisine is also notable for its wide range of meat choices. Exotic meats such as dog meat, cat meat, rat meat, snake meat, soft-shell turtle, deer, and domestic goat are sold in street-side restaurants and generally paired with alcoholic beverages. A taboo in many Western countries and in southern Vietnam, consumption of dog meat and cat meat is common throughout the northern part of the country and is believed to raise the libido in men. Television chef Andrew Zimmern visited northern Vietnam in the 12th episode of his popular show Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Cobra beating heart and dried bones, silkworms, and bull penis are some of the dishes he sampled. He also tried porcupine.
Paddy mouse meat—barbecued, braised, stir- or deep-fried—is a delicacy dish that can be found in Southern Vietnamese rural areas or even high-end city restaurants.
Crocodiles were eaten by Vietnamese while they were taboo and off limits for Chinese.
Shark fins are imported in massive amounts by Vietnam.
Anthony Bourdain, the host chef of Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, wrote in April 2005: "...everything is used—and nothing wasted in Vietnam." Animal parts that are often disposed of in many Western countries are used fully in Vietnamese cooking. Organs, including lungs, livers, hearts, intestines and bladders of pigs, cattle, and chickens are sold at even higher prices than their meat. Chicken testicles and undeveloped eggs are stir-fried with vegetables and served as an everyday dish.
Many of the traditional northern Lunar New Year dishes such as , giò thủ, and canh măng móng giò involve the use of pig heads, tongues, throats and feet. Pig and beef tails, as well as chicken heads, necks and feet, are Vietnamese favorite beer dishes. Bóng bì, used as an ingredient in canh bóng—a kind of soup, is pig skin baked until popped. Steamed pig brains can be found almost everywhere. Also in the northern part of Vietnam, different kinds of animal blood can be made into a dish called tiết canh by whisking the blood with fish sauce and cold water in a shallow dish along with finely chopped, cooked duck innards, sprinkled with crushed peanuts and chopped herbs such as Vietnamese coriander, mint, etc. It is then cooled until the blood coagulates into a soft, jelly-like mixture and served raw.
Coconut worms, or đuông dừa, is a delicacy found widely in the Trà Vinh province of Vietnam. They are the larvae form of the palm weevil and are eaten live within a salty fish sauce with chili peppers.
Beverages
| Name | Description |
| Jasmine tea | A local tea beverage of Vietnam |
| Bia hơi | A Vietnamese specialty draft beer produced locally in small batches |
| Cà phê sữa đá | Strong dark roast iced coffee, served with sweetened condensed milk at the bottom of the cup to be stirred in, is very popular among the Vietnamese. |
| Cà phê trứng | This beverage translated as Vietnamese egg coffee. This coffee uses egg yolk, whipping cream, condensed milk, and, of course, espresso. Some may use vanilla extract or sugar as a sugar substitute. |
| Nước mía | Sugar cane juice extracted from squeezing sugar cane plant, served with ice. |
| Rau má | Pennywort juice made from blending fresh pennywort leaves with water and sugar until dissolved is a near-transparent green color and served over ice. |
| Sữa đậu nành | A soybean drink served either hot or cold, sweetened or unsweetened. This beverage is very popular in all Asian countries. In Vietnam, however, the difference between other Asian countries' soy milk and Vietnam's soy milk is the use of pandan leaves. While the use of pandan leaves is very popular with this drink, other countries use a different source of sweetness. |
| Rượu đế | A distilled liquor made of rice |
| Trà đá | A kind of iced tea popular for its cheap price, it has a faint lime-yellow color and usually does not have much taste. |
| Trà đá chanh | Lemon iced tea |
| Chanh muối | Sweet and sour salty lime drink |
| Soda xí muội | Sweet and salty plum soda |
| Soda hột gà | Egg soda |
| Sinh tố | Vietnamese fruit smoothie with green bean, red bean, avocado, pineapple, strawberry, jackfruit, apple custard, durian, sapota, or mango with sweet condensed milk and crushed ice |
| Nước sắn dây hoa bưởi | Made of kudzu and pomelo flower extract |