Food in Vietnam

Vietnamese cuisine is delicious and is becoming more and more appreciated worldwide. Typical dishes such as phở (noodle soup), bún chả (grilled pork vermicelli), bún bò (beef vermicelli) and nem (grilled spring roll) can be found all over the world.

Flavored with an abundance of natural herbs, fresh vegetables, spices and fish sauce, Vietnamese cuisine is light and fresh.

Rice, in many forms, is an important part of all main meals. You’ll see rice, broken rice, rice noodles, rice vermicelli, rice paper, and rice flour. Glutinous rice, is used as the essential ingredient in traditional cakes like bánh chưng (sticky rice cake with pork and mung bean), bánh giầy (white sticky rice cake, flat and round), and bánh trôi (floating cake).

Meat is found in many Vietnamese dishes, so if you are vegetarian, be sure to mention it to your guides.

When it comes to drinks, make sure to try Vietnamese coffee, an avocado smoothie, and sugar cane juice. Vietnam is a top world consumer of beer and there are many local varieties to try. During your stay in Hanoi, make sure to order an egg coffee. It’s a delicious local specialty and isn’t as strange as it sounds. Another Hanoi specialty is bia hơi, a locally brewed beer, found in The Old Quarter. Note that tap water is not potable, so make sure to drink filtered or bottled water.

Check our blog article about Egg-coffee

Vietnamese food is affordable. A meal in a small, traditional restaurant will cost you between 100,000 and 200,000 dongs (5 – 9 USD).  Street food is even cheaper, of very good quality, and is part of daily life of the locals, especially in cities like Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh city. Experience the local culture in an authentic way by trying the many exquisite flavors of Vietnam. Yum!