Vietnamese Street Food: Must Try Dishes

Vietnam has one of the richest street food cultures in the world. Across the country, people eat breakfast, lunch and late-night snacks on low plastic stools at the pavement's edge, from vendors who have often perfected a single dish for decades. Vietnamese cooking balances salty, sweet, sour, bitter and spicy flavours and relies on fresh herbs, fish sauce (nước mắm), rice and noodles. This guide covers the dishes you should try, how the food changes from north to south, and how to eat safely and politely.

Phở

Phở, a noodle soup of rice noodles in a clear, aromatic broth made from beef or chicken bones simmered with star anise, cinnamon, charred ginger and onion, is Vietnam's most famous dish. It is thought to have developed in northern Vietnam in the early 20th century. Hanoi-style phở is simpler, with fewer garnishes, while southern phở comes with a plate of herbs, bean sprouts, lime and chilli. Phở bò (beef) and phở gà (chicken) are the classics, usually eaten for breakfast.

Bánh mì

A legacy of French colonial rule, the bánh mì is a crisp, airy baguette filled with pâté, cold cuts or grilled pork, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, coriander, chilli and mayonnaise. Hội An is famous for its versions, and in 2011 the word "banh mi" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. A bánh mì usually costs 20,000 to 40,000 dong on the street.

Bún chả

Hanoi's signature lunch: grilled pork patties and slices of pork belly served in a bowl of sweet-sour fish sauce dressing, with rice vermicelli and herbs on the side. It gained international fame when US President Barack Obama ate it with chef Anthony Bourdain in Hanoi in 2016.

Other noodle dishes

• Bún bò Huế: a spicy beef and pork noodle soup from the former imperial capital Huế, flavoured with lemongrass and shrimp paste.
• Cao lầu: Hội An's chewy noodles with pork, greens and crispy crackers, traditionally made with water from local wells.
• Mì Quảng: turmeric-yellow noodles from Quảng Nam province with a small amount of rich broth, prawns, pork and peanuts.
• Hủ tiếu: a southern noodle soup with Chinese-Cambodian roots, often with seafood and pork.

Rice dishes and pancakes

• Cơm tấm: "broken rice", a southern favourite, topped with grilled pork chop, shredded pork skin, a steamed egg cake and fish sauce.
• Bánh xèo: crispy turmeric-coloured rice-flour pancakes filled with prawns, pork and bean sprouts, wrapped in lettuce and herbs and dipped in sauce.
• Bánh cuốn: delicate steamed rice rolls filled with minced pork and wood-ear mushrooms, a northern breakfast.

Fresh and fried rolls

Gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls) wrap prawns, pork, herbs and vermicelli in rice paper, served with a peanut-hoisin dip. Chả giò (called nem rán in the north) are fried rolls filled with minced pork, mushrooms and glass noodles.

Snacks, sweets and drinks

• Chè: sweet dessert soups and drinks with beans, jellies, fruit and coconut milk, served hot or over ice.
• Bánh bao: fluffy steamed buns filled with pork, egg and sausage, a Chinese-influenced breakfast.
• Xôi: sticky rice, sold in the morning with toppings such as mung bean paste, fried shallots, chicken or pork floss.
• Bánh tráng nướng: "Vietnamese pizza", a rice paper grilled over charcoal with egg, spring onion and chilli sauce, popular in Đà Lạt and with students everywhere.
• Nước mía: fresh sugarcane juice, often pressed with kumquat.
• Bia hơi: very cheap, fresh draught beer served on street corners in Hanoi, especially in the Old Quarter.

Vegetarian food

Vietnam has a long Buddhist vegetarian tradition. Look for signs saying "cơm chay" or "quán chay" for vegetarian restaurants, which often serve mock-meat versions of classic dishes. Many Buddhists eat vegetarian on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month, when these restaurants are especially busy. Fish sauce is used in almost everything else, so ask for "không nước mắm" if you avoid it.

Coffee culture

Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee producer, mostly robusta. Cà phê sữa đá — strong drip coffee with sweetened condensed milk over ice — is everywhere. Hanoi's cà phê trứng (egg coffee), topped with whipped egg yolk and sugar, was invented in the 1940s when milk was scarce. Coffee shops, from tiny street stalls to stylish cafés, are central to social life.

Regional differences

• North (Hanoi): subtler flavours, less sugar, and an emphasis on broth; black pepper more than chilli.
• Central (Huế, Hội An, Đà Nẵng): the spiciest cooking, influenced by the royal court's elaborate cuisine.
• South (Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta): sweeter dishes, abundant herbs and tropical fruit, and coconut milk in some dishes.

Where to eat

In Hanoi, the Old Quarter's streets are lined with specialist stalls. In Ho Chi Minh City, Bến Thành Market and the alleys of Districts 1 and 3 are good starting points, and Chợ Lớn (Chinatown) in District 5 is excellent for noodle soups. Hội An's central market has a food hall serving local specialities, and the MICHELIN Guide Vietnam, launched in 2023, includes many street food stalls in its Bib Gourmand selection. The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism publishes regional food guides.

Eating safely

• Pick busy stalls with high turnover, where food is cooked fresh.
• Drink bottled or boiled water; ice in cities is usually made from purified water in factories, but be cautious in rural areas.
• Herbs are served raw; if you have a sensitive stomach, start slowly.
• The US CDC's food and water safety advice is a useful general guide.

Etiquette and ordering

Many stalls sell only one dish, so ordering can be as simple as pointing and holding up fingers for the number of bowls. Use chopsticks with a spoon for soups, and don't stick chopsticks upright in rice. Add lime, chilli and herbs to taste. Prices are usually fixed and low — a bowl of noodles typically costs 40,000 to 70,000 dong in cities — and tipping at street stalls is not expected. Pay when you leave.

Living in Vietnam

For residents, eating out is often as cheap as cooking at home, which is one reason Vietnam is popular with remote workers and teachers. See our Vietnam country guide for living costs, visas and practical information.