Vietnam — Ultimate list of Must Eats
Vietnam is home to endless and amazing cheap eats.
Finding restaurants for specific foods in Vietnam is super easy — often times the restaurant will specialize in one type of dish, and the name of the dish will be in the name of the restaurant. Google maps is pretty helpful in finding restaurants as well. What often happened for me was, I would find a place on Google maps and start walking towards it, but I would see another restaurant on the way bustling with locals. So I would stop by there instead, since locals > google reviews.
Many places will not speak English, so you will have to utilize a lot of pointing and grunting skills. Don’t expect stellar service or sparkling clean interiors for a lot of regular restaurants — in fact, a bunch of the restaurants (especially street side) will offer tiny chairs and equally tiny tables (or just other chairs used as tables) small for even a 5'4" human (me). This is a widespread practice all over the country and other SE Asian countries. They might hand over a single wrapped wet towel with your food, but that will cost extra to use. Sometimes napkins will also cost extra. But it will all be worth it, especially since the everything is so affordable already.
The ★s mean they were amazing and I would fly back to Vietnam to have em! And about half the dishes below seem to have the star on it.
Banh Beo
Mini chunks of rice flour and tapioca flour served in individual mini dishes. Topped with dried shrimp and/or pork skin, served with a fishy sweet and sour dipping sauce. The texture is fun like firm jello, and it tastes mostly of nothing — faintly of rice. See what it looks like in a video!
Where to have it:
I had it served at hotel breakfasts and in street stalls, but also had it at Ngon Restaurant (an upscale family restaurant) in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh (60k VND).
Banh Cuon
Banh Cuon is another dish that originated from the North. Often served as a light breakfast food, this dish is made from thin sheets of steamed fermented rice batter. It’s filled with a combo or any one of diced pork, mushroom, shallots, and served with a fishy sweet and sour dipping sauce. See what it looks like in a video!
Where to have it:
I had it served at hotel breakfasts and in street stalls, but also had it at Ngon Restaurant (an upscale family restaurant) in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh (60k VND).
★ Banh Khot
Oh my gawwwd this was a fun dish. There are a bunch of dishes in Vietnam where you are supposed to assemble it into a spring roll type of a deal, and this is one of them. They are mini rice flour griddle cakes that are topped with mini shrimps. They’re crispy and savory and sort of feel like they’d be made out of eggs.
This dish is served with race paper, herbs, and a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The idea is that you put the mini griddle cakes in a rice paper with the herbs, and dip it in the sauce to eat! Super fun and super good.
See what it looks like in a video!
Where to have it:
I had it served at hotel breakfasts and in street stalls, but also had it at Ngon Restaurant (an upscale family restaurant) in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh (70k VND).
★ Banh Xeo
This is effectively a large version of the Banh Khot dish (above).
Huge half moon shapes of thin and crispy batter (must be egg or rice flour) is fried with bean sprouts and shrimp as the filling. A savory crepe or omelet, if you will.
This dish is served with race paper, herbs, and a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The idea is that you put slices of the omelet in a rice paper with the herbs, and dip it in the sauce to eat! Super fun and super good.
Often the restaurant will sell Nem Lui (flavorful ground meat skewers) as well, and you can eat it the same way you eat the banh xeo pieces — rolled up in rice paper.
See what it looks like in a a video!
Where to have it:
This place was recommended by multiple locals, and had a lot of locals in it: Banh Xeo Sau Phuoc (12k VND, 6k for nem lui).
★ Bo La Lop
This is very similar to what a dolma is in Mediterranean cuisine. Beef is stuffed in fragrant lalot leaves then grilled. The result is very fragrant rolls of tender, juicy, hot rolls of beef. The rolls are taken right off the grill, then served topped with mayo and peanut chunks. It’s amazing. I would fly back for it.
This dish is served with race paper, herbs, and a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The idea is that you put a bo la lop roll in a rice paper with the herbs, and dip it in the sauce to eat! Super fun and super good.
Where to have it:
Hoang Yen in Ho Chi Minh City (25k).
Bot Chien
I’d call this a carb and fat loading drunk food. The dish is rice flour and eggs fried to a crisp with rice cakes, then topped with papaya, green onions, and peanuts. I enjoyed the first few bites, but it did get pretty heavy soon after.
Where to have it:
Hoang Yen in Ho Chi Minh City (25k).
Bun Bo Hue
Vietnam has all sorts of different noodle dishes, and this is another one of them. But what’s different about it is the clear bowl that it gets served in. The soup too is semi clear, so you can see exactly what you’re eating. This dish comes with a beef based broth that is sweet and tangy — served warm. The noodles are thick — almost like udon — and its topped with other beef or pork (+ pork knuckle), onions, and green onions. Served with bean sprouts and cabbage to top off.
See what it looks like in a video!
Where to have it:
I had it at Bun Bo Hue Chu Ha (67k VND), but I wasn’t a huge fan. I can’t tell if of the dish or the restaurant, but the broth wasn’t exactly my favorite, the meat was tough (due to its thickness) and was relatively expensive for a Vietnamese dish.
★ Nom Bo
Spicy sweet dried beef with green papaya julienne ‘noodles’ topped with herbs and peanuts. This is then covered with a sweet and sour sauce. The dried beef is chewy, but not tough — like soft jerky. Amazing texture, amazing flavors! Low carb option, all served cold!
Where to have it:
Ngo 2 Ham Long (40k VND) at a street stall — open till late night.
★ Banh Bot Loc
Clear chewy skinned dumplings filled with shrimp/pork topped with peanuts and herbs. Served with a fishy chili sauce.
These dumplings’ texture is out of this world.
See what it looks like in a video!
Where to have it:
Ngo 2 Ham Long (40k VND) at a street stall — open till late night.
★ Bun Cha / Bun Thit Nuong
Bun Cha and Bun Thit Nuong are the same ish dish, but Bun Thit Nuong is the southern version of the Bun Cha. Both are grilled meat served with of rice noodles and a sweet and sour sauce.
Bun cha is a bowl of sweet and sour soup with grilled meat, a side of noodles, and a side of veggies and herbs. You gather a bit of each and dip it in the sauce to eat. Obama had Bun Cha with Bourdain when he visited Hanoi and has left this Bun cha shop quite famous — but amazingly, they had no line or a crowd! Probably thanks to the dozens of other bun cha places in the area, and probably it’s more famous for the foreigners who come to visit like me.
Bun thit nuong is served with the lettuce and herbs already cut up at the bottom of the bowl, noodles and meat on top with the sauce on the side.
Where to have it:
Bun Cha Huong Lien in Hanoi (90k VND for bun cha + spring rolls + beer) — Obama + Bourdain’s place for bun cha.
Bun thit nuong chi tuyen (40k) for bun thit nuong
Northern Pho / Southern Pho
Everyone probably already knows what pho is. It’s a rice noodle soup topped with usually beef (pho bo) or chicken (pho ga) with broth based from the same meats. There are different cuts of the meat available, as well as different cooked levels. It’s eaten for every meal, but it looked like it was often eaten for breakfast.
The difference between northern and souther pho is huge. The northern pho (which claims to be the original) has a clearer soup, flatter and wider noodles, than the southern counter part. The northern variety is served with cilantro, green onions, and some herbs, while in the south, people use basil, bean sprouts, and hoisin sauce.
See what it looks like in a video!
Where to have it:
I had the northern pho in a random tent in Sapa and the southern one in Pho Phu Vuong which has wifi, AC, and English menus (60k VND).
Banh Mi
This is another Vietnamese dish that most people are familiar with. Banh mi alone can mean bread, and for bread often is used to denote the french baguette. But it’s better known internationally as the Vietnamese sandwich made of a hot baguette filled with pate, cilantro, pickled radish, cucumber, and various cuts of meat.
As famous as it is, there are dozens of different variations and it differs by the restaurant or stall. A ‘classic’ one is the description above, but it can include peppers, eggs, chicken, duck, etc etc.
Here is what it looks like in a video!
A particularly awesome variation is the banh mi op la, which is a banh mi that is enjoyed often for breakfast. This one will have either a chicken or some quail eggs fried and more breakfast-y meat cuts. Served either on a sizzling plate with a side of bread, or in the typical banh mi fashion. I heard about this one from migrationology.com, where the recommended place was closed on the Monday that I visited.
Where to have it:
Bánh Mì Hòa Mã — supposed to be the original for banh mi op la: 53 Cao Thắng, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Banh mi 362 a chain in Ho Chi Minh (35k VND) for clean service.
Water Buffalo
Water buffalos are the best friends of farmers, they say in Vietnam. They do all the hard labor and also provide the family with milk and meat. It’s not a particular dish that is well known, but an interesting type of meat. I would say it tastes somewhere between beef and bison? but closer to beef.
Here is the video of the buffalo dish!
Where to have it:
The Hill Station in Sapa (200k VND).
Lau Cap Tham
It’s hot pot, but Vietnam style. The soup is a heavy on the tomato and anise, and the dipping option is a lot lighter than the Chinese or Japanese counter parts. The place that I went to served really thick cuts of meat, that I was not a fan of at all, since that meant the meat would be a lot tougher. The soup also wasn’t great since it was heavy on anise and left a lingering aftertaste that I didn’t love — but looks like everyone else who went there loved it.
Here is the spread in a video form!
Where to NOT have it:
Viet Emotion Restaurant in Sapa (100k VND)
★ Egg Coffee (Cà phê trứng)
Vietnam is famous for its drip coffee, but wait — it gets better! Originated in Hanoi, the egg coffee is served cold or hot. Vietnamese coffee is topped with a foamy, sweet, and rich egg white cream to make the beverage more of a dessert-y drink. Video here!
Where to have it:
Giang Cafe claims to be the original. Has worse service, but more seating. Has wifi. (25k VND)
Cafe Dinh is a local favorite. The entrance to the cafe is unexpected, but it opens out into a small snug space. (25k VND)
★ Coconut Sticky Rice Ice Cream (Kem xôi dừa)
Xoi is glutinous sticky rice. It’s sometimes served in ice cream and sometimes served alone as the main carb for a meal — this variation was mungbean lard + crispy onions on top of xoi.
Here is what it looks like in a video!
Where to have it:
Street stalls anywhere in the city. I had it near the Hoang Yen in Ho Chi Minh City.
Dessert pudding (Chè)
Che is a coconut based soup/pudding that can be served with really anything. But often there will be fruit, jelly, beans, or sweet rice cakes layered inside and it’ll be served with ice to cool it to your tastes.
There are so many different combinations, that it might even have savory dumplings and peppers, and I have no idea how to read this large menu. A safe bet is to order Che Thai (mixed che).
Here is what it looks like in a video!
Where to have it:
Any che place down the street will work, but it’s possible that they will not use filtered water for the ice, so if you have a sensitive gut, go to a franchise.
Che Thap Cam in Hanoi (40k VND)
One thing I didn’t get to try is the street stalls that lay out different types of snails and clams out in boxes. You get to go pick the ones you want and request them to be cooked in the style you want as well.
