Arm yourself with this mini Vietnamese to English Food Dictionary before stepping into any Vietnamese restaurant. Save the site or download the PDF.
Eating in Vietnam on a budget is as easy as going to a corner and pointing to some food. For less than a dollar you can eat a full meal. Have a look at this article to see just how much you get.
Cha, or gio in the north, can be found in many foods in Vietnam, including the extremely popular banh mi sandwiches. But what exactly is that strange meat?
Beef is steamed in a banana leaf then sliced and added to this sandwich with a plethora of delicious flavours including: pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro, cucumber, chilli peppers, mayo, and more.
This quick and cheap hodge podge is a popular street food in Vietnam. Toppings include: dried shrimp, Vietnamese beef jerky, shredded green mango, peanuts, hard boiled quail eggs, Vietnamese coriander, and a nice kick of spice courtesy of chili paste. The flavour and texture combinations are fantastic.
Hunks of beef are slowly cooked in a rich flavourful broth with carrots, star anise, and lemongrass. It's usually served with banh mi, steamed rice, or noodles.
Stir-fried hunks of beef with onions and sometimes peppers. Can also be found with trung (egg). Often eaten with rice or banh mi (bread). Best served on a sizzling cow shaped plate.
Green pepper seeds are heavily used to cook tender cuts of beef.
Beef steak served on a sizzling platter alongside an egg and a fresh baguette.
This soup is similar to the very popular bun bo Hue. Thick round noodles float in a tangy broth with tender slices of beef and pork knuckle. The broth has hints on lemongrass in it and a bit of a kick to it, specially if you add some chili paste, which I recommend trying. You may get some extras, like congealed pig's blood, in the bowl as well.
A beef soup that's spicier than pho, has a lemongrass infused broth, and uses thicker, round rice noodles. It usually contains slices of beef shank, and sometimes chunks of pig's feet, congealed pork blood, and cha lua (Vietnamese pork loaf).
With tastes of lemongrass, garlic, and chili, this noodle salad is very flavourful and addictive.
You've probably had many versions of fried rice, but Vietnam's version has something that you just can't get in the western world -- freshness. Vietnam is one of the top five largest producers of rice in the world. The quality of rice here is top-notch.
Tender slices of beef are tossed with coconut palm heart, vegetables, lime, fish sauce, oil, salt, and chili. It's often served in a giant crispy piece of fried rice paper, or alongside a plate of smaller ones. The rice paper adds a nice crunch and makes eating it more convenient.
Shredded green papaya and a combination of herbs are dressed with a sweet and sour fish sauce and peanuts. It's often topped with beef jerky, shrimp, or strips of pig ear. The combination of flavours and textures make this salad a Vietnamese favorite.
A hearty noodle soup filled with a variety of protein -- pork, beef, seafood, etc.
If you're new to Vietnamese food it's probably best to start here. This is Vietnam's most widely recognized dish. Noodles in an incredibly flavourful broth with chicken or beef.
An uncut sheet of rice noodle is used as a wrapper for this take on the popular soup. Pho rolls are simple, but tasty and they're growing in popularity, especially in Hanoi around Truc Bach lake where they are said to be invented.