VietnaMenu
A Food Lover's Travel Guide to the Best of Vietnamese Food
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Ultimate Guide to Translating Vietnamese Menus into English
Arm yourself with this mini Vietnamese to English Food Dictionary before stepping into any Vietnamese restaurant. Save the site or download the PDF.
Just How Cheap Can You Eat for in Vietnam?
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.
A Guide to Vietnam's Mystery Meat - Cha Gio
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?
Bun Moc
Pork and Mushroom Meatball Soup
Pork paste is rolled with chopped mushrooms to make a delicious meatball that happily floats in a light broth with vermicelli rice noodles. Often served with a genrous helping of cha lua (Vietnamese pork loaf).
Bun Rieu Cua
Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup
Freshwater crabs and tomatoes make up this soup's broth, then rice vermicelli noodles, pork, and tofu soak up the flavours.
Bun Thang
Combo Soup
A combo of pork, chicken, egg, and whatever else is floating around the fridge. This light, slightly sweet broth is soaked up with vermicelli noodles and a variety of vegetables. Traditionaly, it's eaten during Tet, but don't worry, nowadays a tasty bowl can be found all year round.
Bun Thit Nuong
Grilled Pork and Vermicelli
Vermicelli rice noodles with grilled pork, a spring roll, and various greens. Served with nuoc cham.
Canh Chua
Tamarind Broth Soup
A popular dish in the Mekong Delta, this sweet and sour broth soup is made with tamarind and usually comes with pineapple, elephant ear stalk, bean sprouts, tomato, okra, and fish from the Mekong River. When accompanied with rice, it makes a great meal. Check out the dish's profile to see popular variations of canh chua.
Chao Long
Innards Rice Porridge
This may sound like the worst thing ever, but try it before you judge it. A thick, hearty broth is crammed with pig offal -- everything from cheek to liver. It's often served with pieces of fried dough -- maybe that will help.
Com Chien
Fried Rice
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.
Com Tam Suon Nuong
Grilled Pork Chop and Broken Rice
A quick and cheap lunch in Vietnam. A marinated pork chop is grilled over coals and served on top of broken rice.
Goi Cuon
Summer Rolls
These fresh spring rolls are wrapped in wet rice paper and filled with a mini salad. The protein can be shrimp, slices of pork loaf, grilled pork, tofu, etc. They are a little package of freshness, specially in Vietnam where you know everything is grown locally.
Goi Tai Heo
Pig Ear Salad
Boiled pig ear is chopped and combined with herbs, and a sweet and sour fish sauce combo. The pig's ear is soft on the outside with a crunch of cartillage on the inside. It's an interesting texture that's tossed with a combination of delicous flavours and is best enjoyed with a serving of prawn crackers.
Hoanh Thanh
Wonton
A Chinese creation that has become popular in Vietnam, and many other areas of the world. You can find these delicious parcels of ground pork in soups, including popular Vietnamese soups like Hu Tieu.
Hu Tieu Nam Vang
Phnom Penh Noodle Soup
A hearty noodle soup filled with a variety of protein -- pork, beef, seafood, etc.
Mi Quang
Quang Style Noodles
Quảng Nam province is probably best known for its turmeric infused noodles. The protein in this dish varies but it's almost always served with sesame rice crackers which provide a brilliant crunch.
Nem Chua
Vietnamese Cured Pork Sausage
A lean, well grinded sample of pork is mixed with some spices and sugar, then left to ferment for a couple days. The result is a very sweet and sour tasting pork that goes well with cold beer.
Nem Lui
Lemongrass Skewers
Sometimes pork, sometimes pork and beef, is seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, fish sauce, and I'm sure some secret ingredients, then wrapped around a stalk of lemongrass and grilled to perfection.
Pate Chaud
Hot Pastry Pie
This French influenced savoury snack is packed with seasoned ground pork and vegetables. It's also called bánh pa tê sô -- which is basically the Vietnamese word for 'cake' plus the phonetic spelling of 'pate chaud'. You can find it at most Vietnamese bakeries.
Suon Non Kho Tieu
Braised Pork Ribs with Pepper
Often cooked in coconut water for a touch of sweetness.
Xoi
Sticky Rice
A very popular breakfast, lunch, or snack in Vietnam. Sticky rice is steamed and topped with a variety of savoury or sweet toppings. During lunch, schools will empty and students will head to their nearest xoi street food stall to fill up on this cheap but tasty concoction.