Evidently, when people want to discover the essence of a culture, they often study the cuisine, especially the street food and the traditional ones. The reason behind that is because of the food’s closed association with the working class – the major part forming a society. And, in this way, Vietnam – a friendly and natural rich nation, also has such a diverse and (of course) delicious range of cuisine. So, let us start our journey by going through a list of 12 best Vietnamese foods, which are considered must-eats in Vietnam.

Top 10 dishes to eat when coming to Vietnam

1. Phở – The Worldwide Famous Vermicelli Soup

Particularly, when referring to Vietnam, it would be a total loss not to mention Vietnamese most famous cuisine: Phở – a unique kind of Vermicelli that comes harmoniously with the salty-sweet broth. The Pho’s recipe may vary depending on each chef’s own creativity. However, in total, the core ingredients for making an unforgettable bowl of Pho are: Salty Sweet Broth that is made from animal bones (some chefs use chicken’s, some may use pig’s, it really depends), Pho (a typical type of Vermicelli in Vietnam), a mixture of herbs and meat (depends, also).

2. Bánh Mì – Vietnamese Best Sandwich

If Pho represents the complicated delicacy that requires certain experience to make, Banh Mi is a symbol of simplicity as roughly anyone can make it. However, this simplicity, surprisingly, can result in such an amazing taste.

Banh Mi’s most outstanding aspect that makes it become a popular choice in Vietnam might be its convenience. People can find Banh Mi roughly anywhere along the street in each urban region of Vietnam. On your hurry way to work, a 3- minute – preparing Banh Mi would definitely a more appropriate choice than a tradition full course meal. Therefore, it can be said that, in this modern day, Banh Mi has integrated into Vietnamese normal life and it has become a vital part of our nation’s list of cuisine.

3. Gỏi Cuốn -“Freshest Dish”

If you are tired of the fatty fried food and absolutely want to get rid of them, then Goi Cuon is definitely for you! There are thousands of Goi Cuon’s edition. Like Banh Mi, it will be made based on customers’ orders. However, the main ingredients are often lettuce, some kinds of herbs and boiled meat or seafood. These ingredients will be wrapped tightly by a rice paper, then the roll can be dipped into the sauce, which is diverse depending on the chef making it.

4. Bún Chả – Vietnamese National Favorite Food

While Pho is more appropriate for a wealthy breakfast or dinner, Bun Cha is a perfect dish for lunch. Literally, Bun Cha is Grilled Pork Vermicelli, which means in each helping served with herbs, there will be a dish of rice vermicelli, grilled sliced porks and meatballs dipped in a bowl of fish sauce.

The sauce’s recipe, which holds the spirit of the whole dish, is diverse and have hundreds of edition. However, popularly, it is the harmonious mixture of fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, lime or kumquat juice, together with pickled papaya and carrot or so on. Customers can add pepper or ground garlic with chilli into the sauce, a little bit addition of spice will potentially boost the taste dramatically.

5. Nem Rán (Vietnamese Fried Spring Roll)

The Northern people call this Vietnamese fried spring roll as “Nem Rán” while the Southern ones call it Chả Ram or Chả Giò. It is really a must -try dish in Vietnam. According to a food blogger named Steph, Vietnamese spring rolls are something that he can never refuse eating, no matter how full he is.

Sure, there is a reason why this dish is regarding as one of best Vietnamese foods. In the past, it is often cooked to celebrate Vietnam’s festive days or honor the death anniversary in the country. However, nowadays, it is popularly cooked in daily meals of Vietnameses.

6. Bánh Cuốn – Perfect for Breakfast

Banh Cuon is a light savory dish, made from minced pork and mushroom wrapped by a thin sheet of steamed rice flour. The dish is often served with fried shallots as well as herbs, and, similar to Bun Cha, a bowl of special sauce.

7. Bún Bò Huế (Hue-style Beef Noodles)

Bun Bo Hue is, literally, the Beef Vermicelli cooked in Hue way. This dish is perfect for a super full meal.

This strong flavor, not surprisingly, goes perfectly with the toppings “pile”. Unlike Pho Bo, which is served merely with sliced meat, Bun Bo Nam Bo fulfills even the hungriest stomach with its various toppings: some slices of well-done beef, a part of a pig’s leg, blood pudding, meatballs, some kinds of spring rolls and, of course, a number of herbs. Trying this dish, visitors will be impressed by its unique flavor and certainly, will be able to discover more about various regions’ food identity in Vietnam

8. Cà Phê Trứng (Vietnamese Egg Coffee)

Sure, this is a drink, but it can also be a desert-a food! As it is named, Vietnamese Egg Coffee is made from two main ingredients: Vietnamese black coffee and egg cream. The Egg cream, made from egg and condensed milk, brings culinary enjoyers a strange feeling. It is sweet, it is airy, it is indescribable but it can be mixed so harmoniously with the black coffee. The two come together in the most surprising way, and, even more surprisingly, this combination rocks!

9. Mì Quảng (Quang Noodle)

Like Bun Bo Hue, Mi Quang (Quang Noodle) is noodles made in Quang way. This specific type of noodles has its origin from the central province of Quang Nam, Vietnam. Unlike other types of rice noodles, which often have a round appearance and white color, Quang Noodles impress tourists by their two signature features: the flat appearance as well as the specific yellow color.

First, about the noodles’ shape. Quang Noodle, in fact, are pieces of a rice flour layer. This layer is made so thin and then is cut into many small pieces, which are our amazing Quang Noodles (actually, the most appropriate width of these “pieces” should merely be 2 millimeters, such an impressive size!). Continuing with the yellow broth, similar to other broth in Vietnam, this broth is also made by boiling pork bones; however, to get its specific color, a bit of turmeric is added into the water. This interesting addition not only brings the broth a wonderful color but also promotes its strong flavor.

10. Bánh Xèo – so-called “Vietnamese Pancake”

The last in the top 10 adventure activities in Vietnam is cliff jumping in Nha Trang. The best place to jump is at Ba Ho Falls. A one-hour motorcycle ride from Nha Trang, you will find a beautiful and remote waterfall with clear water that begs to be jumped into. Like the jump itself, the walk to the jumping point is quite heavy and slippery so be safe and jump responsible!