Vietnamese Food

As Vietnam is a very big and long country, the food is as well very different depending on the region you are as different spices are used. In northern Vietnam, closer to China, people usually add pepper to their dishes instad of chilies, more vinegar instad of lime and more soy sauce instead of fish sauce. In the South, the cuisine is more influenced by South East Asian countries and uses more spicy ingredients, limes and also coconut milk. Central Vietnam, in the middle, combines the best of both and especially Hoi An is known as a food mecca - and we can only confirm that!

Please find below a short overwiev of what you will typically find on a Vietnamese menu.

Pho Bo (Beef Noodle Soup)

One of the well-known classics in Vietnamese cuisine, this soup is usually eaten for breakfast here. It is actually a very simple, but tasty dish. The hearty beef broth is cooking with many sweet and savoury spices for many hours. Just before serving you add rice noodles, fresh bean sprouts and thinly cut slices of raw beef into a bowl and pour the hot soup over it. To add more flavour, a variety of fresh herbs can be added upon your individual taste: Thai basil, coriander, mint, chilies and lime.

The classic soup is with beef, but is also available with chicken (pho ga). One of Moni's favourite dishes!

Goi Cuon (Fresh Springrolls)

A very healthy and fresh starter, the all-time classic you can find pretty much everywhere in Vietnam (though originating in southern Vietnam) is a rice paper that is quickly soaked in water to become more soft. Then different ingredients are added up according individual tase, but usually it is lettuce, fresh herbs (Thai basil, coriander, mint), raw pickled veggies (cucumber, carrots, bell peppers) and a choice of either tofu, pork or shrimps. This is rolled up and dipped into a sour-salty sauce consisting of lime juice, fish sauce and usually some chilies and garlic. Super tasty!!

Of course, you do also find fried springrolls in Vietnam, mainly in the north which contains more or less similar ingredients and the spring roll is then dipped into boiling oil to get crispy.

Banh Xeo (Savoury Rice Pancakes)

Another very traditional dish, these are pancakes made from rice flour with some tumeric (curcuma) powder to add the yellow colour. Usually Vietnamese people fry these pancakes with shrimp and/or pork and fresh bean sprouts in the pan, as soon as they are crispy the are folded and... wrapped into rice paper with fresh ingredients. As a dip you usually find either a peanut sauce or the common sour-salty dip used for springrolls.

Freshly prepared and really crispy, this dish is heavenly and one of Alex' favourites. This is why he chose to prepare it during our cooking class in Hoi An and honestly speaking: those were the best Banh Xheo we had in Vietnam! Well done, Alex!

Bun Cha (BBQ Pork with Rice Vermicelli)

This dish is a northern specialty, coming from Hanoi area. "Bun" means rice vermicelli (noodles) and "cha" are barbecued pork meat balls. You find it a lot in the street food scene of Hanoi and it was there that we also tasted it. Traditionally, you receive a plate with rice vermicelli, a plate with fresh salad and the usual herbs and a bowl with a sauce that consists of water, lime, vinegar, fish sauce, a bit of sugar and chilies. To this sauce, some sliced raw carrots and papaya are added as well as slices of pork belly and the meatballs from the charcoal grill. The smoky aromas of the grilled meat mix very well with the sweet-sour sauce and then you add again noodles and fresh greens to your bowl as you want it. A very good local dish that perfectly combines different flavours.

Throughout the country you will find similar dishes with bun and other meat types: bun bo (beef), bun ga (chicken), bun hen (clams), etc.

Banh Mi (Filled Baguette)

Some heritage from the French colonisation in Vietnam, the Vietnamese incorporated the French baguette into their kitchen. Instead of adding ham and cheese though, they fill the baguettes with their own set of local ingredients: salad and fresh herbs, pickled veggies, barbecued pork meat and/or pork paté and a spicy chili sauce.

You will find differnt style baguettes everywhere, but the one we tried in Hoi An was so delicious you just want to eat another one straight away.

A very good and tasty option for a quick lunch.

Ca Phe (Coffee)

Another heritage from the French, Vietnam has an extensive coffee culture.

They usually have a metal filter with grounded coffee which they put on a glass and pour hot water in it so the coffee soaks through into the glass. Vietnamese coffee is by nature very strong and as they do not really have fresh dairy products, they usually add condensed milk for a brown coffee. The condensed milk also adds sweetness and you do not really need sugar. Typical Vietnamese coffee can be enjoyed hot or on ice (our prefered option in this heat).

Apart from that, they have some more or less strange coffee creations like coffee with yoghurt (nothing extraordinary, but not bad) or coffee with a whipped egg white (not really our cup of tea as you can really taste the egg flavour).

And of course you can have coffee with fresh coconut milk (very delicious and refreshing on ice) or even with coconut ice cream!

For people who like coffee, Vietnam is a good change next to countries that mainly serve Nescafé ;).

Others

This is only a small excerpt from a Vietnamese menu, there are tons of other dishes like fried noodles, fried rice, stir fried vegetables, barbecued meat in all varieties, pork belly stew, different style curries and fresh papaya or green mango salads.

On top, each region has their own speciality dishes such as Cao Lau in Hoi An (Cao Lau noodles only prepared by 3 families in Hoi An with pork and a gravy), fried wontons and White Rose (dumplings with pork or shrimp filling and a dip), also from Hoi An or Bun Bo Hue, a spicy beef noodle soup coming from Hue.

Drinks include some local beer such as Saigon beer, Hanoi beer or Larue. Those who like fresh fruits will feel like in paradise as you get all sorts of fresh fruit juices around the country (pineapple, water melon, mango, passion fruit, papaya, dragon fruit, orange, guave,...).

We hope you were not hungry when reading this article. Only by writing it, we get appetite again and are a bit sad we have to leave Vietnam soon. We never got sick of eating local food here due to the great variety, the freshness and various local specialities. The food alone makes Vietnam worth a visit!!!

Bon appétit, Mahlzeit und en guete!

Moni & Alex