A short guide to the Vietnamese dishes worth ordering, what each one is, and where to find restaurants that serve it.
Vietnamese cooking balances salty, sweet, sour and spicy flavors, and leans on fresh herbs, rice and noodles. These twelve dishes are a good way in, whether you are ordering for the first time or looking for something new.
Rice noodles in a slow-simmered, spiced beef or chicken broth with sliced meat and fresh herbs. Order pho tai (rare steak) or a combination bowl if it is your first time.
Find Pho restaurants →A spicy beef noodle soup from Hue with a lemongrass and chili broth and thick round noodles. A good next step if you like pho and want more heat.
Find Bun Bo Hue restaurants →A crisp baguette sandwich with grilled pork or cold cuts, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro and chili. Cheap, portable and filling.
Find Banh Mi restaurants →Fresh rice-paper rolls (goi cuon) with shrimp, herbs and vermicelli, or crispy fried rolls (cha gio) with a pork filling, both served with a dipping sauce.
Find Spring Rolls restaurants →Broken rice served with a grilled pork chop, often with a fried egg, shredded pork skin and pickled vegetables. A staple of southern Vietnam.
Find Com Tam restaurants →A Hanoi specialty of grilled pork patties and pork belly in a sweet-sour broth, eaten with rice vermicelli and a big plate of herbs.
Find Bun Cha restaurants →A crisp turmeric-colored crepe filled with pork, shrimp and bean sprouts. Tear off a piece, wrap it in lettuce and herbs and dip it in sauce.
Find Banh Xeo restaurants →A cold noodle bowl with grilled pork, rice vermicelli, lettuce, herbs, peanuts and nuoc cham dressing. Light, fresh and satisfying.
A noodle dish from Hoi An with thick, chewy noodles, slices of roast pork and greens, served with little broth.
Find Cao Lau restaurants →Soft steamed rice-flour rolls filled with seasoned pork and mushrooms, usually served with herbs, fried shallots and dipping sauce.
Find Banh Cuon restaurants →Vietnamese iced coffee: strong drip coffee poured over sweetened condensed milk and ice. Rich, sweet and very strong.
Find Ca Phe Sua Da restaurants →A family of sweet dessert soups and puddings made with beans, jelly, fruit and coconut milk, served warm or over ice.
Pho and banh mi are the two Vietnamese dishes best known outside Vietnam, followed by fresh spring rolls (goi cuon) and rice plates such as com tam.
Pho, banh mi, fresh spring rolls and a rice plate with grilled pork (com tam) are all approachable first dishes.
Many Vietnamese dishes are built around rice or noodles, herbs, vegetables and lean protein, though fried dishes, sweet drinks and desserts are richer.
Bun bo Hue is one of the spiciest well-known dishes, though most Vietnamese food is served with chili on the side so you can control the heat.
