The Must-Try Street Food When in Vietnam

Streets filled with the most tantalizing aromas, rickety food carts, plastic stools and an enchanting smoke, that is what makes me want to visit Vietnam again and again.

Vietnamese cuisine is the heart of the nation’s culture. Particularly, people of the country are proud of their street food which is full of intense flavour.

While there are fine-dining versions of every dish, honestly nothing can beat Vietnamese street food. That is what you must experience as a traveller to the country.

These are the must-try street food when in Vietnam and my personal favourites. You can visit any street in Hanoi and you will find number of vendors selling everything that you could ask for and more.

My Favourite Must-Try Street Food in Vietnam

Phở – Vietnamese soup with rice noodles and meat

I just have to start with Phở. If you know anything at all about Vietnamese cuisine, then you have heard about Phở.

It is a Vietnamese soup the contains rice noodles, either beef or chicken, lots of herbs, fish sauce and a number of other local aromatics.

Phở is in fact Vietnam’s national dish and hence a must-try. To me, Phở showcases Vietnamese cuisine beautifully and it is a great starting point for tourists. While the taste is punchy and aromatic, it is not overwhelming and has a subtlety to it that foodies really appreciate.

Traditional Phở is served with beef but you can find vendors providing not just chicken but other choices as well if you look around.

Bánh mì – Vietnamese sandwich or filled baguette

I love a good sandwich (who doesn’t) and Bánh mì has turned out to be one of my favourite sandwiches that I can eat over and over again.

It is like a sub or even a roll that has a number of fillings and of course incredible sauces.

Typically, a Bánh mì is filled with pork or other meats, herbs dominated by coriander or cilantro, pickled vegetables, a creamy, buttery mayo, red chilly paste and also French pâté.

However, being a sandwich, depending upon the vendor, you could have a number of variations, each one as good as the other.

Bún chả – Grilled pork and rice noodles

Bún chả originated in Hanoi and is one of the city’s go-to comfort meals. It is served with grilled pork, white rice noodles and a super aromatic dipping sauce. Of course, just like everything in Vietnam, it has a number of herbs and aromatics that lend a wonderful fresh taste to the whole dish.

Bún chả is mainly popular in Hanoi and you can find slight variations of the dish as you travel across Vietnam.

Bánh Tráng Trộn – Rice Paper Salad

Bánh Tráng Trộn is an interesting dish and its taste as well as texture is quite unique to Vietnam.

Bánh Tráng is simply rice paper that is made out of dried rice batter. It is used in various dishes in Vietnam including the famous Vietnamese rolls.

Bánh Tráng Trộn is rice paper that is often crispy along with tart green mango, herbs such as mint and basil, lots of meat such as beef, pork or even seafood along with sweet and sour sauces.

The protein in Bánh Tráng Trộn is often dried and hence you will not find it to be like the typical salad we are used to. This is a unique dish and if you want to try something different, this is for you.

Gỏi cuốn – Vietnamese Rice Paper Spring Rolls

Gỏi cuốn is perhaps one of the most popular Vietnamese dishes world over. However, most of the world simply knows it as rice paper rolls.

Traditionally, it is rice paper rolls that is stuffed with pork, prawns, coriander, vegetables that are often pickled and other local aromatics. It is served with a sweet, tangy and spicy dipping sauce that is a mixture of a number of sauces along with the mandatory fish sauce.

Vietnamese rice paper rolls are often soft from the outside and not crispy like Chinese spring rolls. However, you can find versions of the dish that are crispy and most cooks experiment with the fillings just like any other spring roll. For most people, it is the traditional dipping sauce that makes Gỏi cuốn completely irresistible.

Bánh Tráng Nướng – Vietnamese Pizza

Bánh Tráng Nướng is referred to as Vietnamese pizza that has grilled rice paper as the base.

This is not a typical traditional Vietnamese dish but has become immensely popular among the youth in the country.

Sold mainly with other street food, Bánh Tráng Nướng contains grilled rice paper base topped with anything from minced pork, quail’s eggs, seafood, various veggies, herbs along with chilly sauce and mayo.

The way Bánh Tráng Nướng is made, it almost feels like a barbecue dish that can be folded as well to eat on the go.

Bánh xèo – Vietnamese Savoury Pancakes

Bánh xèo is a stuffed crispy rice pancake. It essentially consists of a Vietnamese crêpe made out of rice flour and turmeric and stuffing that is often pork or prawns with various veggies, herbs, mung beans and sauces.

You do get variations of the dish as you travel across Vietnam but the overall essence remains the same.

Vendors often have their own versions for the crêpe batter or go crazy on the stuffing you can get.

Whatever the variation, it does taste great and makes for a nice, quick meal.

Bún bò Huế – Spicy Beef Noodle Soup

Bún bò Huế is a beautifully aromatic as well as spicy soup containing sliced beef, rice noodles, pork sausages, lemongrass and various other herbs and spices.

This is a dish that has layers of taste and texture that originated in the city of Huế in central Vietnam.

While some may confuse Bún bò Huế with the immensely popular Vietnamese Phở, the two dishes are in fact quite different. The main differences are that firstly Phở is made using beef stock while Bún bò Huế is traditionally made with pork stock or broth. Second, Phở is subtle in taste while Bún bò Huế is much spicier and has a salty, umami flavour to it.

If confused, just try both. They will satisfy your need for the best Vietnamese street food that is packed with flavours unique to this Southeast Asian nation.

Final thoughts

Vietnamese street food packs a real punch and is often sweet, sour and spicy. It is mainly a meat and seafood based cuisine so vegetarians or vegans need to be careful when ordering as even the condiments and veggie broths contain loads of fish sauce.

Street food in Vietnam is such an integral part of the culture that tourists to the nation absolutely must indulge in all the delectable goodies you can find and eat to your heart’s content.