Vietnam is quickly gaining recognition on the global tourism map, not only for its spectacular natural landscapes and rich cultural heritage but also for its exceptional cuisine. As the birthplace of wet rice culture, rice is a quintessential symbol and an indispensable part of daily life in Vietnam. From rice, countless delicious dishes are created, with noodles being a standout. The translucent, chewy texture of Vietnamese noodles has won over many, making them a favorite among visitors to the country.
1. Beef Pho (Phở Bò)
Vietnamese people often eat Phở for breakfast, and Beef Pho (Phở Bò) is made with various types of beef and cuts. The broth is made from beef bones, shin, tail, and neck, while toppings include thinly sliced brisket, ribs, sirloin, tripe, cooked and rare beef, tendon, or beef meatballs – a topping famous in Southern Vietnam. Dried spices like cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom, and coriander are added to the broth to enhance its aroma. Hot Phở is topped with cilantro, sliced onions, and chopped green onions. Diners can add bean sprouts, lime, and sliced chili peppers as desired.
2. Hue Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Bún Bò Huế)
Hue Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Bún Bò Huế) originated in Huế, the former capital of Vietnam, but you don’t have to go to Huế to enjoy it. This delicious noodle dish with its lemongrass-flavored broth has become popular across the country. The broth, simmered for hours with beef bones and seasoned with fermented shrimp paste, sugar, and spicy chili oil for flavor, is poured over rice noodles and topped with thin slices of beef, a piece of pork leg, cubes of congealed pig’s blood, and crab meat sausage that is mild, not salty or fishy. Bún Bò Huế is often served with mint leaves and homemade chili sauce. Take a sip of the broth, and you may realize that this is the best noodle soup you've ever had.
3. Tomato and Crab Noodle Soup (Bún Riêu Cua)
Tomato and Crab Noodle Sou (Bún Riêu) is a popular Vietnamese noodle soup served with round rice noodles in a tomato-based broth with various toppings such as fried tofu and congealed pig’s blood. The dish is typically enjoyed with fresh vegetables, most commonly water spinach, along with a squeeze of lime and fresh herbs. Traditionally, the broth is made from minced field crabs, where small crabs are crushed, shell and all, then mixed with water to allow the meat to float on top before straining to create the broth. However, modern and more Western versions often use a richer broth made from pork and/or chicken bones. One of the most distinctive seasonings in Bún Riêu is fermented shrimp paste. This extremely spicy condiment adds a unique salty umami flavor to the broth.
4. Grilled Pork Meatballs with Vermicelli Noodles (Bún Chả)
Grilled Pork Meatballs with Vermicelli Noodles (Bún Chả) is a Northern Vietnamese specialty originating from Hanoi, famous for its unique combination of flavors and textures. It is a refreshing and light dish consisting of grilled pork patties (chả), and sometimes thinly sliced pork belly and shrimp, served with round rice noodles (bún), pickled and fresh herbs, and a sweet dipping sauce made from fish sauce to bring all the flavors and textures together. How to eat Bún Chả – The idea is to use the dipping sauce to coat the noodles, herbs, and greens. So, you dip, slurp the noodles, bite into the juicy pork, try to stuff in a few sprigs of herbs – and the moment you succeed, when you have a bite with a little bit of everything...
5. Nam Vang Noodle Soup (Hủ Tiếu Nam Vàng)
Nam Vang Noodle Soup (Hủ Tiếu Nam Vàng), a popular breakfast dish in Southern Vietnam, originated from Cambodia in the 1960s. This dish includes Vietnamese rice noodles, offal, quail eggs, shrimp, and optional fillings like pork, squid, wontons, and a variety of other seasonings. Featured in the American reality TV show Master Chef in 2013, Gordon Ramsay expressed his admiration for Hủ Tiếu.
6. Rice Vermicelli Noodles with Fried Tofu and Fermented Shrimp Paste (Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm)
Rice Vermicelli Noodles with Fried Tofu and Fermented Shrimp Paste (Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm) is famous in Hanoi, known for its pungent fermented shrimp paste, which is mixed with a few drops of lime or kumquat juice for dipping. The rice noodles, fried tofu, and other accompaniments are served separately, along with a heap of fresh greens. A Northern dish best known as a street food sold by many vendors.
7. Southern Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad (Bún Bò Nam Bộ)
Southern Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad (Bún Bò Nam Bộ) is a traditional Vietnamese dish. The name holds the key to its basic ingredients and location – "bún" means noodles, "bò" means beef, and "Nam Bộ" refers to the southern part of the country. The main ingredients include beef, rice noodles, garlic, fresh herbs (cilantro, mint), and vegetables (carrots, cucumber, lettuce, bean sprouts), while roasted peanuts and fried shallots are entirely optional. The noodles, vegetables, and herbs are layered in a bowl, while the beef is stir-fried and added on top. The entire bowl is garnished with peanuts and fried shallots before the dish is served.
8. Mule Duck Noodle Soup (Bún Ngan)
The ingredients are simple: mule duck, vermicelli or rice noodles, fresh bamboo shoots, mint, green onions, fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, garlic and chili. The duck is cleaned, boiled, drained and then cut into pieces.
The tender and juicy pieces of meat are placed on top of the vermicelli. The broth is clear, without foam or strange smells and has the natural pleasant flavor of duck meat. The vermicelli or rice noodles are blanched until tender but not easily crushed or too dry.
The dipping sauce with a large amount of minced garlic has a combination of sour and spicy flavors. An alternative is soy sauce with garlic and chili.
9. Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Bún Thang)
When people think of Vietnamese noodles, Phở and Bún Bò Huế (Vietnamese beef and spicy pork noodle soup) are usually the first dishes that come to mind. However, in Vietnam, we have many other delicious noodle dishes, one of which is "Bún Thang". Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Bún Thang) is a delicate Northern Vietnamese noodle soup with layers of flavor and fragrant toppings. It is a must-try dish for anyone wanting to explore the true flavors of Hanoi cuisine. Bún Thang includes rice noodles, a broth made from chicken, dried shrimp, and dried shiitake mushrooms, and a variety of toppings including shredded chicken, thinly sliced ham, thin egg pancakes, shrimp floss, and fresh herbs.
10. Quang-Styled Noodles (Mì Quảng)
This classic Vietnamese dish features a combination of rice noodles and yellow egg noodles, served with a small amount of rich meat broth and fresh, crispy vegetables along with herbs like banana blossom, lettuce, cilantro, scallions, and Vietnamese coriander. The dish is highly versatile and often comes with pork belly, chicken, shrimp, fish, boiled eggs, roasted peanuts, and crispy rice crackers. Although originating from Central Vietnam, specifically Quảng Nam province, Quang-Styled Noodles (Mì Quảng) is now enjoyed all over the country.
11. Roasted Pork with Cao Lau Noodles (Cao Lầu)
Roasted Pork with Cao Lau Noodles (Cao Lầu) is a specialty dish of Hội An, consisting of noodles made from fresh rice grown locally, alkaline water made from the ashes of local trees, and water from the local Ba Lê well. Along with steamed rice noodles, a bowl of cao lầu also includes thinly sliced roasted pork (char siu), fresh greens, bean sprouts, toasted bread made from the same ingredients as the noodles, and just a touch of rich broth.
The origin of this dish is unclear; while some believe it is inspired by Chinese cuisine, others argue it was modeled after Japanese culinary traditions. Regardless of its origins, cao lầu remains a unique delicacy that cannot be found outside of Hội An.
12. Pork Ribs with Rice Noodle-Taro Soup (Bún Sườn Dọc Mùng)
A popular breakfast and lunch dish in Hanoi, Pork Ribs with Rice Noodle-Taro Soup (Bún Sườn Dọc Mùng) features pork ribs simmered with turmeric, creating a sweet and lightly colored broth. The dish includes ribs, pork hock, sliced pork, pork meatballs, and mushrooms, along with sliced elephant ear stalks. Lemon juice, fish sauce, and chili sauce add layers of flavor to this beloved dish.
13. Fried Fish Noodle Soup (Bún Cá)
Though Fried Fish Noodle Soup (Bún Cá) is not as well-known internationally as phở or spring rolls, it holds a special place in the hearts of many Vietnamese diners. This dish is truly one of the symbols of Hanoi's fantastic culinary culture, combining an enticing mix of vegetables, spices, fish, and noodles.
As the name suggests, the main ingredients of bún cá are rice vermicelli noodles (bún) and fish (cá). It may sound quite simple, right? Widely consumed in Vietnam, rice vermicelli is made from rice and is round and thin.
Naturally, the toppings for bún cá are made from fish. Typically, these include crispy fried catfish, steamed fish, and fish cakes. But if you don't like any of these toppings, you can always request a substitute.
14. Vietnamese Thick Noodle Soup (Bánh Canh)
Thick noodles are made from tapioca flour or rice flour, while the broth is prepared from various ingredients such as pork hocks, snakehead fish, and crab. You'll find the broth is thicker than that of other Vietnamese noodles, and the noodles are chewier. The broth is more like a sauce than a soup. The broth is usually made from pork bones or sometimes chicken bones.
This dish is a signature street food of southern Vietnam. You can find bánh canh on almost any street corner in Ho Chi Minh City.
15. Red Noodle Soup with Crab (Bánh Đa Cua)
This colorful noodle soup is a local specialty originating from Hải Phòng. It includes a pork broth topped with various ingredients such as crab meat, fresh herbs, chả lụa (Vietnamese pork sausage), or minced meat wrapped in lá lốt (wild betel leaves).
The ingredients may vary, but each bowl must include a portion of locally made noodles (bánh đa) with a distinctive light red color. Lime wedges, lettuce, perilla leaves, or sliced chilies are often served alongside.
16. Fermented Fish Noodle Soup (Bún Mắm)
Fermented Fish Noodle Soup (Bún Mắm) is a traditional Vietnamese dish originating from Sóc Trăng province. The dish consists of rice vermicelli noodles, a cloudy, salty, and fermented fish sauce broth flavored with fish, squid, shrimp, catfish, eggplant (to soak up the broth), fish cakes, and grilled pork belly.
Some of the most important ingredients include fresh herbs such as bitter herbs, bean sprouts, chives, banana blossom, keo nò, rau nhựt, and water spinach. The aroma of bún mắm is very rich and often pungent.
17. Chicken Pho (Phở Gà)
In addition to Beef Phở, Vietnamese Phở is also made with chicken. The broth in chicken phở is lighter and clearer than in beef phở. Diners can order chicken phở with different cuts of meat, such as white breast meat, dark meat, fatty skin-on meat, or lean breast meat slices. Other ingredients commonly used in chicken phở include ginger, fish sauce, rice noodles, shallots, green onions, and cilantro. Garnishes include lime, mint, sliced chilies, bean sprouts, and basil leaves.
18. Grilled Pork and Rice Vermicelli (Bún Thịt Nướng)
This dish could be considered the brother of Hanoi's bún chả. A bowl of bún thịt nướng includes grilled marinated pork, rice vermicelli noodles, fresh greens, and herbs. Diners will drizzle dipping sauce—a fish sauce usually enriched with lemon or lime juice, water, and sugar—over the Grilled Pork and Rice Vermicelli (Bún Thịt Nướng) before enjoying it.
In addition to pork, this dish can sometimes be altered with different meats and seafood, or in a vegetarian version with tofu and vegetables.
19. Eel Glass Noodle Soup (Miến Lươn)
The main ingredient of this dish is eel. Choosing the right eel for a delicious dish is quite challenging and requires experience. High-quality eels are small, called "lươn cốm," firm, fat, and still fresh. The eel has a pink-brown back and a yellow belly. In addition to the main ingredient, banana flower and noodles are other important components. The banana flower must be fresh and ripe. The noodles must be made from high-quality eel, which are small, pure strands.
20. Crab Meat and Glass Noodle Stir-Fry (Miến Xào Cua)
Crab Meat and Glass Noodle Stir-Fry (Miến Xào Cua) is a traditional Vietnamese dish consisting of stir-fried glass noodles and crab meat. Other ingredients commonly used in the dish include wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and bean sprouts. The ingredients are stir-fried in a large pan and then mixed with lemon juice, minced garlic, sugar, water, and fish sauce.
Once finished, the stir-fried noodles with crab are garnished with chopped green onions and cilantro before serving. This traditional dish is often found in restaurants but is also prepared at home for special occasions.
Source: Vietnam Tourism