Top 10 Food You Must Try In Vietnam
- Afrah F
- Aug 10
- 7 min read
Trying authentic food in every country is part of the travel experience, just like visiting grocery stores gives you a glimpse of the local life and what they shop for. In every destination we have travelled to, trying food has always been at the top of our bucket lists. While this adventure was easy for us in Turkey and Thailand, Vietnam was a bit of a challenge, as many dishes contained pork. Nevertheless, we conquered the local flavours, and here are the food you must try in Vietnam!
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How much does Food Cost in Vietnam?
You can get a basic Phở for about 50,000-100,000 VND, depending on the type of restaurant you go to. If you're going for a set menu meal, preferably a rice dish or meat dish, it could cost between 70,000 to 150,000 VND at a small restaurant. The cheapest power meal we found in Vietnam was Banh Mi, the infamous meat baguette. Most of which were around 30,000 VND.
Is there Halal food in Vietnam?
Yes, there are halal food options in Vietnam. We were surprised by how accommodating restaurant owners are when we say 'no pork'. Due to the high inflow of Malaysian and Indonesian travellers recently, many restaurants offer chicken options even for classic dishes like Bahn Mi.
What's the National Food in Vietnam?
There is no official National dish, but it's unanimously agreed to be Phở. You'll find Phở everywhere you go in Vietnam, and the flavours differ from region to region. The Southern Phở you find in Ho Chi Minh City is somewhat sweet and has a lot of spices and flavours, with a meaty broth. The Northern Phở in Hanoi is more savoury and bold, not overpowering, and comes with a clear broth. I prefer the Northern version from Hanoi; it's more soothing to the palate.
What is the Most Popular Food in Vietnam?
Phở is the most popular food in Vietnam, but you'd also find Banh Mi all around Vietnam at very affordable prices. In terms of Pho, we urge you to try all flavours to find your most suited bowl. In supermarkets, you can even find Phở soup cubes to take home as gifts.
How to avoid Food Poisoning in Vietnam?
The safest tip is to avoid tap water and cold beverages from street-side shops, and take a daily dose of Yakult so your stomach is prepared. You cannot avoid authentic local food, plus most come sizzling hot, so that eases your worries. We've heard that, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, the water sources are questionable, as many travellers have complained of Bali Belly incidents.
Top 10 Food You Must Try in Vietnam
This is a halal-friendly list of food you can try in Vietnam. As you'd know, most of these dishes are classically made with pork, but you can find chicken or beef variations quite easily. All you need to do is ask.
Firstly, the names of Vietnamese dishes can be confusing with the accents and similar syllables, but you can remember this simply as: Banh is usually something that can be easily eaten with hands or chopsticks. Com is rice, and Goi is generally a salad. Chicken is called Thit gaa. And Pork, Thit lon (pronounced as 'Lawn').
Secondly, I will not recommend restaurants unless I'm sure of their standards, because the best dishes come from roadside stores with low stools, hence I'll say which city is best for a particular dish.
Pho (pronounced as 'Fuh')
Where to try - Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
Pho is a unique broth made from beef or sometimes chicken, and served with rice noodles, spring onions and various other greens and herbs. Southern Pho has spices like cloves, star anise, cinnamon and more. It's a common halal Vietnamese food.
Banh Mi (pronounced as 'Bun me')
Where to try - Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City
Banh Mi is a French-influenced dish, a soft and crusty mini baguette sandwich. It comes with a meat filling placed in the middle along with slices of cucumber, carrots, daikon and herbs like coriander mixed in. Though the meat is generally pork, you can get clean and separated chicken or beef variations in places like Bánh Mì Phượng in Hoi An.
Com Tam (pronounced as 'Com thaam')
Where to try - Ho Chi Minh City
Com Tam is made with broken rice and is a core part of the Southern local diet, especially among the farming community in South and Central Vietnam. You can conveniently choose your protein pick from chicken, beef, or pork. And it comes with a salad, a fried egg and some pickle on the side.
Com Ga - Hainanese Chicken Rice (pronounced as 'Com gaa')
Where to try - Hoi An
Com Ga is the Vietnamese version of Hainanese Chicken Rice, famous in Hoi An and Da Nang. It's a simple yellow rice dish with turmeric, but it's packed with flavour, and comes with tender chicken and a delicious ginger, scallion sauce.
Banh Xeo (pronounced as 'Bun shio')
Where to try - Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An or Da Nang
Banh Xeo is a crispy savoury pancake, a famous street food in Southern Vietnam and certain Central parts too. The pancake is made with rice flour and coconut milk, and it's stuffed with shrimp and pork, along with herbs like bean sprouts. Of course, if you don't eat pork, you can request it to be made with only Shrimp, like we did when we were in Hoi An. Make sure you go to a good restaurant to try this, so they'll use separate utensils.
Banh Rieu (pronounced as 'Bun riu')
Where to try - Hanoi
It's once again a French-influenced crab noodle soup which originated in the North of Vietnam. Unlike the meaty broths used in Pho, Banh Rieu is made with a clear tomato soup and comes with rice vermicelli noodles, mixed in with herbs, minced crabs, crab cakes and sometimes snails (bún riêu ốc). It's quite comforting and packed with flavour.
Goi Cuon - Spring Rolls (pronounced as 'Joy kwun')
Where to try - Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnamese spring rolls are a must-try while you're here. It's nicely diced vegetables, shrimp, pork, and herbs, wrapped in translucent rice paper, served as an appetiser with a flavourful dipping sauce. As always, you can request your spring rolls to be made with only shrimp if you don't eat pork.
White Rose Dumplings in Hoi An
Where to try - Hoi An
It's a traditional and delicate appetiser dish, found only in Hoi An. It's also made by this one particular restaurant called 'White Rose'. The stuffing is somewhat similar to Goi Cuon, but the dumplings are shaped like blooming white roses. The authentic White Rose dumpling comes with a pork mixed filling, but other places in Hoi An also sell White Rose dumplings with just shrimp.
Source: Wikimedia Commons Ca Phe Dua - Coconut Coffee
Where to try - Anywhere in Vietnam (Hanoi is recommended)
Vietnamese Coffee is known for its strong aroma and bold taste, so we thought we'd try out the coconut version. We tried our first coconut coffee at the Cafe Apartment in Saigon, but it tasted like coconut ice cream. We tried again in Hanoi, and it was amazing, not too sweet, not too nutty. It's the most delicious plant-based milk coffee alternative for those who don't drink dairy.
Com Do (pronounced as 'Com door')
Where to find - Ho Chi Minh City
This is one dish that I commonly saw locals in Ho Chi Minh City eat. I couldn't find the name anywhere. It looked like pink rice. Com Do is Vietnamese Red Fried Rice, and a Southern favourite made with tomato paste. It's usually served with a protein like chicken and a cucumber salad on the side.
Where to find the Best Street Food in Vietnam?
Vietnam is a huge country; every region/city is known for its unique selection of food and street food. Here are the best places to find street food, broken down by regions.
Ho Chi Minh City: Ben Nghe Street Food and Ho Thi Ky Food Street.
Hoi An: There are no famous food streets in Hoi An, but you can find good restaurants on Tran Phu Street and food trucks beside the Thu Bon River at night.
Da Nang: Cho Con Market indoor street food stalls.
Hanoi: Ta Hien Street and Tong Duy Tan Street.
Top Fast Food in Vietnam
If you're the type of person who needs a bit of homely reassurance once in a while, with fast food, we get you. Here are the top fast food chains in Vietnam for when you're feeling the flavour blues once in a while.
KFC
McDonald's
Lotteria
Burger King
Jollibee
Popeyes
Dominos
Pizza Hut
Dominos
Texas Chicken
Subway
Out of these fast food chains, we were only able to try KFC and McDonald's, as we focused more on trying authentic food. KFC was worth it. We ordered the Teriyaki Rice, and the chicken was decent, too. McDonald's in Vietnam was somewhat of a letdown. It seemed there was little demand for it in Hanoi.
Final Thoughts
There you go! Our food experience in Vietnam, summarised into one article, so you can plan your food adventure easily. If you have any questions, ask away in the comments and we'll gladly respond!
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