Flavours of Vietnam: Finding the Best Eats and Street Treats

From Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, restaurants and cafes to the street, Vietnam has exotic, tasty food for a quarter of the price you’d pay in Australia.

Unfortunately many tourists are reluctant to try the most authentic dishes in fear of spending their holiday hunched over a bucket.

But not being afraid to immerse yourself in the culture and try traditional flavours will be the difference between unforgettable food, and missed opportunities.

Whether you’re a first time tourist or an experienced traveller, knowing where and what to eat in Vietnam is essential in creating the perfect exotic escape.

Avoid the common tourist trap of sticking to western food but start at local restaurants before delving into street foods flavours.

Navigating food from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi

From the spicy curries in the south, to bustling street cafes in the north, you won’t have to look far to find great food, but each city in Vietnam has different strengths.

South Vietnam’s warmer climate means more tropical fruits. Spices are rich in central Vietnam and seafood is more popular in the north.

For traveller Anna Ditchburn, who explored from South to North Vietnam, the former harbour town and popular tourist destination Hoi An was the place to eat, featuring a mix of local and western infused menus.

“They have an abundance of lovely restaurants and use a lot of fresh seafood,” she said.

While Jenni Zierk, who travelled and studied in Vietnam, loved the variety in the north.

“Hoi An had excellent food but was pricey, Ho Chi Minh City had amazing street variety but not great restaurants. Hanoi was my favourite because it had a good mix of both,” Zierk said.

Take in the overwhelming scents of herb infused broths and slow-roasted meats in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi and try the infamous boiled meat, herb and noodle soup ‘pho’ said to have originated there.

“I love its saltiness and the contrast with the tangy coriander and spicy sauce”, Ditchburn said.

First-time visitor to Vietnam, Elizabeth Daff, used Hanoi as a base for her travels and describes North Vietnamese food as “full of flavour, meaty, warm, filling and delicious.”

For an authentic experience, jump in the hustle and bustle of Old Quarter in Hanoi, try a cooking class and get your hands dirty collecting fresh meat and veg straight from the markets before cooking.

“It was different to see the market as a participant instead of an observer,” Ditchburn said. “It was pretty confronting to see the fish we were going to cook killed in front of our faces, but I think it’s a really important thing to learn about.”

Tofu-stuffed eggplant, known as ‘cat timnhoidauhu’ served for lunch in Hanoi

Best Restaurant Eats

Wherever you are in Vietnam, there will be an overwhelming choice of local restaurants and cafes to taste and learn the local cuisine, but it can be difficult to decipher Vietnamese menus full of unfamiliar names.

Start with vegetable, herb, seafood or pork-stuffed rice-paper rolls, ‘goicuon’- the crisp crunch and fresh flavours make them a crowd favourite for tourists.

“Fresh spring rolls seem more quintessentially Vietnamese than the fried ones,” Ditchburn said. “They’re so fresh and full of flavour.”

Whether your preference is pork, fish, or veg, order a clay pot at least once. Food is stewed in the pot, keeping moisture and creating a tenderness that will melt in your mouth.

Daff’s favourite meal was ‘bun cha’, “made up of soft vermicelli noodles, fried pork belly, delicious sweet pork meatballs and a bowl of sweet and sour clear soup”.

Some tourists opt for western meals instead of these local dishes, but this food is rarely as good as it is in Australia, and likewise, Vietnamese food is never quite as flavoursome and authentic back home.

“You should eat Vietnamese food because you’re in Vietnam, as obvious as that sounds”, Zierk said. “If you’re craving western food, try something French-inspired like pastries or bread.”

As a former French colony from 1887-1954, the French influence in Vietnam sets its food apart from other South-East Asian cuisine.

Try ‘banh pate so’, a pork or beef filled flaky pastry, or ‘ca phetrung’, a Vietnamese sweet custard-like coffee made with egg, sugar and condensed milk which both Zierk and Daff enthusiastically indorse.

Fruit lovers will be in heaven in Vietnam, with constant access to rich tropical fruit like soft and juicy papaya. You won’t have to walk far to find a refreshing iced coconut juice or perfectly peeled mango.

Be captivated by the bright pink and green dragon fruit and discover its subtle melon and kiwi fruit flavour either fresh or blended with ice and sugar at one of the many smoothie bars. 

Freshly cut dragon fruit and mango served for dessert at a restaurant in Hanoi

Street Treats

You’ll hear a lot of advice to stick to restaurants and avoid street food, especially from people who have never been to Vietnam, or who had a nasty food bug.

But steering clear of street food could be your biggest dining mistake.

Whether it’s a cart of ‘banh mi’ (baguette with meat, vegetables, coriander and sweet sauce), locals carrying baskets of ‘banhtieu’ (fried hollow donut) or a $1 noodle stand outside your hotel, some of Vietnam’s most enticing dishes are right in front of you.

“I like trying the weirdest food on the street,” Zierk said. “I tried ‘chendol’, which is a sweetened condensed milk drink with noodles, jelly and beans. You get all the different textures- like an extreme bubble tea.”

There’s plenty of options for the adventurous, like the delicacy ‘balut’, a fertilised duck egg matured and boiled that Ditchburn describes as like eating “meaty egg”.

But these unusual dishes are not for everyone- noodle based stir-fries are a safe option and the fried banana pancakes common in Hoi An area hit among tourists.

“Every street food is different. Nothing tastes the same. You could have terrible pho one day then the best pho you’ve had in your life the next,” Zierk said.

Street food is great if you’re on the go, saving money or want a break from café-style dining; and unless you’re unlucky, Ditchburn explains, food poisoning is not on the menu.

“I was quite hesitant at first, but the only problem I had with food poisoning was from a hotel,” she said. “If you can see the person preparing it hot in front of you, it’s probably good. It’s food that’s been sitting out and salads or juices with un-treated water that can cause problems,” Ditchburn added.

Observe how busy a street stall is. If the locals are avoiding one but lining up at another, play it safe and wait at the latter.

Try a walking street food tour in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to learn the safest and tastiest stalls from a local.

“It built our confidence in eating street food on our own, because we had a better idea of what to get from where”, Daff said.

Balot served at a street market in Old Quarter, Hanoi

There’s nothing worse than seeing tourists in Vietnam spending their time in a pristine westernised restaurant wondering why the dirty footpath-café outside is attracting so much more attention.

If you’re unsure about a dish, ask, and be aware of what you eat so if something doesn’t sit right you won’t make a mistake twice.

Wherever your travels take you in Vietnam, take advantage of the huge variety of food and don’t be afraid to try something completely unknown- it might just be what you remember most from your trip.