41 articles
Ruou can is a fermented rice wine shared through cane tubes from a single earthenware jar—a ritual drink of Vietnam's ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands and Northwest, where hospitality and community are sipped together.
Ruou nep is a mildly alcoholic pudding or drink made from fermented glutinous rice, particularly beloved in northern Vietnam. Learn how it's made, its regional varieties, and where to find it.
Sugarcane juice, or "nuoc mia," is the sound and smell of every Vietnamese street. Fresh stalks crushed through a motorized press, poured over ice, sometimes with a squeeze of kumquat—it's one of the cheapest, most refreshing drinks you'll find, available everywhere from Hanoi's Old Quarter to a rural roadside stall.
From thousand-year-old trees to delicate lotus-scented leaves, Vietnamese tea reflects centuries of tradition. Learn where to find the best teas, how to brew them, and why green tea dominates the culture.
Lotus tea takes many forms in Vietnam—from flower-scented green tea to seed brews and root infusions. Each preparation honors the lotus plant's delicate flavors and deep cultural roots.
"Ca phe sua da" — Vietnamese iced coffee — is built on three pillars: dark robusta beans, a metal phin filter, and sweetened condensed milk. Learn how to brew it and explore nine regional variations from egg coffee to salt coffee.
Bia hoi—fresh draught beer brewed daily and served ice-cold on Hanoi sidewalks—costs 10,000-15,000 VND a glass. It's the social glue of northern Vietnam's street culture, and it tastes even better when you understand what you're drinking.
Nom (also called goi in the south) are Vietnam's indigenous salads—fresh, crunchy, and balanced with sweet, sour, salty, and spicy notes. Far more than side dishes, they showcase the country's culinary philosophy in a single bowl.
Banh da lon—literally "pig skin cake," though it contains no pork—is a Southern Vietnamese dessert of thin, colorful steamed layers filled with mung bean, taro, or durian. Find it at local markets and dessert stalls across Ho Chi Minh City.
Che is Vietnam's catch-all term for sweet soups, puddings, and cold desserts made from beans, tapioca, jellies, fruits, and coconut cream. From black bean "che" sold by street vendors to elaborate multi-ingredient versions, these treats span centuries of regional variation.
Mam nem is a raw, intensely pungent fermented fish sauce found throughout Central Vietnam—thicker and far more assertive than nuoc mam. Learn how it's made, how to prepare it as a dipping sauce, and where to find it.
Bun mam is a pungent, umami-rich vermicelli soup from the Mekong Delta, made with fermented fish paste. The intense broth balances with fresh herbs and seafood for a complex eating experience.
Banh beo, or "water fern cakes," is a steamed rice and tapioca cake from Hue that's topped with shrimp, pork, or mung bean depending on the region. A Central Vietnamese snack that's become a beloved casual meal.
Nem nuong is a charcoal-grilled pork sausage from Khanh Hoa Province, built around juicy ground pork, shallots, and fish sauce. It's served with fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, and a complex dipping sauce that makes or breaks the dish.
"Banh bot loc" are chewy, translucent tapioca dumplings filled with shrimp and pork, a signature dish from Hue. Learn how they're made, the difference between wrapped and bare versions, and where to eat them across Vietnam.
For over 150 years, the original Cha Ca La Vong restaurant has served only one dish: turmeric-marinated grilled catfish over charcoal, at communal tables in Hanoi's Old Quarter. A singular obsession that earned it global recognition.
A tangy, tomato-based broth with minced freshwater crab, "bun rieu" is a Vietnamese summer staple. Here's what makes this complex soup worth mastering—and where to eat it.
Vietnamese cooking balances five fundamental tastes—sweet, salty, bitter, sour, spicy—through fresh herbs, minimal oil, and centuries of cultural exchange with China, France, and Southeast Asia. Each region, from northern Hanoi to central Hue to the Mekong Delta, develops distinct flavor profiles shaped by climate and trade.
Celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, Tet Doan Ngo marks Vietnam's summer solstice festival. Learn the traditional foods, spiritual roots, and modern celebrations that make this mid-year festival unique.
"Hu tieu" is the south's answer to "pho" — a bowlful of chewy noodles, pork bone broth spiked with dried shrimp, and a customizable heap of meat and organ that tastes better than it sounds. Here's what you need to order.
"Banh chung", the square sticky rice cake wrapped in green leaves, is the centerpiece of every Vietnamese "Tet" table. Here's what goes into it and how to eat it.
Tangy, garlicky, wrapped in banana leaves — "nem chua" is Vietnam's answer to salami. Here's what it is, where to find the best versions, and how to eat it without looking lost.
"Ca phe trung" layers frothy whisked egg yolk over dark robusta. Born from a milk shortage, it's now Hanoi's signature coffee drink—served hot or iced, often in a bowl of warm water.
Thick, chewy noodles in pork-shrimp broth — "banh canh" started in the south and spread nationwide. Here's what changes city to city, and why Trang Bang's version became a brand.
Thick yellow noodles, char siu pork, shrimp, herbs, almost no broth — and you can only get the real thing in Hoi An. Here's why "cao lau" is worth the trip.
Thick rice noodles, minimal broth, nine fresh herbs, roasted peanuts, sesame crackers. "Mi Quang" from Quang Nam province is nothing like "pho" — and that's the point.
From Thanh Tri's translucent sheets to Lang Son's egg-yolk surprise, "banh cuon" changes dramatically across Vietnam. Here's what makes each regional style worth tracking down.
"Cha gio"—golden, crackling spring rolls stuffed with pork, mushrooms, and glass noodles—is Vietnam's most essential fried snack. Here's how to order, what to dip, and why the wrapper matters.
Rice paper, herbs, protein, dipping sauce — the formula is simple. What's inside changes every 100 kilometers. Here's how "goi cuon" works across Vietnam's three regions.
Saigon's signature broken rice plate started as dockworker fuel at the Binh Dong wharf. Now it's a round-the-clock staple from sidewalk stalls to hotel restaurants, recognized by CNN and the Asia Book of Records.
Crispy, turmeric-yellow, stuffed with shrimp and pork — "banh xeo" changes dramatically from north to south. Here's what to expect in Hue, the Mekong Delta, and beyond.
The real version has pork hock and beef shank, not rare beef. The broth gets its punch from lemongrass and fermented shrimp paste, and locals skip the herb pile.
Vietnam took the French baguette, hollowed it out, stuffed it with pate and pickled vegetables, and created one of the world's best sandwiches. Here's how it happened.
Rice noodles, bone broth, beef or chicken, and a handful of spices — pho is deceptively simple and endlessly complex. Here's what makes it Vietnam's most iconic bowl.
Flat rice noodles, bone broth simmered 12+ hours, beef or chicken, fresh herbs. How "pho" became Vietnam's breakfast staple and what makes a good bowl.
From French colonial bakeries to global street food icon, "banh mi" is a 20cm lesson in culinary adaptation. Here's how Vietnam made the baguette its own.
Charcoal-grilled pork patties and belly slices dunked in fish-sauce broth with cold vermicelli and herbs. This is Hanoi's lunch, perfected over generations.
After eating pho almost daily for two years, here are the bowls in the Old Quarter and beyond that deserve their reputation — plus three famous ones that don't.
Banh xeo, com tam, banh mi, hu tieu — a self-guided eating route through District 1, 3, and 4 with the actual carts and stalls (with pins).
Why Vietnamese coffee tastes nothing like the rest of Asia, the eight drinks every cafe will offer, and the third-wave roasters worth visiting.
The history, the regional variations, the right ratio of pâté to chili — and the four banh mi shops in Vietnam that are genuinely world-class.
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