The Wonderful Street Food Of Vietnam

It’s a very hot day in Vietnam. An old-fashioned fan circulates tepid air at an excruciatingly slow pace, as if to match the droning of mosquitoes buzzing in our ears. Around us children and adults lay comatose on threadbare cots while an old lady juices dozens of stems of fresh sugarcane. She takes her time arranging a tray with glasses full of ice, methodically pouring freshly-squeezed juice in them.Jasmine Cruise Halong bay

After a tiring morning at the white sand dunes of Mui Ne,  I’ve been observing all this listlessly. But my face lights up as she serves the first glass to me (the guest!). Soon enough, I realise I’m not the only one – I can almost see everyone’s weariness dissipate into thin air as they begin to sip on the sugar cane juice. I don’t know if it was the sugar or the unmistakable freshness of the juice, but to all of us in that moment, that drink was ambrosial. PANDAW CRUISE

Such is the spell that the street food (and well, drink!) of Vietnam casts over visitors :-)

Vietnam sugar cane juice
A glass of chilled sugarcane juice costs just $0.25 in Vietnam but it has magical powers


But that’s not all. The street food of Vietnam has so much to offer. It seduces with sheer variety, textures, and colours. Of course it helps that most of it is mind-numbingly scrumptious :-) Notes of galangal, basil, and lemongrass dilly dally with bejewelled vegetables in rich broths, plates full of fresh herbs – holy basil, coriander, culantro – accompany each meal, fresh smoothies are available at every street corner, and most of this costs less than $2.  No wonder we gained weight when we spent a month in Vietnam. Vietnam travel packages

We tried dozens of soups, noodle-based dishes, broths, desserts, and drinks – all in the name of research of course 😉 We even took an amazing street food tour with Tiger Tours, which offered the perfect introduction to the culinary landscape of Vietnam. Here are our 10 favourite eats from Vietnam – don’t miss them for the world if you’re ever in Vietnam. Make sure you check out the cheeky 11th item on the menu and tell us what you think of the entire debate there – we’re curious to hear what you think

1) Bo La Lot
Tender minced beef is wrapped in betel leaves and BBQ’d over charcoal. Once thoroughly cooked, it is sprinkled with peanuts and served with a spicy dipping sauce. The result? A fragrant Vietnamese snack that is notoriously hard to resist

2) Bánh Bao (Steamed Buns)
Steamed buns that ensconce a variety of savoury fillings – pork, sausages, beef, even boiled eggs. The outer layer is made from flour, milk, and sugar. Its slight sweetness perfectly compliments the savouriness of the fillings. Bánh Bao can be found at every street corner in Vietnam and is the perfect snack for people on the go. Make sure you opt for one right out of the steamer – they taste amazing!

3) Pho
No post on the street food of Vietnam would be complete without a mention of the legendary broth that is Pho (pronounced Fuh). Flavourful rice noodles are topped with meat and beef broth and this bowl of goodness is garnished with coriander, Asian chillies, and spring onions.

Pho is humble food. It is said to have originated in the early twentieth century in North Vietnam. Millions of Northerners fled to the South after the partition of Vietnam in 1954. These refugees popularised Pho in Southern Vietnam. Today it is the most popular dish in Ho Chi Minh City. Dozens of people can be seen wolfing down this steaming hot noodle soup at street-side stalls and restaurants for 7000 – 40000 VND ($ 0.5-2).

There are a number of famous Pho shops in every city in Vietnam, but we loved Pho served at anonymous stalls in little alleys. Most Pho stalls have just 2 things on the menu – Pho Bo (Beef Pho) and Pho Ga (Chicken Pho). If you have a sensitive tummy, try Pho at Pho 24, a chain of Pho restaurants in Saigon. It’s definitely not the tastiest Pho we had, but it’s hygienic and most waiters understand English, so they are happy to help out.

 4) Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Vietnamese people LOVE their coffee. The drink is a big deal in this country. Typical Vietnamese coffee uses Robusta beans instead of Arabica beans. Vietnamese coffee is really strong but it is often served with ice and a generous helping of condensed milk. The resultant Vietnamese Iced Coffee might not be the healthiest beverage, but it is definitely the yummiest. Seriously, who can say no to condensed milk? Not us! *slurp*

The Wonderful Street Food Of Vietnam

 5)  Gôi Cuôn (Rice Paper Spring Rolls)
Rice paper spring rolls or salad rolls are very popular in Vietnam. They are served with a variety of meats and seafood (we’re partial to prawns and fried fish), fresh herbs, light vermicelli noodles, cucumber, and thin sheets of rice paper. Wet the rice paper in the accompanying bowl of water, wrap it around the meats, noodles, and vegetables, and viola spring rolls :-)

The featherlight rice paper and fragrant herbs ensure a light and crunchy snack that is truly refreshing. The best part is, you can customise them to your liking. Best enjoyed on a rickety li’l chair by the side of a busy food stall in Vietnam

6) Banh Mi (Vietnamese Baguette)
This is a legacy left behind by French colonizers. Baguettes are extremely common in Vietnam and are served with a variety of fillings – grilled pork, cold cuts, scrambled egg, minced beef, curried chicken – the options are endless. The Vietnamese version is lighter than a typical French baguette, but equally satisfying.

Banh Mi sandwiches are laden with pickles, crunchy salad, meat, and herbs – the perfect carb fix!!


7) BBQs baby
Vietnamese people take their BBQs very seriously. Come evening, dozens of pop-up restaurants sprout outside busy market places in large cities. In smaller villages and towns, there are entire stretches dedicated to BBQ restaurants. Everything from lobsters and red snappers to king prawns and scallops are on the menu. All you need to do is choose a dish and order, which in itself can be a gargantuan task when there are so many delicacies on offer) :-)

8) Bánh Tráng Me
Banh Trang Me – crunchy rice crackers with sesame seeds – are the perfect snack between meals. They’re usually served with a spicy paste or crunchy salad. Machine-made Banh Trang Me can be found everywhere in Vietnam but man-made crackers still reign supreme in the countryside. Is it just us or do the jagged edges make it that little bit tastier :-)

9) Bun Xao and Pho Xao
We need to thank our friend Jodi, who lives in Saigon, for introducing us to the wonder that is Bun Xao and the miracle that is Pho Xao. Why the hyperbole? Well, here’s the thing. Broths are all well and good and we do love ourselves a good bowl of Pho or Bun Bo Hue (noodle soup) but after a couple of weeks of broths for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, things are bound to get repetitive. We found ourselves craving some good ol’ stir-fried noodles and even tried ordering some. More often than not, it would get lost in translation and we would end up with yet another noodle soup :-(

Enter Jodi. She introduced us to the magic word Xao aka stir-fried.  Pho Xao consists of wok-fried flat noodles topped with stir-fried greens and chicken/beef/prawns/ tofu. Bun Xao translates to stir-fried vermicelli noodles – that’s all it takes to make us happy :-)

10) Che (The Desserts) *sigh*
We tried dozens of Vietnamese desserts but here are some of our favourites :-
Che Chuoi Chug – A sweet soup made by boiling a mixture of bananas, tapioca pearls, coconut cream, and peanuts. This rich and creamy pudding is the perfect end to a thoroughly Vietnamese meal
Rau Câu Trai Dùa – This simple jelly made from fresh coconut juice and agar agar. It’s probably the most refreshing dessert you’ll ever have. Definitely our favourite!!
Sua Chua – Traditional Vietnamese yogurt, usually made with some sugar or condensed milk in addition to milk. The resultant Sua Chua is delicate and scrumptious – the tartness of traditional yogurt is balanced by the sweetness of condensed milk/sugar. Its light texture is perfect for Vietnam’s hot weather. Vietnamese people love having Sua Chua throughout the day – who are we to say no? :-)
Sùong Sào – One of the most popular drinks in Vietnam, Sùong Sào aka Grass Jelly, is usually served with a generous helping of coconut milk or sweet soup. The wobbly jelly is made from a herb belonging to the mint family, which is supposed to have medicinal properties. We were told that grass jelly can cure fatigue within minutes – hmmm!

11) SNAKES AND CROCODILES??!!
We couldn’t end this article without talking about an issue that’s been disturbing us. In parts of Vietnam, snakes and crocodiles are an intrinsic, albeit unusual, part of the street food culture.

Now when it comes to food, Vid and I love trying out local delicacies and don’t shy away from sampling wonderful and weird things while travelling. From finger-licking street food in Mauritius to  pig’s intestines in France, we’ve had it all.

But I will admit I was really disturbed when I saw a snake being brought to a customer’s table, killed in front of said customer, and its beating heart swallowed by the waiter as a proof of machismo. What’s more, the snake’s blood was then drunk to loud cheering (It is said to enhance virility!). I actually recorded the whole thing on video, but it’s too disturbing to upload it here.

The trouble is I can’t explain why it was revolting. Is it just because it’s out of the ordinary? Is it any different from a pig’s snout on sale in Spain or goat’s head in Morocco? Isn’t travel all about respecting (and accepting) local customs? After much thinking I still don’t know which side of the debate I’m on?

Motorbiking in Vietnam, Tips for Vietnam Motorbike Trip

Renting a motorbike is an increasingly popular way to explore Vietnam. But the traffic conditions, roads and rules are extremely different from those in America or Europe. In the West, rules are strictly (in most cases) adhered to. Generally speaking, drivers stay on the correct side of the road, stop at red lights and don’t carry water buffalo on their scooters! Vietnam travel Packages

Here, things are a little different. Reading these tips will ensure you have a safe and enjoyable journey!

1. Protect your head
Vietnam law requires both motorbike drivers and passengers to wear a helmet. It’s also just plain common sense. If you can, make sure your helmet is made by a reliable manufacturer such as Protec.

2. Learn before you ride
Many travelers have never ridden a motorbike before they rent one in Vietnam. Before setting off, ask someone for a five-minute rundown on how to start/stop/accelerate etc. Paradise Cruise in Halong

3. Left are gears, right is brake
Self-explanatory, really.

4. Think right
In Vietnam, people drive on the right. Especially important to remember when you turn corners!

• MEKONG EYES CRUISE MEKONG

5. Expect the unexpected
Drivers don’t follow the rules. Be prepared to think on your feet.

Motorbiking in Vietnam, Tips for Vietnam Motorbike Trip

6. Park it
Most cities have parking areas to leave your motorbike. This usually costs around 2,000VND, so don’t listen to entrepreneurial parking attendants who try to charge you more than 10,000VND - they are likely trying to hustle you. Hold onto the ticket to get your bike back!

7. Fuel up
When you rent a motorbike, check the tank (don’t trust the fuel gauge) and find out where you can fill up if needed.

8. Biggest wins
The biggest vehicle has the right of way. So avoid buses, cars and trucks!

9. Think about what kind of bike you need
100 cc-or-more semi-automatic motorbikes are best for roads in Northern Vietnam’s mountainous areas. Look for a strong engine, gasoline-saving potential and flexible packing space.

10. Be well-prepared
When traveling to remote areas, bring a motorcycle repair tool kit. It might also be advisable to bring a spark-plug and extra key. Remember to ensure the motorbike is in working order before setting off. Change the oil and check the tyres, brakes, mirrors, horn and light. Fill up your motorbike with gasoline and make sure you know where you can make your next filling stop!

11. Check the weather
Plan the season of your trip carefully. The best time for exploring mountain areas is from late September to the beginning of December or after Tet Nguyen Dan (Vietnamese New Year, in January or February), when there is almost no rain and the temperature is cool. Spring rain and summer heat are hazardous not only for your own health but for the road.

12. Statistics don’t lie
Thousands of people die on the roads every year. Drive safely so you can make the most of your Vietnam road trip!

Hanoi Foods guide

Hanoi, Vietnam, just like most of the cities in Vietnam, offers a wide variety of food to those who visit it.

Much of what I discussed in my Ho Chi Minh City Food Guide applies to Hanoi. You can read my thoughts on why you should eat street food and be adventurous in my Ho Chi Minh City Food Guide. Similarly to that guide, I’ll be providing a mixture of actual establishments and dishes that I recommend you try. North Vietnam travel

Overall, the food in Hanoi was sweeter than that in Ho Chi Minh city, and it also tended to be more fragrant as opposed to the more herbaceous flavours of the south. It was a trend that my wife and I noticed as we moved further north through Vietnam.

In Hanoi the food is plentiful, it’s everywhere that you look and is an integral part of the livelihoods of many locals.  More often than not, the street is the stage where much of what is food related in Hanoi takes place. Halong bay cruise Vietnam

Street food can be found on the main streets of Hanoi, and down many of the side streets and alleways. Most areas aren’t dedicated to food, and you’ll find places to eat sandwiched in between residences and all kinds of businesses. Several times my wife and I would walk down an alleway that looked interesting only to find ourselves in the courtyard of a residence. The looks we received on these occasions ranged from puzzled to nonchalance.

I’m not sure whether there is any regulation as to where people can sell food. Most of the time the wandering vendors seem to simply set up shop where they want, and then move on to another spot depending on how busy things are. Mekong river cruise Vietnam

I loved buying fruit from these vendors. It was generally cheap and fresh. One thing you need to be wary of is vendors trying to rip you off in the touristy parts of town. A tactic I used was to gauge what a reasonable price was by asking how much something cost from a few vendors in a few areas. Once I had an idea of what the usual price was, I could determine how much I’d be willing to spend on something. The same as shopping around for anything really.
One of the ways that vendors transport their food and other goods is by balancing two containers on either side of a long pole. I tried lifting one and they are quite heavy.
It’s not just young people who carry things food around the city this way, but also people who appear to be quite old. I suppose if it’s something that you’ve done for most of your life you just get on with it.
The big container on the back of a bike is a less strenuous way of getting things around Hanoi and is also very common.

Hanoi Foods guide

Bun Cha

Bun Cha is a dish of grilled pork and noodle. It’s served with grilled pork patties (cha) and white vermicelli noodles (bun). Usually it’s served with some banh goi (a pork, onion and mushroom spring roll type item) and herbs, chilli, garlic and dipping sauce.

Bun Cha is quite common in Hanoi. Some of the places that we saw didn’t look like they were selling the best Bun Cha, so my wife had a walk around until we found the place below. You could see the food being prepared and cooked right there, and there were locals coming in and out the whole time getting food so we knew it was the one to eat at.

Bun Cha Nem Cua Be can be found at 29 Cau Go.

Another place that served great Bun Cha Nem Cua was Bun Cha Nem Cua Be Dac Kim, which can be found at 67 Duong Thanh.

As you can see in the photo below, it was a little bit different than the one we’d eaten above. That is one of the joys of street food – every vendor has their own way of doing the same dishes – just like home cooking.

Hanoi beer is one of the local “go to” beers in Hanoi. Interestingly, I didn’t really see Hanoi beer in Ho Chi Minh City, but Bia Saigon was very popular in Hanoi.

Cha Ca

Dill is uncommon in Vietnam, but in the north of the country, it is one of the key components of the dish Cha Ca.  Cha Ca is small fish fillets marinated in turmeric and galangal, and sauteed with a very generous helping of dill. The best Cha Ca restaurants in Hanoi will only serve this one dish and on many occasions you’ll actually find the dish referred to by the name of the restaurant that invented it, Cha Ca La Vong.

The dish is served with the usual condiments, and the not so common addition of peanuts. You mix a bit of everything in your bowl and eat it together.

It was unlike anything I’d ever tasted before and I can highly recommend it. A truly iconic northern Vietnamese dish.

My wife and I had Cha Ca at Cha Cha Thanh Long, which can be found at 31 Duong Thanh.

Mien Xao Luon

This dish consists of glass noodles stir fried with crispy little eels, bean sprouts and egg. It’s topped with cucumber, purple perilla and fried shallots. All of the different soft and crispy textures really combine to produce a dish that’s both tasty and texturally great.

My wife and I couldn’t figure out what the purpose of the plate of light soup with mushrooms was for – we used it as a pallet cleanser after the main dish.

White tiles, metal tables and plastic chairs – common aspects in many of the places you’ll find street food at in Hanoi.

The bags that you see that are tied at the top in the photo below are full of the little dried eels mentioned earlier. A lot of people seemed to be dropping past just to pick up a bag of these.

Nha Hang Mien Luon had a few other interesting looking dishes too, and can be found at 87 Hang Dieu.

Walking back to the hotel one night, my wife and I spotted this fruit and vegetable “store” in what appeared to be a garage at the front of someone’s apartment down a lane way. As I mentioned earlier, food can be found in the least likely of places in Hanoi.

Coffee

Most of what I said about coffee in my Ho Chi Minh City Food Guide applies here, and the Vietnamese coffee is plentiful and cheap. Highlands Coffee is the common chain in Hanoi – my wife and I only saw one Trung Nguyen in the city.

One place that I wanted to mention on here was Reng Reng Cafe. It’s run by Duy Biểu Nguyễn, who started with nothing more than a bicycle and coffee beans from his family’s coffee plantation in Lam Dong. Nowadays he has a stall in the most unassuming of locations next to what looked like a bike/car parking station.

His equipment isn’t fancy as funds are limited. It’s a Baby Gaggia and old Gaggia grinder. I had an espresso  and the coffee was pretty decent. Duy was very passionate about coffee, sustainability and the like and it was a pleasure to talk to him (his English was broken but pretty good). I love what Duy is doing and I hope that when I visit Vietnam in years to come that he’s been able to get some better equipment and achieve his dream of having a chain of take away stations that sell sustainable, locally produced take away coffee to the people.

Dessert

Desserts, especially cold ones. are very popular in Hanoi. A great place to try a variety of local desserts is Thu Nga. The menu isn’t in English, so pointing at the tables of those around you is basically what you’ll be doing. If that’s not something you feel comfortable doing, here are the things that I ate that I can recommend for you. How did we find out that these things were good? Well apart from the first which was a recommendation we, you guessed it, pointed at things that looked interesting on other tables.

Kem Xoi is an easy one to recommend to someone who is just starting their food adventure in a foreign land and isn’t yet ready to take the full plunge into the deep end. It’s sweet sticky rice topped with vanilla ice-cream and roasted coconut. This is the dish that we originally came to Thu Nga for, and it was delicious.

Literally (and I used that word in its true sense) had this on their table at some stage during the night so ordering it had to be done. Nem ngot ran is what it was called, and basically it was crumbed and fried sausage with ketchup dipping sauce. It turned out that not only was dessert served, but also a variety of savoury snacks too. These were tasty and in a way you could say they are a Western/Vietnamese fusion.

Finally we tried Che thap cam. It was a glass full of ice, taro, red beans, coconut milk and some other stuff (not the best description I know). I later discovered that Che thap cam is actually a generic term for this sort of dessert, the exact composition of which can vary depending on where you get it from. There were about four on the menu.

Something that I noticed in Ho Chi Minh City that was also prevalent in Hanoi was the number of Western-style cafes in the city. They aren’t what you’d call common (especially compared to the type of street food that you see everywhere) but there are certainly enough of them about for it to be noticeable. Vietnam is getting wealthier, and the new generation of teenagers and young people want to go to places that, in their eyes, are “cool”.

Chillout Cafe was one of these types of cafes and they did really tasty smoothies. The vibe was eclectic and, well, chilled out. A piano and guitar were lying about for customers to play, and you had to take your shoes off before going inside to the cafe area proper upstairs. It was a nice change and just what we needed at this point of our holiday.

Dining In Style

Flowing on from my comment above about “a nice change” are two recommendations that are anything but street food. The colonial French influence in Hanoi is clear to see in various parts of the city, much more so than in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Hotel Metropole Hanoi (owned by Sofitel) was built in 1901 and oozes French luxury. Walking through the various parts of the hotel that are open to the public feels like stepping back into the early 1900s during colonial times.

Alas, my wife and I were not staying in this luxurious hotel, which is located in Hanoi’s beautiful French Quarter. What we did come here for was to eat at the Chocolate Buffet.

Between 3:00pm and 6:00pm every day of the week the Le Club bar offers a Chocolate Buffet. Almost every kind of French patisserie imaginable is available, as well as a selection of fruit and savoury sandwiches. At around USD$35 it’s not cheap by Hanoi standards, but I cannot think of too many places in the world where you can enjoy this sort of decadence in such opulent surroundings for this price.

The Hotel Metropole is at 15 Ngo Quyen Street.

Green Tangerine was a restaurant that a friend of mine had recommended to my wife and I if we felt like having an “expensive meal”, the use of quotes being to indicate that, as above, expensive is all relative in a city like Hanoi.

After eating lots of street food during out time in Vietnam, my wife and I decided that we’d go for a different sort of meal and Green Tangerine hit the spot with its fusion of Vietnamese influenced French cuisine. The wine selection is excellent too.

The salmon fillet was probably the least exciting of the dishes that we ate on the night. The salmon was cooked perfectly, but I’m more of a fan of simpler salmon dishes. There were too many flavours going on here.

Green Tangerine can be found at 48 Hang Be Street.

For a final slice of Hanoi indulgence, my wife and I had a cocktail each at the rooftop bar “The Rooftop“. It’s a modern bar with all of the trappings you’d expect from such a place. An extensive drinks selection and food is available. We weren’t interested in any of this and headed straight for the balcony to take in the stunning view.

Overall, prices for food in Hanoi are in the same range as that of Ho Chi Minh City. The average price we paid for a meal for 2, with drinks was about USD$5. I was glad that the majority of what I ate in Hanoi was street food, but also have no regrets about the few times we decided to go for a bit of French inspired luxury. The bottom line is that food wise, Hanoi really does have something for everyone.