15 Traditional Vietnamese Foods and Drinks To Try on Your Next Trip

Around Ho Chi Minh City and other larger metropolises, you’ll find carts selling bánh mì, or sandwiches. Bánh mì—which also just means “bread”—was brought to Vietnam by the French in the late 19th century. Nowadays, you can select from bánh mì filled with the traditional pork, as well as tofu, chicken, and more, all packed inside that staple crispy baguette.

The magic of a bánh mì is in its toppings, though—rich, yolky mayonnaise; spicy jalapeño peppers; and fresh herbs, which layer together to create a quick yet memorable bite. It's among the best food in Vietnam, so it's no surprise that it's taken the world by storm.

This savory pancake is named for the sound the batter makes as it hits a pan—“xèo” is meant to imitate the sizzle. Each mini-pancake is cooked in a cast-iron pan with individual, circular molds. Though you can find larger bánh xèo in Southern Vietnam, the Central region is known for its bite-sized morsels, and since this region is also bountiful in seafood offerings, the pancakes often come filled with shrimp, squid, shellfish, and bean sprouts.

Insider tip: Some people like to wrap their hot bánh xèo in crispy lettuce, letting the temperatures and flavors blend together.

The star of this stew from Ho Chi Minh City is the meltingly tender beef that gets braised for hours in a tomato-laced, lemongrass-scented, and sometimes spicy beef broth. The sweetness of carrots balances the broth, while fresh cilantro and Thai basil finish off the flavor profile. Bò kho is often served with a hunk of crusty bread—perfect for sopping up all that delicious stew—although you can also ask for it on top of noodles.

If you smell something irresistible (and porky) wafting your way, you might be close to a restaurant that serves bún chả. This popular street food became an international powerhouse when Anthony Bourdain introduced it to then-President Barack Obama in an episode of Parts Unknown, but it’s been around for a long time, especially in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

Grilled pork patties are served alongside rice noodles and herbs, along with a sweet-and-savory dipping sauce, to create a flavorful dish that’s as fun to assemble as it is to eat.

Bún riêu is one of those noodle dishes whose exact flavor combination feels unique. Though you can get varieties of this dish with fish or snails, a popular iteration features sweet patties of pounded freshwater crab, flavored with minced pork. The dish also includes thick hunks of fried tofu and chunks of tomato, which add a nice heft to the thin broth.

Insider tip: Bún riêu cua can be a labor-intensive dish, so once you’ve found a vendor who makes it the way you like, bookmark the spot.

For coffee lovers visiting Vietnam, the morning doesn’t start without an icy glass of slow-brewed Vietnamese coffee, sometimes sweetened with condensed milk. To make cà phê đá, water is filtered through a stainless steel phin filled with coffee grounds. The dark, robust coffee then drips onto a glass of ice, which slightly dilutes the strong flavor. This brewing method can take up to five minutes, adding to the leisurely experience of Vietnamese café culture.

Insider tip: Coffee was first introduced to Vietnam in 1857 by a French priest, and has since become one of the mainstay exports and delicacies of the country.

This fish claypot dish is particularly popular in Southern Vietnam, where seafood is diverse and bountiful, although “meatier” fish lends itself to the claypot braising method a little better. After cooking, the fish takes on a sticky, caramelized flavor that goes great with fluffy white rice and bitter greens. Though cá kho tộ is traditionally made in a claypot, many restaurants now just use cast iron skillets.

To create canh chua—a bright and complexly flavored soup that originates in Southern Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region—pineapples, tomatoes, and bean sprouts are simmered in a light tamarind-flavored broth, along with fish (especially catfish) and shrimp caught from the waters of the Delta. You can sip the soup alone, as a kind of starter course, or scoop a bit of rice into it for a complete dish.

Chè is commonly used as a catch-all term for all dessert-style puddings and soups, whether they are served hot or cold. There are nearly as many types of chè as there are taste preferences, ranging from chè chuối, a warm banana and tapioca pudding; to chè ba màu, an icy rainbow-colored drink-pudding hybrid with sweet beans and jelly in coconut milk. Chè is best enjoyed as an afternoon snack between meals and is readily found in stalls in marketplaces and on street corners.

Cơm tấm means, literally, broken rice, since the smaller grains of rice used in the dish are the leftovers from traditional rice milling processes. The texture offers a bit of bite but is still soft, and pairs perfectly with the savory ingredients, which typically include a marinated pork chop, sunny-side-up egg or steamed egg cake, and cucumber and tomato slices. The whole dish is then drizzled in a sweet-savory nước chấm dipping sauce.

Insider tip: You can get this satisfying broken rice dish from nearly any restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. It’s particularly popular with professionals on the go.

These spring rolls—or summer rolls, as they are often called in the US to distinguish them from their fried cousins—are light and refreshing, and often offered as a counterbalance to the warm climate of Vietnam. Gỏi cuốn consists of thin rice paper wraps around vermicelli noodles, lettuce, and a variety of protein fillings—such as pork belly, shrimp, or sausage patties—and are often served as appetizers before a larger meal. Don’t skip the peanut-hoisin dipping sauce.

Goi is a generic Vietnamese term for salads of all types, but one of the more beloved preparations is goi ga, or cold shredded chicken salad with cabbage, carrots, and crispy fried scallions. The salad gets tossed in a bright dressing made from vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, and shallots, then served alongside crispy prawn crackers or eaten on its own. It’s a treat for those long summer days, and easily enjoyed on the go.

Phở gets its name from the flat, pale noodles which swim in a rich broth made of marrow bones, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Though you can find this comforting noodle dish anywhere, beef phở from Hanoi—with its clearer and more delicately flavored broth—has its own special place in Vietnamese cuisine, and is ideal for the cooler temperatures of the north.

Be sure to take full advantage of the fresh garnishes that come with your bowl of phở—a squeeze of lime and sprinkle of herbs will completely elevate your experience.

If you’re ever looking for homestyle cooking, search the menu at a Vietnamese restaurant for thịt kho, a braised pork belly dish that offers a huge dose of salty-sweet flavor.

The soup begins with a caramel sauce and is finished with a glug of fish sauce, both of which lend a beautiful taste to the pork and tint the hard-boiled eggs with the hue of the broth. Some restaurants will serve this dish with rice on the side, while others will offer a fresh baguette for scooping up the toppings and dipping.

Xôi is traditionally served at breakfast time or in the evenings as a dessert, and is especially beloved by those with a sweet tooth. It’s made from glutinous rice that becomes sticky in the cooking process, then flavored with sweet or savory ingredients such as mung beans, peanuts, shredded chicken, bits of sausage, and more. You can often buy a plate of xôi from a street vendor, customizing your toppings on the spot, while kids in particular love eating xôi for breakfast on the way to school.