Vietnamese Cuisines - Best Vietnamese Food You Need To Try
Food scene
As the birthplace of pho, Hanoi is ground zero for the fragrant rice noodle soup served with fresh herbs that has become popular all over the world. The word “pho” refers specifically to the kind of the noodles, in general, people use it to describe the entire soup dish. Pho attracts tourist for its thin-sliced tender beef, crystal clear broth which is made by 12 hours of simmering beef/pork bones, oxtail, flank, charred onion, charred ginger and spices. All the ingredients make the broth become very aromatic and subtle. There are two variations: pho ga (with chicken) and pho bo (with beef). Pho is traditionally served as a breakfast food, so you'll find pho sellers all over town from before dawn to mid-morning.
Try it at:
- Pho 10: No.10 Ly Quoc Su Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.
- Pho Bat Dan: No. 49 Bat Dan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
19 Einheimische empfehlen
49 Bát Đàn
49 Phố Bát ĐànAs the birthplace of pho, Hanoi is ground zero for the fragrant rice noodle soup served with fresh herbs that has become popular all over the world. The word “pho” refers specifically to the kind of the noodles, in general, people use it to describe the entire soup dish. Pho attracts tourist for its thin-sliced tender beef, crystal clear broth which is made by 12 hours of simmering beef/pork bones, oxtail, flank, charred onion, charred ginger and spices. All the ingredients make the broth become very aromatic and subtle. There are two variations: pho ga (with chicken) and pho bo (with beef). Pho is traditionally served as a breakfast food, so you'll find pho sellers all over town from before dawn to mid-morning.
Try it at:
- Pho 10: No.10 Ly Quoc Su Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.
- Pho Bat Dan: No. 49 Bat Dan Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Quan An Ngon
This branch of a number of small same-named kitchens turns out street-food specialities from across Vietnam. Try to visit just outside the busy lunch and dinner periods, or consider Quan An Ngon's newest branch in a lovely French villa just north of the Old Quarter.
18 Phan Bội Châu
18 Phố Phan Bội ChâuQuan An Ngon
This branch of a number of small same-named kitchens turns out street-food specialities from across Vietnam. Try to visit just outside the busy lunch and dinner periods, or consider Quan An Ngon's newest branch in a lovely French villa just north of the Old Quarter.
Equally good for breakfast or as a stodgy hangover cure, Xoi Yen specialises in sticky rice topped with goodies, including sweet Asian sausage, gooey fried egg and slow-cooked pork. Watching it being prepared is half the fun.
57 Einheimische empfehlen
Xôi Yến
35b Nguyễn Hữu HuânEqually good for breakfast or as a stodgy hangover cure, Xoi Yen specialises in sticky rice topped with goodies, including sweet Asian sausage, gooey fried egg and slow-cooked pork. Watching it being prepared is half the fun.
Banh cuon
(Steamed rice paper rolls)
Perhaps the most popular dishes to have for breakfast when you’re in Northern Vietnam. These Vietnamese paper rolls are usually stuffed with minced pork and mushrooms but can also be filled with egg. It is intended for dipping in nuoc mam (fish sauce) along with fresh aromatic herbs - a staple ingredient in Vietnamese food. Enjoy at Banh Cuon Ba Xuan in Hoan Kiem, while watching the owner attending to her huge steamer and produce the finest rolls.
Bánh cuốn Bà Xuân
Dốc Hòe NhaiBanh cuon
(Steamed rice paper rolls)
Perhaps the most popular dishes to have for breakfast when you’re in Northern Vietnam. These Vietnamese paper rolls are usually stuffed with minced pork and mushrooms but can also be filled with egg. It is intended for dipping in nuoc mam (fish sauce) along with fresh aromatic herbs - a staple ingredient in Vietnamese food. Enjoy at Banh Cuon Ba Xuan in Hoan Kiem, while watching the owner attending to her huge steamer and produce the finest rolls.
Most visitors to Hanoi will sample the city’s most famous dishes: pho bo (traditional Vietnamese noodle soup with beef), bun cha (barbecued pork with rice vermicelli) and banh mi (baguette).
Beyond the three Bs, the capital’s food scene is as diverse as it is adventurous. Here are Hanoi’s best street eats, for both the brave and faint of stomach.
Banh cuon
(Steamed rice paper rolls)
Vietnamese paper rolls are usually stuffed with minced pork and mushrooms.
Banh cuon is one of the most popular budget breakfasts © Fabienne Fong Yan / Lonely Planet
Perhaps the most popular dishes to have for breakfast when you’re in Northern Vietnam. These Vietnamese paper rolls are usually stuffed with minced pork and mushrooms but can also be filled with egg. It is intended for dipping in nuoc mam (fish sauce) along with fresh aromatic herbs - a staple ingredient in Vietnamese food. Enjoy at Banh Cuon Ba Xuan in Hoan Kiem, while watching the owner attending to her huge steamer and produce the finest rolls.
Read more: Find Vietnam's best street food with Lonely Planet's new guide
Bun oc
(Snail noodle soup)
A bowl of bun oc, Hanoi comfort food
A bowl of bun oc, Hanoi comfort food © Emily Petsko / Lonely Planet
Forget chicken and beef – sea snail noodle soup is Hanoi’s classic comfort food. A standard bowl comes with rice vermicelli (bun), tofu, sometimes beef and crab meat, and a heaping plate of the greens that accompany most Vietnamese dishes. Key ingredients in the broth are tomatoes, wine vinegar, and pepper, giving it a nice kick. It can be found all over Hanoi, but locals will recommend a bowl on Ngo Sy Lien alley, in a shop tucked behind the market of the same name in Ba Dinh district. Good bun oc shops are exclusively open at night as this dish is traditionally served in evenings.
Bún ốc
Most visitors to Hanoi will sample the city’s most famous dishes: pho bo (traditional Vietnamese noodle soup with beef), bun cha (barbecued pork with rice vermicelli) and banh mi (baguette).
Beyond the three Bs, the capital’s food scene is as diverse as it is adventurous. Here are Hanoi’s best street eats, for both the brave and faint of stomach.
Banh cuon
(Steamed rice paper rolls)
Vietnamese paper rolls are usually stuffed with minced pork and mushrooms.
Banh cuon is one of the most popular budget breakfasts © Fabienne Fong Yan / Lonely Planet
Perhaps the most popular dishes to have for breakfast when you’re in Northern Vietnam. These Vietnamese paper rolls are usually stuffed with minced pork and mushrooms but can also be filled with egg. It is intended for dipping in nuoc mam (fish sauce) along with fresh aromatic herbs - a staple ingredient in Vietnamese food. Enjoy at Banh Cuon Ba Xuan in Hoan Kiem, while watching the owner attending to her huge steamer and produce the finest rolls.
Read more: Find Vietnam's best street food with Lonely Planet's new guide
Bun oc
(Snail noodle soup)
A bowl of bun oc, Hanoi comfort food
A bowl of bun oc, Hanoi comfort food © Emily Petsko / Lonely Planet
Forget chicken and beef – sea snail noodle soup is Hanoi’s classic comfort food. A standard bowl comes with rice vermicelli (bun), tofu, sometimes beef and crab meat, and a heaping plate of the greens that accompany most Vietnamese dishes. Key ingredients in the broth are tomatoes, wine vinegar, and pepper, giving it a nice kick. It can be found all over Hanoi, but locals will recommend a bowl on Ngo Sy Lien alley, in a shop tucked behind the market of the same name in Ba Dinh district. Good bun oc shops are exclusively open at night as this dish is traditionally served in evenings.
Lau
(Vietnamese hot-pot)
You can't travel to Hanoi and miss out on hot-pot. Although it might seem intimidating at first, it is may be the truest way to experience street food life in the city. Gather around the central pot of bubbling broth (often already prepared with tasty spices) and drop in a huge amount of whatever fresh vegetables, meat and seafood are to your liking. Cheer with traditional rice wine until it's cooked. Choose Lau Hang Beo on Tran Phu street (Ba Dinh district) to experience the real deal. For the most daring, some restaurants near the West Lake specialise in frog hot-pot.
Lẩu Hải Sản Hằng Béo
11 Phố Trần PhúLau
(Vietnamese hot-pot)
You can't travel to Hanoi and miss out on hot-pot. Although it might seem intimidating at first, it is may be the truest way to experience street food life in the city. Gather around the central pot of bubbling broth (often already prepared with tasty spices) and drop in a huge amount of whatever fresh vegetables, meat and seafood are to your liking. Cheer with traditional rice wine until it's cooked. Choose Lau Hang Beo on Tran Phu street (Ba Dinh district) to experience the real deal. For the most daring, some restaurants near the West Lake specialise in frog hot-pot.
Just one of the soups in the 'bun' family (with rice vermicelli noodles) with fried fish pieces. Commonly enjoyed at lunch, here the broth is prepared with green vegetables often including a variant of 'morning glory' - a popular leaf commonly stir-fried or boiled. A combination of aromatic herbs, including cilantro and dill, make the taste unique. To try one of the most fragrant bun ca head to Bun Ca Van on Quan Thanh, in Ba Dinh district. Ask for a 'thap cam' (mixed toppings).
Bún cá Văn
174 Phố Quán ThánhJust one of the soups in the 'bun' family (with rice vermicelli noodles) with fried fish pieces. Commonly enjoyed at lunch, here the broth is prepared with green vegetables often including a variant of 'morning glory' - a popular leaf commonly stir-fried or boiled. A combination of aromatic herbs, including cilantro and dill, make the taste unique. To try one of the most fragrant bun ca head to Bun Ca Van on Quan Thanh, in Ba Dinh district. Ask for a 'thap cam' (mixed toppings).
Banh xeo is part crepe, part pancake and 100% delicious. The Hanoian version of the savoury rice-flour cake is filled with prawns and bean sprouts, served with assorted greens, cucumber, and sour mango or papaya. Scissors are often supplied to help diners cut up the crispy banh xeo, which can be rolled in rice paper along with other toppings.
Most banh xeo places also serve nem lui, grilled pork sausages sometimes presented on a lemongrass skewer. P Doi Can, Ba Dinh District, has many street vendors that sell this popular dish, which is meant to be enjoyed in the evenings.
Bánh Xèo - Nem Lụi 153A Đội Cấn "Gia Đình Quán Ngon"
153A Phố Đội CấnBanh xeo is part crepe, part pancake and 100% delicious. The Hanoian version of the savoury rice-flour cake is filled with prawns and bean sprouts, served with assorted greens, cucumber, and sour mango or papaya. Scissors are often supplied to help diners cut up the crispy banh xeo, which can be rolled in rice paper along with other toppings.
Most banh xeo places also serve nem lui, grilled pork sausages sometimes presented on a lemongrass skewer. P Doi Can, Ba Dinh District, has many street vendors that sell this popular dish, which is meant to be enjoyed in the evenings.
My Ga Tan is one of Hanoi’s most intimidating dishes. But after getting past the shock of realising there’s a chicken head peering back at you from your soup, you’ll find the dish is hearty and fulfilling. Diners have two options: the 'regular' chicken, or a miniature (and slightly more expensive) chicken called a black-bone silky, named for its black skin.
The chickens are stuffed into empty soda and beer cans with aromatic Chinese herbs. Next, the cans are placed over heat, allowing the meat to soak up the flavours while it simmers. Egg noodles (my) are added to the stew, and Vietnamese swear by the soup’s healing properties. Quan Cay Si restaurant at 29 Tong Duy Tan in Hoan Kiem District serves up the best in town.
Quán Gà Tần Cây Si
29 Tống Duy TânMy Ga Tan is one of Hanoi’s most intimidating dishes. But after getting past the shock of realising there’s a chicken head peering back at you from your soup, you’ll find the dish is hearty and fulfilling. Diners have two options: the 'regular' chicken, or a miniature (and slightly more expensive) chicken called a black-bone silky, named for its black skin.
The chickens are stuffed into empty soda and beer cans with aromatic Chinese herbs. Next, the cans are placed over heat, allowing the meat to soak up the flavours while it simmers. Egg noodles (my) are added to the stew, and Vietnamese swear by the soup’s healing properties. Quan Cay Si restaurant at 29 Tong Duy Tan in Hoan Kiem District serves up the best in town.
Xoi che ba Thin
1 Bát Đàn