Vietnamese Street Food: Top 7 Dishes That Make the World Crazy

Vietnamese sandwiches once made the world admire when they were listed in the top 100 best sandwiches in the world. But in reality, Vietnamese street food is not only that. From tiny street vendors to "national" dishes praised by Michelin stars, Vietnam has a series of world-famous dishes that international friends cannot help but remember. Have you tried all 7 dishes below?

1. Pho – The first symbol of internationalization

A bowl of authentic Hanoi beef pho with clear and fragrant broth. (Photo: Collected)

Pho has long been a familiar name when referring to Vietnamese specialties. This dish has appeared in the Oxford dictionary, was listed by CNN in the list of "50 most delicious dishes in the world " and is a "must-try" dish on every culinary tour in Vietnam.

What makes pho stand out is the clear, sweet broth from the bones stewed with spices such as cinnamon, star anise, roasted ginger... The soft, smooth pho noodles, combined with sliced ​​beef or shredded chicken, green onions, herbs, and a little chili sauce or lightly sour garlic vinegar - create a harmonious, rich and extremely attractive whole.

2. Bun Cha Hanoi – “Obama Anniversary” and more

Bun cha with grilled meat, fish sauce and fresh green vegetables. (Photo: Collected)

The moment President Obama enjoyed bun cha with chef Anthony Bourdain made this dish an international icon. But for Vietnamese people, bun cha is a familiar lunch dish, with the fragrant smell of charcoal-grilled meat.

The meatloaf consists of meatballs and grilled pork belly, covered in a bowl of diluted sweet and sour sauce, accompanied by pickled papaya and carrots. Served with fresh rice noodles, raw vegetables and chili - bun cha is a typical Hanoi cuisine , familiar and unforgettable.

3. Spring rolls – An elegant snack

Fresh spring rolls with delicious, rich sauce. (Photo: Collected)

Vietnamese spring rolls were once called “Asia’s best rolls” by leading travel magazine Travel+Leisure. Spring rolls are a harmonious combination of boiled shrimp, pork belly, vermicelli, raw vegetables and herbs, skillfully wrapped in thin rice paper.

The special thing about spring rolls is the dipping sauce: soy sauce, fish sauce, or sweet and sour fish sauce depending on the region. The dish is cool, light on the stomach and extremely healthy, very suitable for the current healthy eating trend.

4. Banh Xeo – The "Sound" of Southern Cuisine

Crispy pancakes served with raw vegetables and fish sauce with garlic and chili. (Photo: Collected)

Banh xeo is a dish that just by its name you know… it has a reputation. “Xeo” is the crispy sound that comes out when rice flour is poured into a hot pan, mixed with meat, shrimp, bean sprouts… creating a golden, crispy cake.

Western Vietnamese pancakes are usually big, crispy, and full of filling. Meanwhile, Central Vietnamese pancakes are small and pretty, with a slightly thicker crust. Wherever you go, pancakes are eaten with raw vegetables, wrapped in rice paper, and dipped in sweet, sour, and spicy fish sauce, creating a very unique flavor of Vietnamese street food .

5. Iced Milk Coffee – From the Sidewalk to Starbucks

Iced milk coffee with strong flavor and mild sweetness – Vietnamese national drink. (Photo: Collected)

More than just a drink, iced milk coffee is a culture. Vietnamese people can sit for hours with a cup of iced milk coffee, watching the streets, chatting, working… This drink has also appeared on the menu of many international coffee chains.

The rich taste of coffee, combined with the sweet and fatty taste of condensed milk, added with ice – simple but “scores points” with tourists from the first time enjoying it. Iced milk coffee deserves to be one of the world famous Vietnamese dishes, even in the form of a drink.

6. Vietnamese Sweet Soup – Unique and Colorful Dessert

A glass of colorful, sweet, cool mixed sweet soup. (Photo: Collected)

If there were a ranking of street desserts, Vietnamese sweet soup would definitely not be absent. From mung bean sweet soup, grapefruit sweet soup, three-color sweet soup, to floating rice balls… each region has its own way of making them, with its own characteristics.

The common point of all types of chè is the harmony between the light sweetness, light coconut milk, and extremely interesting soft - chewy - crunchy toppings. Not only delicious, Vietnamese chè is also beautiful and is present in almost every market and street corner.

7. Bread – A national dish worthy of global recognition

A sandwich filled with grilled meat, fatty pate and fresh green herbs – the “national treasure” of Vietnamese cuisine. (Photo: Collected)

It is impossible not to mention banh mi – a street food that encapsulates the creativity and flexibility of the Vietnamese people. Recently ranked in the top 100 best sandwiches in the world, banh mi makes people fall in love with its crispy crust and rich fillings from ham, roasted meat, pate, butter and eggs to even stewed offal, dried chicken, meatballs…

Each region has its own variation, but each loaf of bread contains a genuine and distinctive flavor that is very Vietnamese and very real.

From a simple glass of iced coffee to a hot bowl of pho, Vietnamese street food has gone further than people think. Each dish is not only delicious but also carries the story, culture and emotions of the Vietnamese people.

If you are an international tourist – start your journey to discover this country through each dish. And if you are Vietnamese – be proud because just by stepping out of the alley, you can enjoy the world-famous dishes with pride!

Source: https://www.vietravel.com/vn/am-thuc-kham-pha/am-thuc-duong-pho-viet-nam-v17491.aspx