Vietnamese cuisine

Banh Khot for me....I don't mind having this everyday. I'm currently residing in Vung Tau city so this is the local specialty here 

Well....there are quite a number of stunning local dishes. I must say it's Bun Bo Hue which is my favorite. I love the thick beef broth that accompanies the bun and beef slices and then topped it up with a generous helping of local vegetables. Yummy! There are others such as Com Tam(one really good one can be found in Dang Van Ngu- along Le Van Sy road, HCMC). The traditional Vietnamese sour soup, "Canh Chua" is another of my favorite. It comprises a tamarind flavored broth cooked with fish from the mekong delta and pineapple and tomatoes as vegetables. To make the fish taste better dip it into fish sauce with red chili ! This dish can be found in many Vietnamese restaurants.

Calling all Expat.comgers- we can form our own "food bridgade" and meet for some of these delights. Everyone is welcomed to join including locals so we can get together and meet over food and drink . Just a thought to make our world here smaller so we can be more connected over the common topic- food!

Tom Lee wrote:

Well....there are quite a number of stunning local dishes. I must say it's Bun Bo Hue which is my favorite. I love the thick beef broth that accompanies the bun and beef slices and then topped it up with a generous helping of local vegetables. Yummy! There are others such as Com Tam(one really good one can be found in Dang Van Ngu- along Le Van Sy road, HCMC). The traditional Vietnamese sour soup, "Canh Chua" is another of my favorite. It comprises a tamarind flavored broth cooked with fish from the mekong delta and pineapple and tomatoes as vegetables. To make the fish taste better dip it into fish sauce with red chili ! This dish can be found in many Vietnamese restaurants.

Calling all Expat.comgers- we can form our own "food bridgade" and meet for some of these delights. Everyone is welcomed to join including locals so we can get together and meet over food and drink . Just a thought to make our world here smaller so we can be more connected over the common topic- food!

Hi Tom,

Creating a blog, forum or whatever re Vietnamese food is a great idea. I'll be in it - please tell me how.

I'm coming back to Saigon in 5 weeks.

Hello Steddie,

Look forward to seeing you in Saigon when you come over. You can contact me at +84 985257731. I think coming back here to visit the place will bring back floods of memories for you.

Regards
Tom

Thanks Tom - will give you a call.

Fried mouse and boiled snake head - yum yum - both very nice

Hi
Very nice city vung tau,loved some food vietnamese

I would like to recommend to try 'cao lau'. It's also one kind of noodles in Vietnam. It's originated fron central areas like Hue and Đa năng etc. It's different from soup type noodles like pho bo and is topped with some sources which is flavored by soy source I GUESS. In addition the noodle itself is very glutinous. It's so fantastic and you can't miss it!

I guess I am very lucky- I am back in Australia-at least for a while, and my wife is a Vietnamese chef-so I get plenty of great Vietnamese food even here.
I guess my all time favourite is bahn Xeo, but there are so many that I like.
The dish we hear so much about, but I don't like is Pho.

I like Heo Sua. I also like Pho etc.but it is so hot here at the mo I can't really enjoy it. Steaming bowls of broth when it is 40 degrees C is not conducive to feeling good to me. I like the salads and fruit.

ttrconnors wrote:

I guess I am very lucky- I am back in Australia-at least for a while, and my wife is a Vietnamese chef-so I get plenty of great Vietnamese food even here.
I guess my all time favourite is bahn Xeo, but there are so many that I like.
The dish we hear so much about, but I don't like is Pho.

Banh xeo gets my vote.
And I'm not a fan of Pho either.
It seems to be the National custom to ask a foreigner about Pho and if, God forbid,  they say they don't like it,
well the Vietnamese you're talking to makes a strange face as if they're being choked.
Bun Bo Hue is my choice for hot soup with noodles.
But the locals just shrug and say 'yes,it ok' if I tell them.

On topic precisely, I enjoy the egg duck; lizard freshly BBQ'ed; goat hotpot; Cobia hotpot.
They're not exactly unique,however are Vietnamese cuisines.

I'm a huge fan of all the fresh salads I enjoyed around Hoi An.  It's usually my number one rule not to eat uncooked food, expecially veggies, but we never had an issue.  Everyplace had a slightly different sauce.  Calamari salad was my favorite, I've never had calamari so tender as I found in Central Vietnam.

I'm quite picky about food.... so far i'm liking their spring rolls. I don't like pho and other noodle stuffs.... hoping to discover something amazingly delicious here... well i can start from the response here, it would be a good recommendation.

Hi all these guys are awesome and all the hard work is done for you as far as restaraunts and eateries go, also very inexpensive good service as far as regular events go too, - meetup.com/cities/vn/thanh_pho_ho_chi_minh

A few years ago I spent 2 months of my 60th motor biking my way from Saigon to Hanoi, along the coast( and off Highway 1) in search of the perfect mud crab. To me ,Cua Rang Me(mud crab wok tossed in a tamarind purée with a bit of garlic, ginger, chilli etc) exemplifies the pure simplicity and exquisiteness of Vn cuisine . This, along with a bowl of sour green mango and herb salad, puts me in heaven every time.
   Found the perfect Cua Rang Me ,on the beach, in the last of a row of tent restaurants, at the back of Chu Lai  airport, just south of Tam Ky, Quang Nam province.

Hey all.  Great topic.  I am arriving in HCM city in early Sept and looking forward to some fantastic street food.  I've started my "must try list" from tis post.

I am also looking for some contact info for great couples adventures (oh, and a very good flower shop).  One of those is finding a great meal on a river cruise.  Does anyone have suggestions for a good dinner cruise?

Mike

Thank yu this is a great topic to discuss.  You are wonderful for taking the time to prepare this page and keep it going.

I have nothing to add on the food or tastes of Viet Nam yet because I am not there yet.  So I have not experienced the local foods although I have eaten in VN restaurants here in the US, I do not remember any of the items I have tried.

Banh bao, xoi, keo chi, bap xao, banh trang tron, banh cong, cha gio, bo bia, kem xoi dua, mi quang, banh chung ngot, com chay cha bong, nem nuong, banh chuoi, banh chuoi nep nuong, banh xep, banh can, goi du du... and all of the pastries.. I know there's many more which I love.

I really like all the snacks, but am not fond of the dishes. Too much unusual meat. I don't eat seafood either so that crosses out many. And hot broth is not appealing to the belly in such heat, really.

I was just thinking about xoi chien yesterday, I miss those. There's bot chien down my road, I haven't tried those yet.

Have you tried: goi cuon (spring rolls), cha gio (egg rolls), chao tom (ground shrimp grilled around sugar cane stick), ca kho to (caramelized fish), thit kho tau (caramelized pork cooked in coconut juice), thit heo ram (caramelized pork), bun thit nuong (BBQ pork mixed with noodle, fresh vegetables & fish sauce), bun thang (north VN noodle soup, very different from Pho), banh canh cua (central VN crab noodle soup), hu tieu (south vn soup)? They are all very good, worth trying!

I had drink on the street today where the lady smashed up some seeded fruit with sugar and water. I don't know what it was but it was sooo good.

echamberlain wrote:

I had drink on the street today where the lady smashed up some seeded fruit with sugar and water. I don't know what it was but it was sooo good.

Does it has some seeded fruit like that? This is Basil seeds

Red shoes,
Thanks for mentioning salads being safe to eat.  I'm from California and I'm moving to Hoi An and I love a good salad. 
Cheers,
Ken

ain't all foods in vietnam great! other than those that was mentioned. I like banh uot or banh cuon. a great light meal ideal for breakfast. don't have it without that fried prawn cake?

there is a dessert or snack I do not know the name to, but it is like a type of rice wrapped around banana. it's grilled and served with coconut cream.. mmmm..

What is in bot chien? I'm curious because"chien" reminds me of a word in French, & French was once spoken prolifically amongst the non-Vietnamese.

Thank you for describing what each Vietnamese dish is in English as this provides very helpful and useful information that is much appreciated.

Kind regards,

CaliFemme

Hi Califemme,

Am glad my post helped . Bot Chien means Flour for Frying, not dog flour! Hope that helps too! Enjoy Vietnam!

My hometown is Tam Ky, Quang Nam. I'm so pround of that when I hear you talk about "Cua rang me" in it.

Do you know state of food in Vietnam are so different from  the north,  south or middle?  Hochiminh is southern,  Hanoi is northern,  Hoi An ,  Hue,   Da Nang are middle,  Ben Tre, Mekong river is western.

CaliFemme wrote:

What is in bot chien? I'm curious because"chien" reminds me of a word in French, & French was once spoken prolifically amongst the non-Vietnamese.

It looks like white cubes and is made from rice flour. They crack one or two eggs with it and sprinkle some shallots over the top. Served with fish sauce.

The ones I like are double fried to make them really crispy. Traditional types are plain.