Vietnamese street food is 1 of the top reasons why tourists visit and keep coming back to this country. Each dish is simply made but has a perfect balance of spices and ingredients. Any visitor will feel pleased with the taste and smell of each food.
In this article, we recommend the top 10 most popular street foods that you should try during your trip to Vietnam. These dishes are the favorite of both locals and foreigners. Let’s fill your food list!
1. Banh Mi
Banh Mi Vietnamese street food is a French baguette, made in Vietnamese style. This food is widely known around the world and is even served in restaurants in different countries.
The chef fills in the Banh Mi with different kinds of toppings, such as fried eggs, grilled pork, pate, beef, quick-fried chicken, and fresh vegetables. The toppings are optional so that you can decide to put what you like in the baguette.
You can eat Banh Mi for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is a kind of fast food that is sold anywhere in Vietnam. You may find tons of vendors selling this food on every street. The price for Banh Mi is also very affordable. Depending on the toppings and the sellers, a Banh Mi may cost from 15.000 dong to 85.000 dong.
2. Pho
It is a miss if we don’t mention Pho Vietnamese street food. This food is a symbolic representation of the entire Vietnamese culinary culture.
As you order a bowl of Pho, the chef will serve you chewy rice noodles in a hot savory broth. You definitely will feel amazed by the tender flavor of the broth, as it is used to stew beef (chicken), and bones, with local herbs for hours. The locals say that the longer the broth is cooked, the tastier it will be.
You can find Pho everywhere in Vietnam. There are a lot of vendors and restaurants that sell this food, with a wide variety of toppings, such as boiled chicken (Pho Ga), sliced beef (Pho Bo), and beef stew with wine sauce (Sot Vang). The average price for a bowl of traditional Pho is about 35.000 dong – 50.000 dong.
3. Bun Cha
Bun Cha is another common dish in Vietnam. The best time to eat this food is at breakfast or lunch. The highlights of this dish are thin rice noodles (Bun), charcoal-grilled meatballs (Cha Bam), and charcoal-grilled pork slices (Cha Mieng).
The meat is served in a bowl of dipping sauce, along with a dish of fresh vegetables, such as lettuce leaf and bean sprouts.
There are 2 ways to eat Bun Cha. You can dip the rice noodles directly in the bowl and enjoy it. The other way is to use a lettuce leaf to roll the noodles, bean sprouts, and meat. And then dip the roll into the sauce.
The origin of Bun Cha Vietnamese street food is in Hanoi. But you can buy this dish everywhere in Vietnam. A dish of Bun Cha costs about 30.000 dong – 50.000 dong.
4. Banh Trang Nuong (Vietnamese Pizza)
Banh Trang Nuong is considered a Vietnamese Pizza. It is a quick street food that you can eat at any time of the day.
Rice paper is the main ingredient of this Vietnamese pizza street food. The chef grills it on a charcoal fire and puts on top of it optional toppings, including minced pork, eggs, prawn, sliced sausages, dry shrimps, fried onions, and more.
You can find this food in different places in Vietnam. But in Saigon – its origin, Banh Trang Nuong tastes the best. The price of Vietnamese Pizza is just 10.000 dong – 20.000 dong.
5. Xoi
During your trip to Vietnam, don’t forget to experience the Xoi – Vietnamese sticky rice. The rice is steamed-cooked and kept warm in a slow-cooker.
As you order the Xoi, the chef will take out the rice and fill on top with some toppings (onions, green beans, peanut) to make it savory. The traditional version of Xoi includes Xoi Lac (sticky rice with peanut), Xoi Xeo (sticky rice with ground green beans), and Xoi Gac (sticky rice with Gac fruit).
Today, many vendors and restaurants create new versions of Xoi to attract buyers. You can see the sticky rice filled with meat sauce, along with sunnyside eggs, braised meat, pate, and sausage.
The price of traditional Xoi is about 8.000 dong – 15.000 dong, while a box of meat-sauce Xoi costs about 25.000 dong – 55.000 dong.
6. Banh Xeo
If you like food that has a crunchy and savory flavor, Banh Xeo will please you at best. This Vietnamese fried crepe includes turmeric rice flour filled with ground pork, sliced shrimps, bean sprouts, and fried onions. The entire Banh Xeo is grilled on a hot pan until its cover is crispy and the color turns dark yellow.
The dish is served with vegetables and rice paper, along with a small bowl of sauce. You can dip the Banh Xeo in the sauce and eat it directly, or roll it in rice paper with vegetables.
Banh Xeo is common in many street vendors, but the best place is in Danang or Hoi An. The cost of this food is from 25.000 – 35.000 dong.
7. Banh Cuon
If you want to avoid fried food, we recommend you Banh Cuon. It is healthy food in Vietnam, mainly used by locals for breakfast and lunch.
The wet rice flour is steamed until it is soft and filled with minced pork, onions, scallion, coriander, and local herbs. The food is completed when the rice flour is rolled up and covers all the ingredients. You dip each piece of roll into a special fishy sauce before eating it. It tastes good when the rolls are still hot and soft.
Banh Cuon does not cost much. You can buy a dish of it for 15.000 dong – 30.000 dong.
8. Com Tam
Com Tam is the symbolic representative of Saigon culinary culture. Don’t consider this food like any other ordinary rice dish. Com Tam pleases locals and foreigners with its unique, floral taste.
The rice is softly cooked and served with special toppings like grilled ribs, Cha Trung (steamed egg meatloaf), vegetables, and sunnyside eggs. The highlight of Com Tam is the chilly spicy fish sauce. Before eating the food, make sure that you pour the sauce onto the rice to increase the savory taste.
This Vietnam street food cost is a little bit high compared to other dishes. A dish of Com Tam costs from 45.000 dong – 85.000 dong.
9. Bun Bo Hue
As the name suggests, Bun Bo Hue is the specialty of Hue, a province in central Vietnam. While Pho tastes a little bit sweet and light, Bun Bo Hue will appetize you with its strong spicy flavor.
The ingredients for this food are thick rice noodles and spicy beef soup. The soup is cooked by stewing beef shank, pig’s feet, bloody cubes, local herbs, and spices for many hours continuously for a tasty and strong flavor.
You can buy Bun Bo Hue anywhere in Vietnam. However, if your itinerary includes Hue as a destination, better wait until you come here to experience the original taste. You will need to pay about 35.000 dong – 65.000 dong for this Vietnamese dish.
10. My Quang (Quang Noodles)
My Quang is a common dish in central Vietnam. There are 2 things that make this food special, which are the noodles and toppings.
Unlike Pho or Bun, Quang noodles are cut into very thick pieces. The taste of these noodles is balanced between softness and chewiness. Sellers make new sets of Quang noodles every day so that you can always experience the freshest taste.
The plus point for My Quang is the wide variety of optional toppings. A basic bowl comes with roasted pork, lettuce, local herbs (mint, basil, garlic, traditional onions), and sweet pork-based savory broth. You can request the chef to put on other delicious toppings such as fried shrimp, quailed eggs, crushed peanuts, beef, and chicken.
My Quang is very common in central Vietnam provinces and cities, like Danang, Hoi An, and Quang Nam. You just need to pay about 35.000 dong – 70.000 dong for a delicious bowl of Quang noodles.
Final Thoughts
Among the top 10 popular dishes, which Vietnamese street food attracts you most? Each food has its unique flavor. We advise you to try all these foods during your Vietnam travel.
Vietnam’s culinary culture is famous because of not only these 10 dishes. There are also more great foods you can try during your journey. Make sure that you subscribe to our website to not miss any new updates. It is our pleasure to help you complete your food list and travel plan in Vietnam!
>> Read more: Top 6 Best Places To Go In Vietnam