This week, I’m taking some time off to participate in the Himalayan Travel Mart Nepal Conference. Look for lots of great content about that soon.
In my absence, I’ve asked my friend and fellow foodie Jason, from Edible Adventure Travel to guest post. He was the first person who came to mind when I thought about who is as passionate about both food and travel as I am.
Check out his top picks for must-try dishes from Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnamese food also happens to be one of my favorites!
So you’ve decided to travel to Vietnam? Take a look at this Unique Phan Rang Food You Have to Try.
Best of Vietnamese Food
Vietnam is a foodie’s paradise. This is the only country I’ve visited where all I wanted to consume was more and more Vietnamese food, and often too much. I just couldn’t stop myself. Not once did I crave other cuisines. I nearly forgot they existed.
Every bit of Vietnamese food was pure pleasure. It was bliss.
The freshness of the herbs, the variety of condiments, the pungent fragrance of fish sauce, all worked together in perfect harmony. Vietnamese cuisine is something your taste buds don’t simply forget, but fiercely desire. For food lovers, the first bite will likely ensure your inevitable return, or in any case, get my fix whenever I can.
Pho Bo
This soup, the country’s national dish and famous worldwide, can be found just about anywhere — from restaurants to the better option — a little street stall with plastic stools to park your rear on. Pulling your knees to your chest as you pluck the Thai basil into the steaming broth and slurp back a warming bowl of heaven while watching the bustle of the street, it’s a quintessential moment for me when I arrive in Vietnam.
A beef broth flavored with lemongrass, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon creates an aroma that draws you in. Although they vary from restaurant to stall to city, the accompaniments generally consist of beansprouts, scallions, thinly sliced onion, Thai basil, fresh chilies, and lime. Fresh rice noodles fill the bowl, which is topped with shaved beef. A true asterpiece of the Vietnamese food. Also try Pho Ga, the chicken version.
Bun Cha – 1 Hang Manh, Hanoi
While this dish can also be found nearly anywhere, this restaurant has developed a reputation as the Bun Cha institution. The 4 or 5 floors are always crowded and spilling out onto the street with locals, nomads working in the country, and tourists alike. For about $5 USD, a touch more than your typical street fair, you are guaranteed to leave full. A bowl of ‘bun’, rice noodles is placed in front of you besides another bowl of sweet and sour broth with perfectly char-grilled pork belly and paddies floating in it. Don’t worry, the obligatory plate of herbs/greens is never far away. This dish is believed to have originated in Hanoi, so there really is no better place to try this Vietnamese food.
Note: The address above also serves crispy and succulent Nem Cua Be (crabmeat spring rolls).
Bun Thang
This chicken-based rice noodle soup resembles Pho Ga, but it is worlds apart. Aside from a different rice noodle (bun), the toppings also differ from Pho Ga. Placed separately, the ingredients create a mosaic-like design and are topped with an array of shredded chicken, pork roll, herbs/green onions, sliced omelette, mushrooms, and a small dollop of shrimp paste, which gives the broth its unique flavor when it is mixed in. The past isn’t overpowering but gives it a touch of salty depth.
Bun Rieu – 11 Hang Bac, Hanoi
Another soup (you can never have enough soup in Vietnam), but completely different yet again, this dish is made with a crab and tomato-based broth that has a slight sourness given from tamarind or lime. The small freshwater paddy crabs are used to make both the broth and fluffy crab-like cakes that float in the red-orange liquid. Already a thing of glory, fried tofu and scallions are added, and it’s time to eat, but not before the condiments and herbs are added. Bun Oc, a variation of this dish, is made with snails instead of crab.
Xoi Xeo – Restaurant called Xoi Yen, 35b Nguyen Huu Huan, Hanoi
This restaurant was 3 or 4 stories of organized chaos and teamed with people in every corner. On the main floor, production was a fine-tuned assembly line with loaded bowls flying out. The place was packed with primarily locals. I ordered the basic dish to start, Xoi Xeo with chicken. Sticky rice with turmeric gives the dish a pale yellow color on the bottom, and a pressed mung bean paste is thinly shaved over the rice. Sliced chicken and a spoonful of fried shallots finish up one of the most seemingly simple dishes, yet the flavors and contrasts in texture are sublime. Accompaniments other than chicken include crispy pork belly, Chinese sausage, and egg.
Banh Goi
Also known as ‘pillow cakes’, the best way to describe this dish is as a Vietnamese empanada: a thin dough loaded with pork, glass noodle, and mushrooms before being fried to perfection. Paired with a sweet and sour sauce with green papaya, garlic, and chilies for dipping, the perfect light snack is laid out before you.
Egg Coffee
Originating in Hanoi, this unique take on coffee can be found across the city in numerous cafes. Egg yolks are tempered with sugar and coffee, and condensed milk and cheese are also possible additions. To me, it seemed closer to a coffee-flavoured egg foam and was so thick I ate most of it with a spoon. For the coffee aficionado, it can’t be missed.
Balut
Known chiefly as a Filipino delicacy, this developing duck embryo also appears all over Vietnam. My first taste was here in Hanoi. The maturity of the egg is a matter of local preference. Hard-boiled, it tastes similar to a regular egg with a couple of different textures that likely aren’t common in your typical breakfast. Depending on maturity, the beak, bones, and the odd feather may have begun developing. While not necessarily the most visually appealing in all its veiny delight, and you may have to do some searching to find it, it is definitely worth a try.
Snake
The snake village, only 20-30 minutes outside the Old Quarter, hosted one of my most unique meals. After the beating heart of the snake is swallowed by the guest of honor, the aperitifs are next. Snake blood and bile are mixed separately with rice whiskey and followed by 6-12 courses of snake in various preparations. Snake spring rolls, meatballs, ribs, liver/skin stir fry, and bones crushed with spices, just to name a handful. It was a memorable evening to say the very least. This Vietnamese food was the most unique i have tried on this list.
While Hanoi is one of my favored cities throughout Vietnam, most, if not all, of these edibles can be found country-wide. A full list of things to consume in this spectacular country would be unending and near impossible to complete, although it is definitely worth a try. This is just a shortlist to get you started on the culinary trail Vietnam has to offer, a path I hope to continue someday soon to satisfy that itch my palate gets from time to time.
And no, I didn’t forget Banh Mi, the best sandwich in the world. It’s just that the best one is in Hoi An.
Author Bio:
To sum up my life in a few words: cooking, eating and traveling. Cooking and wanderlust were embedded in me at a young age. I attended culinary school at the drug-addled, booze-soaked age of 19. All the while, the itch to travel more consistently was always there, but I didn’t know how to approach it and only took occasional vacations.
After my apprenticeship, I took a hiatus from the typical confines of a kitchen and set out on a journey to discover a more global kitchen. I realized I could embrace all three passions at once, and I’ve never looked back. I’ve developed a love of all things Asian and am currently working/traveling in the Canadian Arctic.
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Wow, all of that delicious food! The pictures are beautiful and made my mouth water. I love Vietnamese food! I’m not sure about the snake meal, however. 😀
The snake itself may surprise you, but the blood and bile shots are well, memorable to say the least.
Lots of different varieties of food I would love to try when I finally reach Vietnam. Not sure if I can handle the snake mind you 😀
I never tried Vietnamese cuisine, so now I’m wondering how different it is from Japanese or Chinese cuisine? I see dishes that look like ramen and gosh. You made me hungry!
I will take a Balut. That is lovely collection of Vietnamese cuisine. Love the presentation as well.
Vietnam is definitely on my bucket list and these amazing foods make me want to visit even more! Thanks for sharing.
Wow! So exotic. I do love some Pho but not sure I could eat many of the other dishes listed. I’m not very adventurous with food.
Oh, my . . . I LOVE Vietnamese cuisine and I thought I tasted most of its main dishes during my trip to Vietnam but how wrong I was! My favorite is still pho bho and I had great (pork) sandwiches in Hoi An but I am not sure I am talking about Bahn Mi? Never heard or saw the egg coffee but I am not sure I would like to try, lol
There is so much variety in Vietnamese food. Like in any foreign country, I suppose one needs to get familiar with the names and what the dishes stand for….and then experimenting gets easy. I would never try the snake dishes, though.
Some of those foods look great, though some I don’t want to try. Snake I don’t think I will ever try. I did try a tarantula when I was there which was interesting, but I think I have tried a few of these dishes.
Yum Yum Yum! Well except for the snake that’s GROSS I was going to say where was the Banh Mi (that’s my fav), Haha but yes you are right it was best in Hoi Ann! You have made me miss Vietnam again- I was just getting over it after I wrote my Vietnam guide haha
Don’t think we’ve tried Vietnamese food before but you’re pictures sure do make it look tasty! All the spices must give their dishes a great flavor.
Awesome, I am going here soon so need some places to Visit. I would like to try the dish from Bahn gon. I love yummy food but it is always best to know where others enjoyed to avoid disappointments
Awesome list! I am hoping to go to Cambodia sometime this year and I always have to try the local food when I visit a new country.
Local food is the main reason I travel!
I was trying to see if there was anything vegetarian in the list, but was disappointed 🙂 I know that there are many options for vegetarians and vegans as well in Vietnam. The snake looks intriguing!
Perhaps it is a foodies paradise. I am not sure if I could taste all of them though! 🙂 🙂
While in major part of India, people may not eat these exotic (read snake) dishes 🙂 but I am told there are tribes who do eat them in far flung regions.
Like Sandy, I searched for veg options too 😀 But I know Vietnam is more meat friendly 🙂 I can they the egg coffee. Sounds unique 🙂
Well you started well but lost me at egg coffee….ewwww! We’re off to Vietnam soon and I can’t wait to sit on a tiny plastic stool and eat my first pho, it’s been too long. You can keep the snake heart though…
Thanks for this post Jason 🙂 I love Vietnamese food though have only eaten it here in Australia, I can imagine obviously you need to travel to the country of origin to taste the true cuisine. Had no idea that Balut was present throughout Vietnam too – I had the chance to eat this recently in the Philippines though will admit to passing lol! I’ve seen many documentaries which show Vietnamese catching and eating snake – very interesting!
Oh my gosh, this all looks so delicious. I am obsessed with Vietnamese food and cannot wait to travel to Vietnam one day and eat ALL the food! Great post 🙂
The egg coffee looks great. I think I will skip the snake. Ouch…
A coffee aficionado I am, so this egg coffee business has me intrigued!!! Vietnamese food is possibly my most fave of Asian dishes too, cannot get enough of it either. Loved this post, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the great recommendations. Which bahn mi shop is the best in Hoi An?
We went to Hanoi just recently and we enjoyed sampling all the must-eats in Hanoi. Our favorites would be Pho, Bun Bo Nam Bo, Egg coffee and Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk. You’ll definitely enjoy your stay in Hanoi if you like to eat because every corner offers tasty Vietnamese dishes.
I love all of those except the sweetened condensed milk– it’s too sweet for me!
Oh yeah, I couldn’t agree with you more that Balut is one of the specialities that you should try when coming to Vietnam. I rarely see bloggers include this dish in the food list; thus, I’m very happy and excited about reading your blog. I hope that you will give a new and different insight into Vietnam via your travelling experiences. One thing I’m not in favour of putting snake into this list. I think it’s not appropriate and definitely Vietnamese people hardly eats dishes which are processed by snake. Anyways, thanks for your post!
That’s interesting to know- thank you so much for the follow up! Maybe the snake eating is more for tourists.
Oh, the dreaded Balut … I feared it would be in this article. Takes a lot of guts ! The first and only time I tried my tongue dit NOT enjoy that bloody taste.