The Best Vietnamese Food I Had In Vietnam | What To Eat in Vietnam

Rich in history, culture, hospitality and food, I spent a month in Vietnam travelling from North to South and sampling the best Vietnamese food I could find. Noodle broths for breakfast, banh mi’s for lunch and sweet coffee at all hours, here’s all the ideas for what to eat in Vietnam.

I look back on my photos and those flavours, spices and blends come rushing back to my buds as if I were there yesterday.

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Contents

1. Mien Ga

Mien Ga was the first Vietnamese food I’ve had in my life. After a flight from Thailand, we landed in Hanoi and was taken to a local street vendor with someone from the hostel for this chicken glass noodle soup. And a crisp local beer to accompany.

Note: Vietnamese Beer is in abundance and you can find local beers in most places you visit. The cheapest beer I had was 10 pence in Hoi An!

Book Your Place at a Hanoi Night Market Tour Here!

2. Pho – The Best Vietnamese Food I Had in Vietnam

Probably the most famous Vietnamese food is Pho and deliciously enjoyed for breakfast, but for the best dishes you need to know where to find Pho in Vietnam.

My best bowl of Pho was in my least favourite place of Nha Trang because a local who worked in our accommodation went out at 7am and got us the best dish (and for local prices) and we enjoyed it together.

3. Banh Mi

I would go back to Vietnam any day for the country’s Banh Mi. I’ve tried them outside Vietnam and they just don’t cut it. Banh Mi is the French-influenced Vietnamese sandwich found all over the country but perfected in Hoi An.

You get a crusty roll usually with pork filling and a chilli paste. I got one of these in Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh, Sapa and Hanoi. They just don’t get old and it’s unmissable for what to eat in Vietnam.

4. Bun Cha

Bun Cha was one of the first Vietnamese meals I ate on the streets of Hanoi. It consists of a broth with pork and sides of rice noodles and greens. I love how you’re given the ingredients separate and with chopsticks, add the noodles and greens yourself.

This is a dish that you have to eat on plastic chairs and table from a street vendor amongst the bustling capital city.

5. Dinner and Breakfast with Hmong Tribe

You can’t visit Sapa in Vietnam without experiencing a homestay with a Hmong Tribe. I trekked and stayed with a family who provided us with their home-cooked dinner and breakfast the following morning. I found my own family to trek and stay with by asking around on arrival but you can pre-book a Sapa trek here with Get Your Guide.

Dinner included gorgeous home-made spring rolls after rice, veggies and chicken. Breakfast of pancakes and eggs set us up for a 4 hour trek back to Sapa town.

6. Cha Ca

Cha Ca is a Vietnamese fish cake/patty and I enjoyed this in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. I don’t have a picture of Cha Ca (it’s not the best looking thing) but the taste is truly exquisite and perfect for a snack on a walk or late night.

7. Cook Your Own BBQ in Danang

I didn’t explore Danang in the way I’ve read about on other Vietnam travel blogs but something that stood out was stumbling upon this cook-your-own BBQ. We had an array of food that we took our time to cook on the table’s BBQ and although I never got the name of the venue it was definitely South Korean-inspired.

Part-way through dinner we were invited to drink with locals on another table. We didn’t speak a word of Vietnamese and they didn’t speak a word of English but we bonded well over food, Tiger beers and learning ‘cheers’ in Vietnamese.

8. Morning Glory / Water Spinach

I’ve had this dish in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia so I don’t know where it originates. I also don’t know what it’s truly called because everywhere I’ve been they say morning glory but is this an inside joke or is it just the slang name?

Anyways, I LOVE IT! If you’re backpacking South East Asia, get as much of this dish as you can, it is truly the definition of mouth-watering. Honestly, I cannot think of anything that fills my mouth with saliva more than this right here.

9. Com Tam

Com Tam is a dish of rice, bbq pork and a fried egg on top and I may not have noticed in in other places of Vietnam, but it grabbed my attention in Ho Chi Minh City on every street corner.

I devoured this one with just a tree trunk wedged between our plastic table and the thousands of scooters on the road. I returned the next day for a bbq in the same spot and enjoyed it just as much.

Purchase A Night Ho Chi Minh Food Tour Here!

10. Buffet on Ha Long Bay Cruise

The food on board our Ha Long Bay cruise was out-of-this-world good. We went with Ethnic Travel for our private boat and the standard of the food made up for the trip’s price tag. 😉

Buy Your Own Ha Long Bay Day Trip Here!

11. Bun Bo Hue

Bun Bo Hue is similar to Pho in that its noodles in a broth but contains thicker noodles and usually served with beef. We had the most delicious Bun Bo Hue (it originated in Hue but we missed the memo on that one) in Ho Chi Minh down a dim alley on plastic chairs and it’s seriously the best way to eat Vietnamese food.

Vietnamese Coffee

I know this post is about the best Vietnamese food I had in Vietnam but the coffee has to feature here because it’s THAT good. Hands down, the best coffee I’ve ever had in the world is from Vietnam. So much so that when we came home, Scott ordered me this Vietnamese coffee maker for Christmas.

The best way to try Vietnamese coffee is if you see that it’s served in a special filtered way so that the cup has a filter on top that slowly drips the coffee through, then it is topped with sweet, condensed milk.

The iced Vietnamese coffee is also a winner for me. I even got obsessed with the canned coffee from the shops and had one with me wherever I travelled.

Honourable Mentions

There’s lots of dishes I tried but didn’t make the cut for this list and more Vietnamese food I’ve read about that I’ll be trying on my return such as:

• Ban Beo in Hue
• Pork with Lemongrass in Hue
• Cao Lao in Hoi An
• Bahn Xeo in Hoi An
• White Rose Dumplings in Hoi An
• White Wine in Da Lat
• Lotteria (Vietnam’s Fast Food Chain)
• Greek Platter in Nha Trang
• Chicken and Prawn Stir Fry in Ho Chi Minh
• Banh Canh in Ho Chi Minh
• Bo Luc Lac / Shaking Beef in Ho Chi Minh (didn’t take pictures or write the name of the place otherwise would have been featured)

Thanks for reading about the best Vietnamese food I had in Vietnam!

My Food Blog Posts:

• Dishes to Try in Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Best Street Food in Penang, Malaysia
• Restaurants To Visit in Melbourne, Australia
• 5 Top Khao Soi in Chiang Mai, Thailand

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