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Written by Aimee White - SEO Copywriter at Explore Worldwide
Date Published: 12 June 2024
 
Vietnamese cuisine uses fresh, fragrant flavours to create some of the best food that southeast Asia has to offer. Vietnam's street food is hard to beat, with crispy pancakes and slurpable noodle soups to tuck into. Common foods in Vietnam tend to include mounds of noodles, ladles of rich broth and generous toppings of coriander, peanuts and chilli. If you're feeling tempted, check out our Taste of Vietnam - Halong Bay to the Mekong Delta trip.

Vietnam's food and drink options can be substituted with vegetarian and vegan fillings, too, so there's something for everyone.

These are the top 11 food and drink to try in Vietnam:
  1. Pho
  2. Banh mi
  3. Com tam
  4. Bun bo hue
  5. Cao lau
  6. Banh xeo
  7. Bun cha
  8. Goi cuon
  9. Che
  10. Coffee
  11. Cha ca
Read on to find out more about what to eat and drink in Vietnam:

Phở

Phở (pronounced "fuh") is the national dish of Vietnam. You won't have to search far for it, either, as you'll find phở on most menus across the country, from luxury resorts to streetside vendors. This delicious noodle soup is packed with ginger, coriander and spring onions, and slices of chicken, pork or beef, with a tasty chicken or beef broth to slurp your way through. Phở with tofu is a popular option if you're travelling to Vietnam as a vegetarian or vegan. Locals usually eat phở for breakfast or as a late-night snack, but you can enjoy this steaming hot bowl of goodness at any time of day.

Bánh mì

Bánh mì is one of Vietnam's most popular street foods, and can be enjoyed hot or cold, making it an ideal breakfast, lunch or on-the-go snack. Thick French baguettes are filled with meat (usually pork), carrots, cucumber and coriander, and doused in mayonnaise. There are vegetarian and vegan bánh mì options at Banh Mi Phuong in Hoi An. This small Banh Mi shop was made famous by Anthony Bourdain when he tucked into one of their tasty creations in xx. 

View our Hoi An tour

Coffee

Vietnam is one of the world's best coffee destinations. Vietnamese coffee uses the robusta bean and a dark roast, which gives it a sharper, bitter taste. In fact, Vietnam's coffee culture is so huge that even Starbucks struggles to compete, and in some cities it feels as if every other building is a coffee shop. With that in mind, there's a cacophony of variations to try. Sip your way through traditional drip coffee in the countryside of Da Lat, creamy egg coffee (a Hanoi specialty), salt coffee (HUe) and coffee served with sweet, condensed milk.

Are your tastebuds tingling?

Eat your way through Vietnam's best eats, plus a huge range of regional specialties, on a tour to Vietnam. Our carefully crafted trips ensure that you see (and taste) the best that Vietnam has to offer. From trying fresh seafood in Ha Long Bay on our Family Vietnam In Depth tour to sampling Hanoi's street food on our Highlights of Vietnam and Cambodia tour, you'll struggle to forget your Vietnamese eating experience.

View all Vietnam tours