Vietnam Cuisine, Vietnam Food

++ Eat on Streets in Vietnam

Throughout Vietnam you’ll find street vendors selling rice-flower crackers, corn cobs (steamed, fried or grilled), fish balls, whole dried squid barbecued over coals, a myriad varieties of freshly cooked fritters, glutinous-rice and Chinese-style dumplings filled with tasty morsels and intriguing parcels steamed in banana leaves. During festivals you’ll find even more. Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, is without doubt the pinnacle of the street-food calendar when vendors go into overdrive as everyone snacks to their hearts’ content.

Thanks to Vietnam’s varied topography and climate, its cooks have an unusually broad range of ingredients to call on, from temperate fruits and vegetables grown in the cool uplands to the tropical bounty of the Mekong Delta, so you’ll find a great deal of regional variation in the food on offer: typical northern dishes include hotpots, rice gruels and sweet and sour soups, while southern flavours include curries and spicy dipping sauces, often married with a touch of sugar and coconut milk to balance the heat. Throughout Vietnam you’ll find a strong vegetarian tradition, a legacy of Buddhism, while the French introduced dairy products, wheat-flour bread and pastries – baguette-sellers are a common sight in Vietnam’s markets.

Eating street food might seem a bit intimidating at first, but don’t be put off. Since most vendors and many street kitchens serve only one dish, and since everything is cooked in front of you, you can get a long way by simply pointing at what you want. If a whole range of prepared dishes and raw ingredients are on display, either on a table or behind glass, the place serves com binh dan, or people’s meals. Again, select the dishes you want by pointing and you’ll be given a small portion of each; it’s wise to ask how much it costs before you tuck in (you pay at the end). Next find a spare seat and the food will be brought to you when it’s ready.

On each table there’ll be chopsticks, metal spoons, small squares of paper (which serve as tiny napkins) and toothpicks. While you’re waiting, select a pair of chopsticks, and a spoon if you’re having soup, and wipe them thoroughly with some napkins – it won’t necessarily make them any cleaner but you’ll look like an expert. You’ll also find condiments such as salt and pepper, limes and chilli flakes or chilli sauce and bottles of nuoc mam, Vietnam’s famously pungent fish sauce, and often a bowl of salad greens, too, from which you help yourself.

There may be a waste bin under the table for the bones, shells, toothpicks, napkins and other debris, but if not just overcome your inhibitions and chuck it all on the floor. It’s also fine to slurp your noodles and to hold your rice bowl up to your mouth and shovel away.

++ North Vietnam Food

The quintessential street food is pho bo, a beef noodle soup, originating in Hanoi but now found throughout Vietnam. It’s primarily a breakfast dish, and on cold northern mornings you can’t miss the great, steaming cauldrons. Perch on one of the low stools and, after helping yourself to crunchy bean sprouts and salad greens heaped on the table, add a sprinkling of red chillies and a squeeze of lime to taste and tuck into a hearty bowlful of broth garnished with slivers of beef.

Another not-to-be-missed northern delicacy is bun cha: small pieces of pork are barbecued on an open brazier, giving off an unmistakable aromatic smoke that’s guaranteed to get the taste buds going, then served on a bed of cold rice noodles with a bowl of herbs and salad greens and a sour-sweet dipping sauce. Bun cha is often accompanied by a plate of nem (spring rolls), in this case deep-fried and filled with minced pork, rice vermicelli, finely chopped mushrooms and herbs. Or ring the changes with deep-fried crabmeat rolls, nem cua be.

Look out, too, for banh cuon – steamed, almost transparent, rice-flour pancakes folded over a dollop of minced pork and black mushrooms, garnished with deep-fried shallots and served with a light, sweetish dipping sauce.

++ Central and South Vietnam Food

While Hué is best known for its Imperial cuisine, it also has its own distinct street food. The traditional breakfast dish is bun bo, a flavoursome, slightly spicy take on the ubiquitous beef and rice-noodle soup, with citronella, shrimp and basil providing some extra zest. And make sure to try banh khoai – a cross between an omelette and a pancake, these crispy little egg and rice-flour crêpes combine shrimp, pork and bean sprouts. They’re served with a peanut and sesame sauce, herbs and various greens, plus star fruit and green banana for added texture and a burst of flavour.

Hoi An’s most famous dish is cao lau, a soup of rice-flour noodles, bean sprouts and pork crackling laced with mint and star anise. A close second, though, are the beautifully named banh bao ("white rose") – delicate parcels of minced crab or shrimp in manioc-flour wrappings which are sprinkled with crispy onion flakes and a light, slightly sweet lemon dressing.

Heading south, banh xeo – sizzling pancake – is similar to Hué’s banh khoai; wrap a small portion of pancake in rice paper with some herbs and salad leaves, then dunk it in a tangy sauce. A popular southern version of nem (spring rolls) sees barbecued pork strips, green banana and star fruit rolled in semi-transparent rice paper wrappers, and eaten with a rich peanut sauce.