Vietnamese food is ranked by travelers as some of the best in the world, and is well worth exploring. Strongly influenced by Chinese cuisine to the north and French cuisine during the colonial period, Vietnamese food is always packed full of flavor in a playful way, using simple ingredients.
Discover the Flavor: Vietnam
Vietnamese food works to satisfy the palate on five fundamental taste-fronts: sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty. These five tastes are perceived and used by locals to create balance in their food and lives. Most dishes have a central focus on one of the tastes, but some incorporate more than one or even all of the tastes.
The idea of creating balance in one's diet comes from the Chinese yin-yang, which focuses on using the "heating" and "cooling" properties of the ingredients to find balance and benefit the body. Certain dishes are served during certain times of year to help match an appropriate level of spiciness with the temperature.
The spices most commonly found in Vietnam are: palm sugar, chili, mint, coriander, fish sauce, salt, pepper, shrimp paste, coconut and cinnamon. Spices tend to vary from north to south, with the north being saltier and the south spicier.
Because of its long coastline, Vietnamese food is full of fresh seafood options. Chicken, pork, and beef are also used daily. Unlike in the west, most fish and meat is served on the bone. Moreover, all parts of the animal – including liver and intestines, for example – are incorporated into different dishes.
Vietnam's history of conflict has left much of its population poor, so most food ingredients there are inexpensive and locally grown. Oil and dairy products are used minimally. Most meat is cooked only for a short time, and vegetables are often served raw. All this has resulted in Vietnamese food being some of the healthiest in the world.
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Vietnam & UAE FANTASTIC tour! Thank you Albee Ning!
Albee was INCREDIBLE. She arranged a 9-day private tour of both North and South Vietnam. No stone was left unturned: a private cruise up the Mekong; excellent hotel reservations; personal, caring tour guides; More
Consumer, Jun 2020
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We traveled with Asia Highlights…
My husband and I had an absolutely wonderful 5 1/2 week trip that was organized by the exceptional Ruby Zhao. We have traveled a lot and Ruby is the VERY BEST AGENT we have ever had! More
Lurinda Smith Barton Barnwell, Mar 2020
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We were.very satisfied with Asia…Four Great Weeks in China and Viet Nam
Asia Highlights was very efficient at advising us on what to see and the best routes to take, but they were also very flexible in integrating our own ideas in regard of travel destinations and accommodations. More
Eva and Jim, Oct 2019
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Trip to Vietnam with Asia Highlights was well above expectations
My 12-day private trip to Vietnam was a very rewarding experience, and every day was fantastic, and well above expectations. My trip was perfectly well prepared and organized by Lissy Syoo from Asia Highlights, More
cdietp, May 2019
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Repeat Customer
We traveled with China Highlights in 2015 and were completely satisfied, so when they emailed that they now were arranging trips to SE Asia we didn't even consider looking at other tour companies. More
Terry, Feb 2019
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7-Day Vietnam Tour - Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Danang/Hoi An
Asia Highlights did a great job planning and executing our family’s trip around Vietnam. We have two young girls and wanted to have a balance of sightseeing and activities so nobody got bored. More
Andrew, Jan 2019
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We would like to thank Asia Highlights
We would like to thank Asia Highlights for a wonderful trip. Lissy was a joy to work with, in planning a vacation that took into account all our interests and was able to give us so much more than we expected. More
Victor Cognato, Dec 2018
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Vietnam with Asia Highlights
Just returned from Vietnam trip arranged by Albee at Asia Highlights.She was very helpful with the arrangements even when I requested multiple changes in the itinerary. More
Tom, Oct 2017
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Just came back from Vietnam/Cambodia…
Just came back from Vietnam/Cambodia trip via Asia Highlights and had a wonderful experience. The hotels they chosed for us were all very food. the guides were all very professional and spoke good English More
Yumin Zheng, Feb 2017
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Hot and Cold Foods
"Cool" meats include duck and seafood, and are often paired with ginger (a "warm" food) and served during the very hot summer. "Warm" and "hot" foods such as chicken, pork and beef are mainly eaten by locals in the winter. Vietnamese balance their spicy ("hot") food with sour, which is classified as a "cool" food.
Too much "hot" or "cold" food in your diet is thought to create an imbalance in your body and lead to illness. Thus in eastern medicine, diet is seen as one element in fighting any illness. By simply adding more "hot" or "cold" food to your diet, you can help your body regain its balance naturally.
Pho
Pho is a simple rice noodle soup, most commonly served with raw beef, cooked to perfection in steaming hot broth as you watch. The simple broth is a perfect base that can be flavored to suit your personal taste, with Vietnamese basil, mint leaves, lime, bean sprouts, fish sauce, hoisin sauce and/or chili.
Pho may be served with different meats. The classic pho is with beef, and usually the house special will have beef slices, beef balls, tripe, and other interesting parts of the cow. Most restaurants serving pho will also offer a seafood and chicken pho, and you can usually find a vegetarian pho option, with tofu instead of meat.
Pho is the national dish and can be found on almost every street corner in Vietnam. One of the best ways to experience this classic dish is at the local street stalls. Don't worry; if you join one of our tours, we can point out some of the better stalls to sample.
Spring Rolls
This dish is a great example of inexpensive and well balanced food. Traditionally it's made of rice paper stuffed with lots of vegetables, pork and or shrimp, accompanied by a wonderful peanut sauce for dipping.
Usually served fresh and not fried (though you can get them fried if you want), these treats are found everywhere; just ask for goicuon, that's what the locals call them.
Baguettes
Introduced to Vietnam during the French colonial period, this is a great fusion of eastern and western ingredients. With so many different meats and vegetables it's easy to find a baguette to suit the taste of everyone in your travel group.
Just remember the words banh mi, and you will be able to order a baguette anywhere in Vietnam.
Useful Phrases for Reading a Menu
- Phở – classic Vietnamese noodle dish
- Gỏicuốn – fresh spring rolls
- Chảgiò/nemrán – fried spring rolls
- Bánhmì kẹpthịt – meat-filled baguette
- Bánhmìốp la – a baguette with an egg fried sunny-side up
- Chay – (vegetarian), often added to the name of any dish with meat, meaning that tofu is substituted instead of meat.
- Bánh – pastry
Cooking Classes
One of the best ways to learn about a culture is through its food. Cooking classes are simple, can cater to most people's dietary needs, and will develop a skill you can use and cherish the rest of your life. Cooking's a great way to share the new culture with friends and family back home.
No matter where you plan to be in Vietnam we have found the perfect cooking class for you. Just take a look at our links below for more details on classes in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Hoi An. If you attend one, you will always be able to eat your favorite Vietnamese dishes in future.
Visit Vietnam with Asia Highlights
Asia Highlights welcomes the chance to help you design your perfect trip to Vietnam. Our knowledgeable staff will assist you in selecting destinations, accommodations and activities that best suit your requirements.
Check out the following links to learn more about our tours and get a head start on planning your hassle-free vacation today!
- 10-Day Best of Vietnam with Mekong Delta
- 13-Day Vietnam Classic Wonders with Sapa
- 14-Day Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos Tour
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It was a whirlwind across a number of cities, but a very comprehensive experience across the many sides and cultures of China. Most days had sufficient activities, but weren’t overwhelming, which was great.Across cities, we had excellent tour guides, like Kitty (Beijing), Jenny (Xian), William (Guilin/Yangshuo), Kris (Shanghai), and Tony (Yellow Mountains.)
moreFrom the time we landed in Beijing until we left, we were well taken care of. My wife and I had Lily Liu as our guide and she was amazing. From arranging visits to all the different sights, to teaching us the history, it was fantastic.
moreThe tour was excellent. Selinda was very knowledgeable about all the aspects of our tour. Selinda was very interesting and knew so much Chinese history
moreWe made a private tour through South China in January 2024. Altogether Chengdu was the highlight. We had an incredible day at Emeishan. In Chengdu our guidewas Helen. She was the diamond of all. Speaking fluently English, full of interesting stories, laughing and talking all the time. We missed her the rest of our tour. We highly recommend to go to Chengdu for 3 days when visiting China, especially with Helen.
moreOther highlights are too many to mention but here are a few Ken taking us to the Terracotta Warriors and our food tour in Xian was amazing,
moreOur day volunteering at the Panda Base was truly unforgettable. Helen, our guide, provided us with invaluable insights about Chengdu and the pandas, enriching our tour with her knowledge and expertise. We're grateful to Helen for accompanying us throughout the day and showcasing the highlights of China.
moreWe had a booking with China Highlights through Silvia Ye who guarenteed a perfect organisation. In Chengdu our guide was Helen. She was the diamond of all. Speaking fluently English, full of interesting stories, laughing and talking all the time. We missed her the rest of our tour. We highly recommend to go to Chengdu for 3 days when visiting China, especially with Helen.
moreWe traveled to China during the Chinese new year and we had Kris as our guide and he is simply knowledgeable,helpful and great.
moreWe visited Guilin for 2 days and stayed in the Guilin Waterfall hotel. Guilin was absolutely beautiful! Our guide, William, was very knowledgeable and kind! He taught us so much about Guilin and the surrounding area! We really enjoyed trying the specialty rice noodles of Guilin. Our highlight was the Li river cruise.
moreAmazing tour and the guide Mr. 贺霄 was very accommodating with our needs and request as we have bought our 2 years old with us. Well explained for all the place we visited. Any additional cost were informed well ahead and didn't felt any pressure if we opt not to go for additional detour. The trip was relaxing/ laid back/no rushing with zero shopping!
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