Discover the four essential Vietnamese dishes – Phở, Bánh Mì, Bún Chả, and Bánh Xèo – you need to know before your trip. We also provide Vietnamese phrases to request omitting cilantro, an herb that often divides opinions. Order with confidence like a local!
One of the unmissable joys of a trip to Vietnam is its food. While Phở and Bánh Mì are already familiar in Korea, knowing Bún Chả and Bánh Xèo too will make your time deliberating over menus much more enjoyable. Today, we'll cover these four representative Vietnamese dishes, along with cilantro, an herb that appears in almost every Vietnamese dish.
Phở is a noodle dish made with flat rice noodles served in a beef or chicken broth. It's characterized by its clear and deep broth. Northern Hanoi-style Phở is known for being light and subtly aromatic, while Southern Ho Chi Minh City-style often has a sweeter and richer broth, typically enjoyed with bean sprouts, various herbs, and sauces. Of course, these are general tendencies, and there can be significant stylistic differences between restaurants. To enhance the flavor, squeeze in some lime juice and add chili sauce or hoisin sauce to your liking.
Bánh Mì is a baguette sandwich, a remnant of French colonial times. A crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside baguette is sliced open, spread with pâté and mayonnaise, then layered with ingredients like sliced pork or meatballs, pickled carrots and daikon radish, cucumber, cilantro, and chili. The magic is in the first bite, where you simultaneously taste savory, tangy, spicy, and rich flavors. The fillings vary widely from shop to shop, so even the same Bánh Mì can offer a slightly different taste experience each time.
Bún Chả is a dish featuring charcoal-grilled pork (minced pork patties and pork belly slices) served in a sweet and sour Nước Mắm dipping sauce with pickled carrots and papaya, accompanied by cold rice vermicelli (bún) and various fresh herbs. It is frequently mentioned as a signature dish of Hanoi. The eating method is simple: take some noodles, meat, and herbs, place them into your sauce bowl, and dip them as you eat. The sweet and sour flavor of the sauce itself enhances the taste of the noodles and meat, so ensuring everything is well-coated in the sauce is key.
Bánh Xèo is a dish where a thin batter made from rice flour and turmeric powder is fried until golden, then filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts, and folded into a half-moon shape. As its name, meaning 'sizzling,' suggests, it's named after the sound the batter makes when poured into the pan. It's primarily enjoyed in the Southern and Central regions, with variations in size and thickness depending on the area (Central versions are often smaller and thicker, while Southern ones are typically larger and crispier). Instead of cutting and eating it whole, it's common to wrap pieces of Bánh Xèo with herbs in rice paper or lettuce and dip them into Nước Chấm sauce.
Cilantro is an herb that features in almost all Vietnamese dishes. In Vietnamese, it's called 'ngò' or, depending on the region, 'rau mùi.' Its distinctive aroma makes it a polarizing ingredient; for some, it's a refreshing and clean scent, while for others, it tastes like soap. If the smell of cilantro is off-putting, you can usually be understood by saying "không ngò" (meaning "please remove cilantro") when ordering. You don't need to pronounce the tones perfectly; just remembering this phrase will be a great help for communication locally.
Knowing just these phrases will make ordering at local restaurants much easier.
Phở, Bánh Mì, Bún Chả, and Bánh Xèo are all signature Vietnamese dishes, each with its own unique charm. And cilantro, appearing throughout, can be a nostalgic aroma for some, or an insurmountable barrier for others. On this trip, we hope you'll try each of these four dishes, adding or omitting cilantro to suit your taste, and create your own culinary journey through Vietnam.
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