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Thali

🇻🇳 The food of Vietnam

34 dishes from Vietnam, best known first, across 7 cities and regions.

Vietnamese cooking is shaped by a balance of five tastes—sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and spicy—using fresh herbs, vegetables, and rice-based foods. Influences from China, France, and neighboring Southeast Asian cultures blend with local traditions, creating a cuisine known for its harmony of textures, vibrant presentation, and subtle use of spices.

  • Meals balance five tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, spicy.
  • Rice noodles and rice paper are staple ingredients.
  • Fish sauce is the key condiment in most dishes.
  • French baguettes became bánh mì with Vietnamese fillings.
  • Central Vietnam is known for spicy, decorative foods.

The cooking of Vietnam

Vietnamese food centers on balance: each dish aims to harmonize flavors, textures, and colors, often referencing a five-element philosophy. Meals use fresh ingredients, minimal oil or dairy, and a wide range of herbs such as mint, lemongrass, and basil. Rice is a foundation, appearing as noodles, wrappers, or flour. Chinese, French, and Southeast Asian influences have shaped the cuisine, introducing foods like wontons, baguettes, and curries, which have been adapted to local tastes. Presentation is important, with condiments and herbs arranged for visual appeal. The cuisine is typically light and fresh, with broths and soups common across the country.

Staple foods in Vietnam

Rice is at the heart of most meals, served as steamed grains, noodles, or in rice paper wrappers. Fresh herbs and vegetables are used generously. Fish sauce, made from fermented fish, is the main condiment. Meats like pork, chicken, and beef are common, but seafood—especially in coastal and southern regions—plays a major role. Dishes rarely use wheat, making the cuisine naturally gluten-free.

From region to region in Vietnam

Northern Vietnamese food is mild and balanced, with black pepper used for heat and freshwater seafood featured in many dishes. Central Vietnam is known for its spicy, colorful, and complex foods, with small, decorative portions and frequent use of chili and shrimp sauce. Southern cooking is sweeter, with coconut milk, garlic, and fresh herbs, and relies on abundant fruits, vegetables, and seafood. The Mekong Delta's food is shaped by local produce, palm sugar, and influences from Khmer, Cham, and Chinese communities. Highland regions draw on tribal traditions, using dried meats and unique stews.

Festival and religious food in Vietnam

Chicken curry, influenced by Indian and Malay traders, is essential at social gatherings like weddings and funerals. Certain foods are chosen for their 'heating' or 'cooling' properties, and meals are often planned to balance these qualities, especially during festivals or seasonal changes.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Vietnamese cuisine", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Cities and regions of Vietnam

Hanoi 2Saigon 2Ho Chi Minh City 1Huế 1Nam Định 1Southern Vietnam 1Vân Cù 1
MealBreakfastLunchTea timeDinnerSupperSnacks
KindMain dishStreet foodSoupStew or curryRice dishNoodle or pasta dishDumplingBreadGrill or roastSandwich or wrapPie or savoury pastrySalad or sideCheese or dairy foodSausage or cured foodSauce, pickle or fermentSweet or dessertDrink
DietVegetarianVeganFish and seafoodMeat
CoffeeVegan 🇾🇪 Yemen and 5 moreA dark, bitter drink made by brewing roasted coffee beans Drink, Breakfast, Snacks TofuVegan豆腐 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreSoft white blocks made by curdling soy milk and pressing the curds Main dish BaguetteVegan 🇫🇷 France and 5 moreLong, thin French bread with a crisp crust and soft interior Bread, Breakfast, Lunch Nem chuaMeat 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 2 moreFermented pork, garlic and chili, wrapped in leaves and eaten cold Sausage or cured food, Snacks Mu kropMeat 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreThai-style fried pork belly with a crunchy golden skin Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Phophở 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 5 moreVietnamese rice noodle soup with beef or chicken in aromatic broth Soup, Breakfast, Lunch Pâté 🇫🇷 France and 5 moreA smooth or coarse spread made from minced meat, liver, or vegetables Sauce, pickle or ferment OolongVegan烏龍茶 🇨🇳 China and 3 moreA semi-oxidized Chinese tea with a wide range of flavors and aromas Drink Iced teaVegan 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreChilled tea served over ice, sometimes sweetened or flavored with fruit Drink, Lunch, Dinner Mooncake月饼 / 月餅 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreA round Chinese pastry with sweet or nutty filling, eaten at the Mid-Autumn Festival Pie or savoury pastry, Tea time, Snacks BalutMeat 🇵🇭 Philippines and 3 moreA fertilized duck egg incubated, then boiled and eaten from the shell Street food, Snacks Spring roll春卷 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreA thin wrapper rolled around vegetables or meat, served fried or fresh Main dish, Snacks, Lunch Wonton云吞 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreChinese dumplings with a thin wrapper, filled and served in soup or fried Dumpling, Lunch, Dinner MortadellaMeat 🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreLarge Italian sausage of finely ground pork and cubes of fat, often with pepper or pistachio Sausage or cured food, Lunch, Dinner Baozi包子 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreSteamed wheat buns filled with meat or vegetables, common across China and beyond Main dish, Breakfast, Snacks SeitanVegan 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreWheat gluten shaped and cooked as a meat substitute Main dish Bánh mì 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 5 moreA Vietnamese baguette sandwich with savory fillings and pickled vegetables Sandwich or wrap, Breakfast, Snacks Yule logVegetarianBûche de Noël 🇫🇷 France and 5 moreA rolled sponge cake decorated to look like a wooden log for Christmas Sweet or dessert Sugarcane juiceVegan 🇮🇳 India and 6 moreFresh juice pressed from sugarcane stalks, sold widely as a street drink Drink, Snacks Tangyuan汤圆 / 湯圓 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreGlutinous rice balls, often filled, served in sweet or savory broth Sweet or dessert, Snacks CendolVeganꦕꦺꦤ꧀ꦝꦺꦴꦭ꧀ 🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreGreen rice flour jelly with coconut milk, palm sugar syrup and ice Drink, Snacks Vietnamese iced coffee 🇻🇳 VietnamStrong dark-roast coffee with sweetened condensed milk, served over ice Drink Jian duiVegetarian 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreFried glutinous rice balls coated with sesame seeds and filled with sweet paste Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time YoutiaoVegan油條 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreLong, golden-brown strips of deep-fried dough eaten across East and Southeast Asia Street food, Breakfast, Snacks ModakVegetarian 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreA sweet dumpling with coconut and jaggery, offered in Hindu and Buddhist rituals Sweet or dessert, Snacks Larbລາບ 🇱🇦 Laos and 3 moreFinely chopped meat salad with herbs, a national dish of Laos Salad or side, Lunch, Dinner Char siuMeat叉燒 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreCantonese-style pork, marinated and roasted until glazed and red Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Shumai烧卖 / 燒賣 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreChinese dumplings filled with seasoned meat, often served as dim sum Dumpling, Breakfast, Lunch Bun chaMeatbún chả 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 1 moreGrilled pork served with rice noodles, fresh herbs and dipping sauce from Hanoi Main dish, Lunch DouhuaVegan豆花 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreSoft tofu served as a sweet or savoury snack across East and Southeast Asia Sweet or dessert, Breakfast, Snacks Bún bò HuếMeat 🇻🇳 VietnamCentral Vietnamese noodle soup with beef, pork, lemongrass and shrimp paste Soup, Lunch, Dinner Chả giò 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 1 moreVietnamese deep-fried rolls filled with seasoned meat and vegetables Street food, Snacks, Lunch Korean fried chickenMeat치킨 🇰🇷 South Korea and 5 moreCrispy fried chicken from South Korea, often served with sauces and pickled radish Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Curry 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreA spiced dish with sauce, first from India, now made worldwide in many styles Main dish, Lunch, Dinner

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