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Thali

🇻🇳 The food of Vietnam

66 dishes from Vietnam, best known first, across 16 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 4Saigon 4Ho Chi Minh City 2Huế 2Mekong Delta 2Nam Định 2Can Tho 1Đà Lạt 1Northern Vietnam 1Northwest 1Northwest Mountainous Area 1Quảng Nam Province 1Quảng Ngãi 1Southern Vietnam 1Trảng Bàng 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
BaguetteVegan 🇫🇷 France and 5 moreLong, thin French bread with a crisp crust and soft interior Bread, Breakfast, Lunch 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 Iced teaVegan 🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreChilled tea served over ice, sometimes sweetened or flavored with fruit Drink, Lunch, Dinner 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 Hot pot火鍋 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreSimmering broth at the table for cooking meats, vegetables and more as you eat Main dish, Dinner, Lunch 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 Bún bò HuếMeat 🇻🇳 VietnamCentral Vietnamese noodle soup with beef, pork, lemongrass and shrimp paste Soup, Lunch, Dinner Green papaya saladຕຳຫມາກຫຸ່ງ 🇱🇦 Laos and 4 moreShredded unripe papaya pounded with chili, lime, fish sauce and other seasonings Salad or side, 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 Bánh chưngMeat 🇻🇳 VietnamSquare parcels of sticky rice, mung bean and pork wrapped in green leaves Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Gỏi cuốn 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 5 moreVietnamese rolls of pork, shrimp, noodles and herbs wrapped in rice paper Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Yong tau foo釀豆腐 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreTofu or vegetables stuffed with meat or fish paste, served in soup or with sauce Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Turnip cake蘿蔔糕 🇨🇳 China and 4 moreSteamed and often pan-fried cake of daikon radish and rice flour, served as dim sum Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch Beef noodle soupMeat 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreNoodles in beef broth with stewed or braised beef, eaten across East and Southeast Asia Soup, Lunch, Dinner Mì Quảng 🇻🇳 VietnamCentral Vietnamese rice noodles with meat, herbs, and a little turmeric broth Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch Canh chua 🇻🇳 VietnamVietnamese soup with fish, tamarind, pineapple and fresh herbs Soup, Lunch, Dinner Popiah薄餅 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreFresh spring roll with a thin wheat crêpe and mixed vegetable filling Main dish, Lunch, Dinner FishcakeFish or seafood 🇯🇵 Japan and 5 moreMinced fish mixed with starch, shaped and cooked as patties or balls Main dish, Snacks, Lunch Bun rieu 🇻🇳 VietnamVietnamese noodle soup with crab, tomato and fresh herbs Soup, Lunch, Dinner Cơm tấmMeat 🇻🇳 VietnamBroken rice with grilled pork, pickles and sweet-sour fish sauce from southern Vietnam Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch Chả cá Lã VọngFish or seafood 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 1 moreGrilled turmeric-marinated fish with dill, served with noodles and shrimp paste sauce Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Caramelized pork and eggsMeat 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 2 moreVietnamese pork and eggs braised in coconut juice and caramel sauce Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch Hủ tiếu 🇻🇳 VietnamVietnamese noodle dish with pork broth, served as soup or dry Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch Bún mắm 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 1 moreSouthern Vietnamese noodle soup with fermented fish broth and seafood Soup, Lunch, Dinner Curry 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreA spiced dish with sauce, first from India, now made worldwide in many styles Main dish, Lunch, Dinner

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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