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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
CoffeeVegan 🇾🇪 Yemen and 5 moreA dark, bitter drink made by brewing roasted coffee beans Drink, Breakfast, Snacks 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 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 Baozi包子 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreSteamed wheat buns filled with meat or vegetables, common across China and beyond Main dish, Breakfast, Snacks 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 Wonton云吞 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreChinese dumplings with a thin wrapper, filled and served in soup or fried Dumpling, Lunch, Dinner Bánh mì 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 5 moreA Vietnamese baguette sandwich with savory fillings and pickled vegetables Sandwich or wrap, Breakfast, Snacks 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 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 Shumai烧卖 / 燒賣 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreChinese dumplings filled with seasoned meat, often served as dim sum Dumpling, Breakfast, 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 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 Gỏi cuốn 🇻🇳 Vietnam and 5 moreVietnamese rolls of pork, shrimp, noodles and herbs wrapped in rice paper Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Popiah薄餅 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreFresh spring roll with a thin wheat crêpe and mixed vegetable filling Main dish, Lunch, Dinner Sesame seed candyVegan 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreA sweet made from sesame seeds and honey or sugar, pressed into bars or balls Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Breakfast Rice noodle roll腸粉 🇨🇳 China and 5 moreThin steamed rice noodle sheets rolled plain or with fillings and served with sauce Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch FishcakeFish or seafood 🇯🇵 Japan and 5 moreMinced fish mixed with starch, shaped and cooked as patties or balls Main dish, Snacks, Lunch Chè 🇻🇳 VietnamVietnamese sweet soups and puddings made with beans, fruit, tubers or jellies Sweet or dessert, Snacks Xôi 🇻🇳 VietnamVietnamese sticky rice, eaten plain or with sweet or savory toppings Rice dish, Breakfast, Lunch Sticky rice in bambooVegan 🇹🇭 Thailand and 4 moreGlutinous rice roasted inside bamboo tubes, eaten sweet or savory across Southeast Asia Rice dish, Snacks Bánh tét 🇻🇳 VietnamCylindrical sticky rice cake with mung bean and pork, wrapped in banana leaf Main dish, Snacks Khao tom 🇱🇦 Laos and 5 moreSticky rice and fillings wrapped in banana leaves and steamed Sweet or dessert, Snacks Bánh da lợnVegan 🇻🇳 VietnamVietnamese steamed layer cake with colorful, soft, sweet layers Sweet or dessert, Snacks Bánh bột lọcMeat 🇻🇳 VietnamChewy Vietnamese dumplings with shrimp and pork in a clear tapioca wrapper Dumpling, Snacks Bánh tráng nướng 🇻🇳 VietnamGrilled rice paper snack with a range of toppings, sold as street food in Vietnam Street food, Snacks

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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