11 Must Snacks from Vietnam

1. Banh trang tron (Rice Paper Salad):

Basically, this is a salad-like dish that contains a medley of ingredients including strips of rice paper, quail eggs, green mango, different kinds of coriander, dried beef and so much more. In fact, this snack has a total of about 16 different ingredients!

2. Bo Bia (Vietnamese Jicama Roll):

Bo Bia is one of the easiest snacks to find when walking down the street of Ho Chi Minh City. This spring roll packs a unique punch of flavor and texture in comparison. With rice paper on the outside, Jicama, Beef Sausage, Dried Shrimp, fried egg, fried shallots, and multiple herbs on the inside this little roll is not to be missed. You can find this served with a peanut dipping sauce, don’t forget to add the chili for that added heat.

3. Cut Chien Bo (Quail fried in Butter):

It’s not difficult to miss the man on the street corner with a rotisserie over open flames. What might be difficult to miss is the small birds that are strung through the poles roasting over the flame. Every few minutes, the quail vendor, will brush these little birdies with his own oil or butter mixture that will usually contain a dried herb and spices to add a unique flavor to each vendors quail.

These quail can be taken to a whole another level when they are deep fried in sweet butter and served with a baguette. Fried Quail will normally come with pickles, Vietnamese Hot Mint, and Cucumber as an accompaniment to the dish.

Some might be grossed out by the serving of the quail head still attached to the neck. No worries, it has a great pop to it when you take it in one bite.

4. Banh Cuon (Steamed Rolls Made of Rice-Flour):

This Northern dish of steamed rice rolls is filled with a mixture of minced pork, mushrooms and shallots, and served with dipping sauce. The thin rice batter requires remarkable skill to handle, and it’s truly mesmerising to watch banh cuon being prepared

5. Bun Bo Hue (Hue Beef Noodles):

This is a popular dish in Central Vietnam. A bowl of Hue beef noodles includes soft vermicelli, beef, broth and the star – shrimp sauce. Hue beef noodles is served with some basil leaves, banana flowers and chopped green onions.

6. Banh Xeo (Rice Pancake Folded In Half):

Banh xeo gets its name from the sound emitted when the pancake is being made. It is similar to Western crepes, except for the pork, shrimp and bean sprouts inside and the fact that it’s served with fish sauce. This is a typical dish of both the South and Central region, although they each have different ways of preparing the pancakes and sauce.

7. Banh Trang Nuong (Grilled Vietnamese Rice Paper):

Hailing from the mountain area of Dalat and one of the newest to arrive in the food scene of Ho Chi Minh City, Banh Trang Nuong, has been dubbed the “Vietnamese Pizza”. Here are the basics for almost every Banh Tranh Nuong, Rice paper, open flame, egg, and cheese. Top this with anything from Dried beef, green onions, spicy chicken, or even take the desert approach and try some banana. This crispy snack is being served in little restaurants or right on the street so it isn’t hard to miss.

8. Be Thui (Char-Grilled Calf):

This Northern dish is made by grilling a whole calf until the meat is tender. The veal is cut into thin slices, mixed with coriander and sliced green banana, then wrapped in rice paper and served with shrimp paste.

9. Goi Cuon (Summer Roll Shrimp):

This popular Vietnamese appetiser is a little different from spring rolls. The core of goi cuon consists of sliced pork tenderloin, shrimp, soft vermicelli, lettuce, mint leaves and chives.

10. Hu Tiu Nam Vang (Phnom Penh Noodle Soup):

This is a dish that tastes like a mix of Chinese and Cambodian cuisine. The noodle strips are thicker than those of pho noodles, the broth is prepared using pig bones instead of cow, and this dish is served with shrimp, pig liver, quail eggs, green onion and other ingredients.

11. Pho Vietnam (Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup):

Phở is soup consisting of broth of Beef or Chicken, Rice noodle or called bánh phở, slice of Beef (all different cuts) called Phở bò. Chop Chicken with bone and chicken broth called Phở gà. the broth with a few herbs or no herbs (depending where the Phở cooked), Phở is a popular street food in Vietnam where it found almost century ago from the northern Vietnam. Southern Vietnam eat it for breakfast and occasionally lunch, whereas those from northern Vietnam eat it at any time of day. Time to time Pho has changed a little bit by the culture influences but at the end is the qualities, the tastes, and how it cook.

All the dishes we serve are very close to it original tastes, we are proud to say there no other Vietnamese restaurants around in Triangle area that can serve the original Vietnamese tastes like us