North Vietnam
Must Try
Phở
Vietnam's soul in a bowl — one sip and you understand everything
From ₹105
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From morning phở to midnight bánh mì — 20 essential dishes, where to find them, and exactly what to order.
Vietnamese food is one of the most rewarding cuisines to eat your way through as a traveller. The dishes are fresh, the portions generous, the prices remarkably low, and almost every meal tells you something about the region you're in. This guide covers 20 essential Vietnamese dishes — from the iconic phở and bánh mì to the less-known bánh cuốn and chà cá lã vọng. For each dish you'll find what it is, where it came from, how to eat it, and where to find the best version in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, with prices in INR.
Explore the Dishes
Click any dish for the full guide — history, best restaurants, prices in INR, and ordering tips.
Vietnam's soul in a bowl — one sip and you understand everything
From ₹105
Phở's spicier cousin from the imperial city
From ₹140
The tomato-crab noodle soup that surprises everyone
From ₹120
Sweet, sour and savoury — the taste of southern home cooking
From ₹175
The dish that made Barack Obama queue on a plastic stool
From ₹140
Saigon on a plate — the broken rice that outsells everything else
From ₹140
A dish you can only truly eat in Hoi An
From ₹140
Vietnam's most misunderstood noodle — almost no broth, all flavour
From ₹120
The HCMC noodle bowl that rivals bún chả
From ₹140
Half French, half Vietnamese — the world's best sandwich
From ₹70
The sizzle you'll hear from 10 metres away
From ₹140
No cooking, no oil, no fuss — just fresh, clean, perfect
From ₹52
Impossibly crispy — the fried spring roll Vietnam does right
From ₹17
The most delicate thing you'll eat in Hanoi
From ₹105
Crunchy, tangy, addictive — Vietnam's most refreshing salad
From ₹105
The breakfast that keeps Vietnam moving
From ₹52
Fluffy, soft, and stuffed — Vietnam's answer to the dumpling
From ₹52
Cubed, marinated, wok-tossed — Vietnam's finest beef dish
From ₹350
Hanoi's most theatrical dinner — fish sizzling tableside in turmeric and dill
From ₹525
A hundred colours, a thousand variations — Vietnam's dessert universe
From ₹52
Our Vietnam specialists can build a food-focused itinerary around the dishes and regions that suit your group.
Phở is the safest starting point — mild, universally available, and deeply satisfying. After that, bánh mì (the Vietnamese baguette) is an unmissable street food that requires no courage whatsoever. From there, work up to bún chả (Hanoi) or cơm tấm (HCMC) depending on where you start.
More than you might expect. Vietnam has a strong Buddhist vegetarian tradition — look for restaurants labelled "Quán Chay" (vegetarian) and you'll find entire menus without fish sauce or meat. Most street dishes have a chay (vegetarian) version. The harder part is fish sauce, which appears in many broths and dipping sauces — always confirm when ordering.
Generally yes, especially if you eat hot cooked food (phở, bún chả, cơm tấm). Raw garnishes (bean sprouts, fresh herbs) carry the most risk. Stick to well-frequented restaurants and stalls in the first 2–3 days while your gut adjusts. Bottled water only.
Most Vietnamese dishes are mild by default — much milder than Indian food. Chilli is served on the side and you control how much you add. Bún bò Huế is the main exception — it's genuinely spicy. For Indian palates used to heat, Vietnamese food will generally feel mild.
Street food and local restaurants: ₹100–350 per meal. Mid-range sit-down restaurants: ₹350–700 per person. Upscale dining: ₹700–2,000+. A full day of eating well (3 meals + snacks) costs ₹500–900 if you eat at local restaurants. The best food in Vietnam is almost always the cheapest.
Phở (specifically bắc / northern style), bún chả (Hanoi grilled pork noodles), bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls for breakfast), and chả cá lã vọng (turmeric fish) for a special dinner. Add bún bò Huế if you want something spicier.
Cơm tấm (broken rice — the defining HCMC street food), bánh mì (especially Huef3;nh Hoa), gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls), bún thịt nướng (cold noodles with grilled pork), and chè (Vietnamese sweets) for dessert.
Yes — most Vietnamese dishes have a chay (vegetarian) version where pork is replaced with tofu, tempeh, or mushrooms, and fish sauce is replaced with soy sauce or salt. The flavour changes, but the structure of the dish remains. Phở chay, bánh mì chay, and gỏi cuốn chay are the most widely available.
Tourist-area restaurants almost always have English menus with photos. Street stalls rarely do — but most have limited options (2–4 dishes), and pointing at what your neighbour is eating works universally. Learning to say the dish name (even approximately) goes a long way.
Street stalls and phở shops typically open from 5:30–6am and sell out by 10–11am. Restaurant breakfasts start around 7am. If you want the most authentic experience of phở, bánh cuốn, or xôi, aim to eat before 9am.