When it comes to Vietnamese cuisine, a bowl of Pho is presumably the first image that pops up in your head. Indeed, Pho is a must-try for any first-time traveller to Vietnam. Yet it is just the tip of the iceberg amongst various other Vietnamese noodle dishes. Believe it or not, locals are not always in the mood for pho, since we have many other appealing alternatives to go for instead!
Bun rieu
Seafood Vermicelli Soup
Bun (rice vermicelli noodles) may sound familiar to your ear. As we have Bun Cha (rice vermicelli with charcoal-grilled pork), another one of the signature noodle dishes of Vietnam. It is a thin, round and sticky white noodle. You will come across this type of noodle in various popular stalls throughout regions.
One of those is bun rieu, a seafood rice vermicelli soup originated from the Red River Delta – the biggest delta of the North. The dish gets its appealing colour from fried shallots, tomato paste, and the sour bit from tamarind paste. Crab cake is the highlight of bun rieu cua, along with toppings such as pork, meatballs, and fried tofu. You can add spicy sauce, lime, shrimp paste, and fresh herbs to your likings to make it extra savoury. Other common versions to look for are bun rieu oc with freshwater snail and bun rieu ca with deep-fried fish on top.
Mien Ga
Chicken Glass Noodle Soup
Mien (glass noodle), made from mung bean/cassava starch, is one of the ingredients found in fillings of Vietnamese spring rolls. This thin type of noodles is grey and opaque in color, slightly chewy and slippery in texture. Mien is featured in many popular soup recipes across the country, say, mien ga. Served in homes during the Lunar New Year, the chicken-based broth with a hint of bamboo shoots, fresh chives, chilli, and lime brings the light savoury warmth to your soul. Alternatively, another version using duck meat called mien ngan is also one of Hanoians’ street food favourites to cross off the list.
Banh Da Cua
Haiphong Style Crab Red Noodles
Being the jumping-off point of the hidden gem Lan Ha Bay, Hai Phong is home to banh da cua. It’s the locally made wide, flat and brownish red rice noodles that make the soup the soul of this northern port city. The paste of fried shallots and seasoned field crab cakes contributes to its eye-catching colour. The dish features fresh crab meat, shrimp, fried minced pork wrapped in betel leaves, fried fish cakes, pork balls, and vegetables dipped in rich pork bones-based broth, served with fresh lettuce, herbs, chilli, and lime. You can totally come across this super mouth-watering delicacy even in Hanoi and Saigon, so make sure to have a go!
Bun Bo Hue
Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
No “souprise”, bun bo Hue is the signature dish of Hue’s royal cookery. Once taste it, you will be blown away by the addictive rich broth coming from simmered beef bones and beef hocks, lemongrass, shrimp paste, and above all, spicy chilli oil. This dish features thicker rice noodles, chunks of pork feet, steamed pork loaf, and cubed blood cake. Some bean sprouts, mint, coriander, banana blossoms, lime, and chilli served alongside add a fresh note to perfect this iconic dish.
Mi Quang
Quang Style Noodles
Originally from Quang Nam Province, mi Quang is another dish that spices up Central Vietnam recipes. It consists of wide and flat rice noodles of turmeric yellow colour, with shrimp and pork (sometimes beef or chicken) on top and very little broth at the bottom. The further Southward you go, the more likely locals make a soup out of the dish. A unique fresh-cum-crispy texture combining fresh herbs, peanuts, and sesame rice crackers will surely wow you in the very first bite.
Cao Lau
Hoi An Roasted Pork Noodles
Don’t miss out the traditional cao lau upon your arrival at the historic trading town of Hoi An. It is a mouth-watering blend of thick noodles, roasted pork slices, deep-fried croutons, bean sprouts and greens, served along the drizzled broth which is seasoned with cilantro, basil, and mint. The authentic noodle dish can’t be found elsewhere thanks to its local sweet-smelling rice, which is soaked in well water in Ba Le village. Cao lau noodle is also unique for its firm and chewy texture compared to other Vietnamese noodles. Though well-known, the story of its origin still remains a mystery.
Banh Canh
Thick Noodle Soup
Here comes the Vietnamese udon! Banh canh, a thick fat version of bun, originates from the mixture of rice flour and tapioca flour. It’s the chewy texture that makes it special. You can enjoy these noodle dishes with various toppings and flavours of broth, well-known versions of which are crab-based and fish cake soup. Crab lovers should definitely go for this. FYI, we all get the feeling of the round noodles slipping out of your chopsticks.
Hu Tieu Nam Vang
Saigon Seafood Pork Noodles
Given that Nam Vang means Phnom Penh, you now know this dish comes from Cambodia. This is the result of today’s Mekong River Delta once being part of Cambodia prior to the expansion of the Nguyen Empire in the 17th Century. Hu tieu comes in many forms: clear glass noodle dishes, flat rice stick noodles or yellow egg flour noodles. The popular Southern noodle dish includes a pork-based broth with a sprinkle of dried squid or shrimp. Toppings range from grounded meatballs, sliced live, quail eggs, and shrimp. Garnish your soup with fried shallots, garlic and Chinese celery then feel free to tuck in!
