Vietnamese cuisine is made of a delicate blend of spices and ingredients. The culinary art of Vietnam presents Vietnamese culture because it comes from ancestral traditions with different cooking techniques. Despite regional differences, Vietnamese cuisine still follows some basic rules throughout the country. Therefore, we would like to invite you to join a mini section to provide practical information about the cuisine of Vietnam.
The yin-Yang principle plays an important role in everyday life and even in Vietnamese cuisine. Yin and Yang do not exist one without the other, but always one in the other. Yin-Yang consists of five elements: water, fire, wood, metal, and the Earth.
All ingredients have their nature, either Yin (which is fluid, cold, wet, passive, dark, interior, female essence like duck meat, fish, crustaceans, zucchini, cabbage headed ... or Yang (which is solid, warm, bright, active, outdoor, of masculine essence like ginger, pepper, pepper ...).
When preparing Vietnamese dishes, one should seek to compensate and combine ingredients and condiments to make a balance between one and the other. For example, if you eat seafood, you should add ginger, chili, and lemongrass to awaken your sense of taste.
Especially, based on the Yin - Yang principle, Vietnamese cuisine has 5 tastes in one and the same dish. Spicy, sour, sweet, bitter and salty must be in harmony. The secret of Vietnamese recipes is the balance between all these components. Different volumes of ingredients and spices create distinctive recipes and tastes.
Vietnam cuisine is the unique cultural harmony of three regions. Each region has its own taste and its own local specialties. This creates the richness and diversity of Vietnamese culinary culture.
Speaking of the gastronomy of North Vietnam, we always think of the frugal and balanced taste. And, fish sauce is often added to evoke a fragrant and delicious flavor.
In Central Vietnam, the diet is very refined, spicy, spicy, a little sweet and saltier than that of North and South. Pickles are also representatives of this region.
In the South, Southern cuisine is extremely diverse. Southern dishes are influenced by Chinese and Thai cuisine, often added a lot of sugar and a fat taste of coconut water.
With a culinary diversity from North to South, you can find many tasty specialties that fill your palates. Here are the top 10 best dishes not to miss in Vietnam.
Pho, the most famous tasty specialty in Vietnam, is recognized as one of the best dishes in the world. A hot bowl of cooked rice noodles, beef and aromatic herbs and sweet broth, the pho carries a unique and unforgettable taste. It would be much better to add in the bowls of pho a little lemon juice, chili sauce or the garlic - vineyard based on personal preference.
Banh mi, a popular specialty in Vietnam, is one of the best street foods in the world. Packed with meat, pâté, carrots, sweet and sour pickles, coriander and chili in a baguette, this sandwich is out of this world. When arriving Vietnam, The banh mi can be found in every corners. People order Banh Mi for their breakfast, lunch, dinner. In short, any time in a day.
Nem is a special food of Vietnam. It has different versions depending on the region, depending on the stuffing in particular. For example: we have vegetable, pork, seafood versions of Nem.
However, in a rice cake, there are always vermicelli, mushrooms, herbs and spices. In particular, we dip Nem in the fish sauce to make the most of the perfect flavor.
Banh Xeo, a pancake known from Vietnamese cuisine is always in yellow color and crisp with a taste of turmeric. This Vietnamese crepe is made from rice flour and turmeric, folded in half. Its stuffing includes pork, mini shrimp, soy sprouts and herbs. Enjoy it with fish sauce!
The banh cuon is another popular dish, with hot and cold version, and most often consumed as breakfast. The banh cuon seems easy enough to do, but requires a certain degree of skill to make a good one. Minced pork and black mushrooms wrapped in a very thin rice paddle, then steamed and dipped in fish sauce. It is an exquisite dish not to be missed.
The bun cha is a simple specialty, very famous and very popular in Vietnam to both locals and foreigners. This dish is blended with vermicelli, grilled pork on bamboo sticks, and sweet-and-sour sauce. Fragrant herbs are often added to create an attractive fragrance and taste. This is Obama US President’s choice in his official visit to Vietnam.
The "cha ca", a "masterpiece of fried fish", has long been Vietnamese and foreign gastronomes. For a good "cha ca", preparation requires caution, thoroughness and passion. This typical dish of the capital Hanoi includes grilled fish pieces, green onion, coriander. Everything is tasted with fermented shrimp paste.
The gá»i cuốn, literally "mixed salad rolled" in Vietnamese, fresh and light, is one of the most popular dishes in the country. These rice cakes wrap a sheet of salad, mint, some soy beans and rice vermicelli. You can add pork, chicken, shrimp or fish.
When we talk about Cao Lau, we immediately think of Hoi An, a charming little port city in Vietnam. The Cao Lau requires yellow pasta, pork, rice cakes, fragrant herbs and a sweet and sour sauce that sprinkles everything. It is found mainly in Hoi An.
The Bun bo Hue is typical of the ancient capital of Hue. A bowl of vermicelli is added with thin slices of beef and pork. It is added with aromatic herbs, chopped spring onion and banana blossom.
In the meal time, there are always several dishes on the board: rice, soup, salad, vegetables, fish, meat (stewed, cooked with water or caramel). In the same bite, there may be rice, soup, vegetables, meat, all together. This practice is completely different from the Western way in which the next dish is served only when the previous one is finished, a completely analytical way of eating.
Especially, Vietnamese like to eat together while chatting during the meal.
Concerning the ethnic minorities, they enjoy drinking alcohol in the jar - all the guests are seated around the jar and plunge a long pipe to suck the drink.
Vietnamese gastronomy has been widely featured in foreign media. According to the New York Times, this is even the "new culinary star of Asia" and as one of the 10 best cuisines in the world. The American channel CNN has thus presented several times the Vietnamese gastronomy. Vietnam's restaurants and food festivals abroad are attracting more and more people, and the number of foreign tourists coming to Vietnam to learn how to cook is increasing. Some even come to learn it to open a Vietnamese restaurant.
Didier Corlou, a well-known French chef in Vietnam, regularly composes Vietnamese cuisine for the head of state. In his eyes, the pho is the best dish on earth... He states that the spices and fragrance of fragrant herbs, the basis of this specificity, could be found nowhere else.
Vietnamese people use a lot of fragrant herbs and vegetables, which is good for health. In addition, they give a special flavor to dishes. Not too spicy like Thai, or bold like Chinese, Vietnamese dishes are suitable for foreign customers. The sauce in Vietnam food is likewise an essential factor, essential to the dishes. Other than popular fish sauce or soy sauce, but there are many others.
In conclusion, if you want to try delicious Vietnam food yourself, you can contact a reliable agent www.indochinatrends.com to visit Vietnam and enjoy "What's also interesting is to taste the dishes in the streets. They are all hot, very good and the price does not exceed a dollar" - says an American specialist of gastronomy.
Back to overview
Hi there!
We are Jacob and Taylor. Travel is our passion and we love sharing our experiences here at The Travelling Souk. Our hope is that you would be inspired by this little blog to try something new, embrace an adventure, and live life to the fullest.