A Short Guide to Vietnamese Cuisine

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When travelling to Vietnam, there’s no doubt that one of the major highlights is the food. It doesn’t matter which of the many hotels in Vietnam you are staying at, the minute you step foot on the street there are fresh food vendors and market stalls everywhere! Never been to Vietnam and want to know a little bit about their cuisine before heading on your trip? We’ve got some great tips and advice:

Cheap Eats

You don’t have to spend loads in order to enjoy a delicious meal in Vietnam. You can easily pick up a delicious noodle soup for around the 25 cent mark! If you feel like treating yourself to something a little more extravagant, Vietnam is known for fantastic seafood, so eating at a restaurant and enjoying a decadent seafood platter at least once during your stay is a must. Because much of the food is so cheap, you can afford to treat yourself!

Common Dishes

While staying in Vietnam, you can enjoy everything from French to Italian, Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Beef, fish, chicken, pork and seafood are all readily available, and commonly found on the menu in most cafes and restaurants.

One of the main Vietnamese dishes to be enjoyed while on your trip is pho. Pho is a very cheap dish and consists of soup, noodles and meat. You can have it with rare beef, beef or chicken.

Nuoc mam is a common ingredient in many Vietnamese dishes, and is a fermented fish sauce used to add spice.

A variety of fruits and veggies are available, depending on the season. Things like dragon fruit, longans and rambutans are often in abundance.

An Important Food Principle

In many Vietnamese dishes, the principle of using 5 elements in each meal is followed whenever possible. For instance, many dishes will include 5 types of nutrients (minerals and proteins for instance), 5 spices (which could range from spicy to salty and sweet), 5 colours and also appeal to all five senses (by being aesthetically pleasing to the eye, aromatic to the nose, touchable, crunchy, and tasty).

Drinking in Vietnam

Bottled water is cheap, and is highly recommended. Do not drink the tap water or have ice in your drinks. The popular alcoholic drink of choice across the country is Bia hoi (draught beer). It’s a must try while on your trip!

No matter whether you are staying in one of the many Sydney apartments on offer to tourists, or a 5-star hotel in Vietnam, it is great to be within walking distance of food stalls and restaurants – and in Vietnam they are in abundance everywhere you look. To make the most of your culinary experience when taking any trip, it’s important to know a little bit about the food you will be experiencing. Enjoy!