Vietnam is well known as one of the most culturally diverse countries in Southeast Asia. The cuisine is an aspect of culture, therefore, Vietnamese street food is also variable throughout the country. Here is top 9 must-try delicious street foods in Northern Vietnam itinerary 7 days.
Pho (noodle soup)
Among various kinds of street foodsin Vietnam, Pho is the most famous dish; reviewed by foreign travelers as an excellent representative of Vietnamese cuisine. A traditional Pho first appeared in Vietnam in the early 1900s. Then it gradually becomes the favorite dish of Vietnamese.
Main ingredients of Pho include salty broth, fresh rice noodles, beef or chicken, a sprinkling of savories. However, each dinner has their own recipes. Whenever you go across a Pho dinner, you can find a specific smell that encourages you to have a bowl of Pho with no hesitation.
Bun cha Obama
If Pho is such a common dish that you can easily find throughout the country, bun cha is likely more popular in the North Vietnam, especially in the capital Hanoi. Bun cha is getting more famous all over the world; because when coming to Vietnam, President Obama tasted it and absolutely loved it a lot. Bun cha is usually served at some street-side restaurants. So you will find yourself “local” when sitting down to a plastic chair and seeing slices of marinated pork grilled on an open charcoal grill.
After being grilled, you can try a morsel with rice noodle, savory and dipping sauce. At some restaurants, bun cha sets come with fried meat rolls or fried crab spring rolls – nem cua be.
Banh cuon
Banh cuon is a representative of Northern cuisine. There are some provinces having this dish be one of their specialties such as Hanoi, Hai Phong, Lang Son, Hai Duong, Ha Nam. Each province has their own methods to make banh cuon, thus the taste is not similar.
People say that the recipe of banh cuon in Hanoi is the standard one. It is a combination of marinated ground meat, onions, minced wood ear mushroom wrapping in a steamed rice flour sheet. Banh cuon has to be tasted with the dipping sauce which is nearly similar as the sauce for bun cha.
Xoi – Breakfast sticky rice
Unlike some dishes as mentioned, you can find xoi in almost all provinces in Vietnam because this traditional food is very easy to make. This food is mainly made of steamed sticky rice; and possibly combined with many substantial toppings such as green mung bean, fried onions, boiled chicken, marinated pork belly, lap xuong, etc. Therefore, xoi might suit the taste of almost all people. It is for sure an ideal option for your breakfast in Vietnam itinerary 7 days.
Banh my
Although banh my is not a traditional food of Vietnam, food-lovers all over the world give it a lot of praises for its taste, convenience and diversity. This dish is honorably one of 10 most delicious sandwiches in the world; voted by an Australia reputed travel website based on travelers’ reviews.
Banh my is literally wheat cake which is similar to sandwiches. Its topping is usually a combination of marinated meat, fried eggs, vegetables (tomato, cucumber, fried onion, etc.) and other sauces. You can optionally choose toppings based on your taste, and enjoy this food even while you are moving on a busy schedule of your 7 days during Vietnam tours without taking time at any restaurants.
Fruit beam
If you are a fruit lover and you want to try the various tropical fruits in Vietnam, fruit beam is an ideal option. This dish is likely similar to fruit smoothies because of the same main ingredients including fruit, concentrated milk, and loose ice; but they are different in the making.
The making of fruit beam seems very simple. Fruits are cut into pieces and then mixed with two other ingredients as mentioned instead of being ground with ice and milk. If you are traveling in hot weather, do not hesitate to try a cup of fruit beam to get refreshed and recharged your energy for your next destination.
Nom
If you get addicted to salads, you really need to try Nom. Nom is a kind of salad. Its ingredients cannot be found in elsewhere but Vietnam; which makes nom different from other mixtures of vegetable.
Most travelers want to taste local foods as much as possible, which easily leads to indigestion from overeating. So that nom can be an option to help your stomach take a rest to keep you be healthy and ready to enjoy the following things in your trip to this S-shape country.
Com
If coming to Hanoi in autumn, your North Vietnam tours will be more interesting, as you have an opportunity to try one more significant food – Com . The season of com usually falls from July to September in the lunar calendar. The most famous place specialized in making this snack is Vong village, which is about 5 km away from Hanoi downtown. Com is made of green sticky rice ripened by roasting and screening to separate the husk from the rice inside. After making process, you should wrap it in lotus leaves to keep its freshness and natural smell of the field.
Com is also special in the way people tasting it. Because of not being a typical food for avoiding hunger, com is best tasted when you enjoy it slowly by picking just a small amount once by your fingers.
Nem chua (fermented pork roll)
The last one in this list of top 9 must-try street foods in Vietnam 7 day itinerary is nem chua. This snack appears in all three regions of Vietnam. However, the taste and the appearance of nem chua in each region are not similar.
Basically, nem chua is made of specially marinated pork and ripened by using guava leaves or fig leaves and powdered grilled rice to create its specific acidity. Then, the processed pork is wrapped in banana leaves to be totally ripe in a 3-day minimum.
Last but not least, the Vietnam itinerary 7 days might be not enough for you to taste all of the street foods listed, you are recommended to try at least 3 of the most popular such as Pho, Bun cha and Banh cuon. Since then you will know how good the street food is in particular and how diverse Vietnamese culture is in general.
Yen Chi – Travel Lover
