Top 10 Most Delicious Vietnamese Dishes You Must Try Before You Die

Vietnam's diverse culinary traditions offer a wide range of dishes that are sure to satisfy any palate. From the iconic and comforting Pho to the refreshing Goi Cuon, here are 10 Vietnamese dishes you simply have to try before you die.

Make sure to click on the links to get the recipes!

Vietnamese Beef & Chicken Noodle Soup (Phở Bò and Phở Gà)

(1) Phở

Vietnam’s prized export that is enjoyed by people all over the world, pho is the country’s most popular noodle soup. You can enjoy pho any time of day but it is particularly popular for breakfast when the broth has finished cooking all night long.

Pho comes with rice noodles, your choice of meat (either beef or chicken), and is usually served with a platter of bean sprouts, cilantro, Thai basil, lime wedges, and sliced jalapenos. Two bottled sauces are often used with pho: a chili sauce, usually Sriracha, and hoisin sauce.

Pho varies slightly as you travel throughout different regions of Vietnam. In northern Vietnam, pho is simpler and served with fried breadsticks known as Gio Chao Quay for dipping. In southern Vietnam, the broth for pho is sweeter and the bowl comes loaded with many different cuts of meat and plenty of fresh herbs on the side, but sadly, no fried breadsticks. I’m a southern girl so it’s all about that sweet broth and extra goodies.

Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Bún Bò Huế)

(2) Bún Bò Huế

Pho’s spicy cousin. Bun Bo Hue is a spicy beef noodle soup that originated in the city of Hue in central Vietnam. It comes with thick rice noodles and a flavorful broth made with primarily beef bones and lots of lemongrass. The noodle soup comes with an assortment of thinly sliced beef and pork, including blood cake and pork ham (Cha Lua), and served with a side of shredded purple and green cabbage, assorted herbs, and lime wedges. A Vietnamese chili sauce known as sate and a small bowl of fermented shrimp paste are also served on the side for individual customization.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Pork & Shrimp (Gỏi Cuốn Tôm Thịt)

(3) Gỏi Cuốn

Goi Cuon is a refreshing and healthy spring roll filled with thinly sliced boiled shrimp and pork belly, rice vermicelli noodles, various Vietnamese herbs known as Rau Thom, lettuce, cucumbers, and the garlic chives, the green vegetable that typically sticks out of the spring rolls. Everything is rolled up in a rice paper wrapper and served with a side of peanut dipping sauce that is topped with crushed toasted peanuts and chili sauce for an optional spicy kick.

Vietnamese Egg Rolls or Fried Spring Roll (Chả Giò)

(4) Chả Giò

Goi Cuon’s fried cousin. Cha Gio is a type of spring roll. It’s also called an egg roll, depending on where you are from. I'm from California so I call it egg roll. English-speaking locals in Vietnam call it spring roll. Often full-on fistfights occur over the dish's proper name. Kidding. Kind of.

Cha Gio is made with either a pastry/wheat or rice paper wrapper, filled with a mixture of ground pork, wood ear mushroom, thin rice vermicelli noodles, and shredded carrots, then deep fried until golden. Vietnamese egg rolls are served with a side of lettuce and various herbs, and a sweet and savory dipping sauce known as Nuoc Mam Cham. These little bundles of crispy goodness are a popular item for potluck parties.

Vietnamese Sandwich (Bánh Mì)

(5) Bánh Mì

A Vietnamese sandwich made with a variety of meat options (pork, chicken, or beef), pickled daikon and carrot, pâté, mayo that the Vietnamese like to call butter, jalapenos, cucumber, and cilantro on a French-influenced baguette that is soft and mostly hollow on the inside but crispy on the outside.

Vietnamese Broken Rice (Cơm Tấm)

(6) Cơm Tấm

A popular Vietnamese rice dish. This dish uses broken rice grains that broke during milling, which results in a softer and slightly chewier texture once cooked. It was considered peasant food but it is now mainstream. Com Tam comes with your choice of grilled meats such as grilled pork chops, shrimp, beef, and even tofu. This dish also comes with a smorgasbord of other ingredients: egg meatloaf (cha trung), shredded pork skin (bi), pickled daikon and carrot (do chua), lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and sometimes a fried egg if you’re lucky. It’s also served with a sweet and savory dipping (Nuoc Mam Cham). If it isn’t enough food already on one platter, it’s also served with a small bowl of clear broth to wash everything down.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef (Bò Lúc Lắc)

(7) Bò Lúc Lắc

Vietnamese shaking beef. Bo Luc Lac features cubed marinated beef steaks that are stir-fried (or shaken) in a wok with plenty of onions. It is plated on a bed of vegetables, such as watercress, lettuce, and tomatoes, and often paired with steamed red rice and a side dipping sauce made with lime, salt, and ground black/white pepper. This delicious and satisfying dish is a favorite drinking food.

Vietnamese Savory Sizzling Crepe (Bánh Xèo)

(8) Bánh Xèo

A savory crepe that is named after the sound it makes when cooking. Xeo means sizzling. Banh means cake or crepe. Banh Xeo, therefore, is sizzling crepe. This dish is made with a batter mixture of rice flour, coconut milk, and turmeric powder that provides its iconic yellow color. A thin layer of batter is evenly spread onto a large wok, then filled with shrimp, thinly sliced pork belly, beansprouts, and mung beans. The crepe is fried until crispy then folded in half. Banh Xeo is served with plenty of large leafy lettuce or mustard green, and a sweet and savory dipping (Nuoc Mam Cham).

To eat Banh Xeo, break off a piece, wrap it in the large leafy greens, add other various herbs and pickled vegetables of your choice, then dip it into the sauce. Alternatively, you can wrap a piece of Banh Xeo and all the other goodies in a rice paper wrapper for a more convenient and less messy option.

Vietnamese Savory Mini Pancakes (Bánh Khọt)

(9) Bánh Khọt

A mini version of Banh Xeo, Banh Khot is also made with a batter of rice flour, coconut milk, and turmeric powder for its iconic yellow color. The batter is spooned into a cast iron pan with shallow wells and then fried until crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside. Each mini cake is topped with shrimp and garnished with scallion oil. These mini pancakes are served with a platter of lettuce, herbs, and a sweet and savory dipping (Nuoc Mam Cham). It has the same eating style as Banh Xeo. Wrap one Banh Khot in the large leafy greens, add other various herbs and pickled vegetables of your choice then dip it into the sauce.

Hanoi-Style Vermicelli Noodles with Grilled Pork (Bún Chả)

(10) Bún Chả

Bun Cha is a popular northern Vietnamese noodle dish from the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi.

This dish consists of rice noodles and grilled pork meatballs (Cha), served with a large platter of lettuce, pickled vegetables, assorted Vietnamese herbs, and a diluted version of sweet and savory dipping (Nuoc Mam Cham) that contains thinly sliced unripe green papaya. The meatballs are usually served sitting in the sauce.

To eat Bun Cha, grab some noodles and vegetables of your choice with your chopsticks, then dip them into the bowl of sauce and enjoy the bite with the meatballs.

Of course, we must have a southern version. In the south, this dish is called Bun Thit Nuong, which is pretty much the same thing except the ingredients are all in the same bowl with the dipping sauce on the side. Other tasty options that you may find in the southern version are fried spring rolls/egg rolls, grilled shrimp, pork sausage (Nem Nuong), and shrimp sugar cane skewers (Chao Tom).

And there you have it, my friends … the top 10 awesomely delicious Vietnamese dishes you must try before you die. 

There were really close contenders that unfortunately didn't make the list, such as Banh Cuon, Banh Canh, Cha Ca La Vong. But hey, I can only fit 10.

So what are you waiting for? Start making or locating these dishes at your local Vietnamese restaurants. But be warned. Trying all of these dishes may lead to a few extra pounds. Proceed with caution.