A Guide to the Most Common Herbs in Vietnamese Cuisine

One of the things that makes Vietnamese food so healthy and delicious is the use fresh herbs.

Herbs are used to add flavor, aroma, and texture to many Vietnamese dishes.

If you had Vietnamese food, particularly in Vietnam where herbs are plentiful and inexpensive, you are often served a large platter of fresh green leafy herbs alongside your food.

This herb platter is collectively known as Rau Thơm. “Rau” translates to vegetables or herbs and “Thơm” translates to fragrant. These fragrant herbs are optional additions to elevate your food.

If you are new to Vietnamese cuisine, you probably have scratched your head and wondered what is what in the large herb platter.

To help you out, here is a complete guide of most common Vietnamese herbs.

I have also included pictures so you can easily identify them, the most popular dishes you can find them in, and information on how to grow them.

Happy reading!

Ngò (Coriander/Cilantro)

Commonly called cilantro in the United States and coriander elsewhere, these delicate thin sprigs of bright green leaves has a fresh, citrus flavor.

Cilantro is a must in bánh mì sandwiches, and sometimes used as a garnish on phở when the more traditional herbs are not readily available.

Cilantro is one of the easiest herbs to grow from seeds. I would save one mature plant to flower. Then I collect the seeds to plant intermittently. That way, I have a fresh supply of cilantro all year round. They grow well in both warm and cool weather so you can plant any time of year here in California. However, in the summer, I try to plant them in the shade as the Sacramento heat can really get to them.

Hành Lá (Green Onions)

Hành Lá, also known as green onion, scallion, or spring onion, is one of the most popular ingredients in Vietnamese cuisine. It is widely available all over the world and is used as simple garnishes or vegetables.

These herbs have a mild, oniony flavor that can be enjoyed raw or cooked.

When used as a garnish, green onions add a touch of freshness and color to a dish.

When cooked, they soften and lose some of their pungency, and become sweet, particularly the bulb stems.

Mỡ hành or Vietnamese scallion oil is one of the most popular condiment that uses a lot of green onions.

Green onion is also the main ingredient in a classic scallion and ginger steamed fish with soy sauce.

Green onions are extremely difficult to grow from seeds since they are so delicate and require a lot of care at the beginning stages.

Since they are available almost everywhere and are usually inexpensive, I get them at the grocery store rather than growing my own.

I also regrow the store-bought bunch, which is great for when I only need a little for garnish. To do this, save the bottom 2 inches of the green onions with the white roots attached, and transfer them to your garden. Water regularly and you will soon see growth.

Ngò Gai (Culantro/Sawtooth Herb)

This herb has a similar taste to cilantro but with a stronger citrusy flavor.

It is easily identifiable with its long, sharply-serrated leaves that resemble a saw blade. Hence the name “sawtooth herb.”

You’ll often find a few culantro leaves served alongside your bowl of phở (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) in Vietnam. Unfortunately, it's not too common to find them here in the States.

To enjoy them, tear the leaves into smaller pieces then add them to your bowl of phở.

You can also find culantro as a garnish to canh chua (Vietnamese sweet and sour tamarind soup) for its wonderful aroma.

I have never successfully grown culantro. If you have, please reach out and offer this poor soul some guidance.

Rau Muống (Water Spinach)

This is a popular Southeast Asian semi-aquatic vegetable. It’s not considered a fragrant herb (Rau Thơm) but it can be found in the same platter as the herbs.

This vegetable also goes by the name morning glory, Asian water spinach, Chinese water spinach, swamp spinach, river spinach, morning glory, and ong choy in Cantonese.

Water spinach is a long, leafy green vegetable with hollow stems. The leaves are arrow-shaped, and both leaves and stems are edible. However, it’s the hollow shoots that are the most prized. The hollow shoots are typically shredded into thin strips using a special tool. You can enjoy the thinly sliced stems in Vietnamese crab and tomato noodle soup (Bún Riêu). You can use the whole vegetable in a stir fry with garlic.

In an ideal tropical climate, it grows aggressively like a weed in mud.

If you have right climate, you can also propagate the plant by its cuttings. Place a tubular shoot in water and it will root along the nodes. Once that happens, transfer to very wet soil/mud.

To mimic a tropical climate, you can cover the plant container loosely with plastic wrap.

Ngò Om (Rice Paddy Herb)

Ngò Om has a distinctive and strong citrusy and cumin-like flavor.

Both the leaves and stems are edible. This herb is most commonly used as a garnish in Vietnamese soups, such as Canh Chua (sweet and sour soup).

The leaves and stems are delicate so it's added towards the end of cooking.

Rice paddy herb can be grown from seed or from cuttings. Grab a cutting from your Asian super market. Remove the lower leaves and place the bare stems in water to root. Once it has grown enough roots, transplant them to moist soil.

Rice paddy herb grows best in warm, humid climates. Just like Rau Muống (water spinach), you can cover the plant container loosely with plastic wrap to produce a faux tropical climate.

Húng Lui (Spearmint) and Húng Cây (Peppermint)

These are two varieties of mint and often used in fresh spring rolls, salads, and noodle soups.

It’s one of my favorite herbs to mixed in noodle salads like Vietnamese Rice Noodles with Grilled Pork, Shrimp and Eggs (Bún Tôm Thịt Nướng Chả Giò).

The main difference between Húng Lui and Húng Cây is the flavor and how they grow.

Húng Lui (spearmint) has a mild, sweet minty flavor and grows low on the ground. While Húng Cây (peppermint) has a stronger and more minty flavor and grows tall. I personally use them interchangeably depending on what’s available.

Just like most herbs, mint can easily be grown from cuttings. Grab a cutting, remove the bottom leaves, and place the bare stems in water to root then transfer them to moist soil. Since they grow so easily and aggressively, you may be able to skip propagating the roots in water and simply go straight to planting them in moist soil.

It will crawl and grow like mad. For this reason, I highly recommend growing mint in a container as it will spread and take over your garden.

Rau Răm (Vietnamese Coriander/Vietnamese mint)

The Vietnamese coriander has long, thin, pointy leaves with smooth (non-serrated) edges.

The taste is a mix of citrus and mint with a bit of spicy aftertaste. This is why it's also called Vietnamese hot mint. It's typically eaten with balut (fertilized duck eggs) as a chaser or used as a garnish in shellfish dishes and many Vietnamese salads.

Vietnamese coriander can also be grown from cuttings. Grab a few stems from your local Vietnamese restaurant or buy a bunch from your grocery store.

Remove the bottom leaves and place the bare stems in water. Once it roots, transfer them to soil.

Tía Tô (Perilla/Sesame Shiso)

This herb has a peppery and minty flavor. The leaves are green on top and purple underneath, and they have a slightly serrated edge.

You can often find Tía Tô in fresh Vietnamese spring/summer rolls (Gỏi Cuốn) or noodle soups such as Vietnamese escargot noodle soup (Bún Ốc).

I also enjoy them in my Korean BBQ with pork belly bulgogi.

Tía Tô can be grown from cuttings. Trim back the lower leaves on the stems and place them into water to root then transfer them to soil.

Kinh Giới (Vietnamese Balm)

This herb has a green stem with arrow-shaped leaves with serrated edges. Their leaves are similar in shape and size to Tía Tô leaves but Kinh Giới is strictly green. It also has a characteristically stronger aroma and a more pungent, bitter taste than Tía Tô.

You can often find Kinh Giới served alongside noodle soup dishes, such as Vietnamese duck and bamboo shoot noodle soup (Bún Măng Vịt).

Kinh giới can be grown from cuttings. Trim back the lower leaves on the stems and place them into water to root then transfer them to soil.

Húng Quế (Thai basil)

This herb has a strong, licorice flavor and is often served on the side of Vietnamese beef noodle soup (phở bò) or one of the main ingredients in Vietnamese Green Papaya & Beef Jerky Salad (Gỏi Đu Đủ Khô Bò) and Vietnamese egg, jicama and Chinese sausage spring rolls (Bò Bía).

Thai basil has a distinctive purple stem and small, narrow leaves with serrated edges. The flowers are also purple.

Thai Basil can also be grown from cuttings. Trim back the lower leaves on the purple stems and place them into water to root. For a better survival rate since they are difficult, allow the stems to propagate a lot of roots before transferring them to soil.

Diếp Cá (Fish Mint)

This herb has a strong, fishy flavor. The spade-shaped leaves have a distinctive aroma that is both exotic and pungent that can be be off-putting to some people.

You can find Diếp Cá fresh Vietnamese spring/summer rolls (Gỏi Cuốn) or noodle soups such as Vietnamese tomato crab noodle soup (Bún Riêu).

You can grow Diếp Cá from cuttings. Remove the bottom leaves and place the bare stems in water. Once they root, transfer them to moist soil. You can also transplant the bare stems directly into moist soil.

This is the one and only herb that I cannot eat. It has a very strong fishy smell while other family members don’t think so.

If this herb is chopped up and placed into my food automatically, I can detect it right away and start gagging and crying like a little baby.

Hẹ (Chinese Chives/Garlic Chives)

This herb has a strong, oniony flavor and is often used in pot stickers or wontons, pickled, stir-fries, soups, noodles, and spring rolls.

I have a hard time growing quality garlic chives. Just like green onions, it’s one of the herbs that I don’t bother planting and simply get at the grocery store.

Sả (Lemongrass)

Lemongrass is not typically included in the platter of fresh herbs (Rau Thơm) that accompanies Vietnamese food, but it is incredibly fragrant and worth mentioning. Lemongrass has a very distinctive and delightful citrusy aroma. It can be enjoyed raw in salads, but its woody texture makes it more commonly used in broths and marinades.

To use lemongrass in soups, bruise the stalks with a rolling pin or the back of a knife to release their flavor. Once the bruised stalks have been simmering for a while, remove them from the soup and discard. You can also use the leafy tops in soups too.

To use lemongrass as a marinade, you want to use the bottom ⅔ of the lemongrass where it is tender. Slice the tender stalks into thin concentric circles. This will cut the lemongrass against the grain, releasing more flavor and making it less fibrous. Once sliced, you can then mince the lemongrass into finer pieces and add it to your marinade.

Some of the most popular dishes that use lemongrass include Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bò Kho), Vietnamese grilled lemongrass pork chop for broken rice dishes, Vietnamese spicy beef noodle soup (Bún Bò Huế), and classic Vietnamese Lemongrass Roast Chicken (Gà Nướng) for Bánh Mì sandwiches.

You can root lemongrass by placing the stem in water. Once you have roots, transfer them to soil.

Cải Bẹ Xanh (Mustard Green)

This herb is one of the many varieties of mustard greens. The leaf is really large with sharply serrated edges. It can have a bitter aftertaste, especially when mature.

If you have Vietnamese sizzling pancake (Bánh Xèo) and its mini Version, Vietnamese Savory Mini Pancakes (Bánh Khọt) you’ll probably seen mustard leaves. It’s the largest leafy vegetables in your herb platter that’s not lettuce. You’d use a whole leaf to wrap small pieces of Bánh Xèo or whole Bánh Khọt, along with other herbs.

Cải Bẹ Xanh can also be cooked in a hearty and traditional vegetable soup known as Canh in Vietnamese.

I don’t think Cải Bẹ Xanh can be grown from cuttings. This plant does flower and produces seeds if you let it mature. Collect the seeds for next year’s planting.

Rau Chua (Sorrel)

This leafy green herb has a sour, citrusy flavor. It has broad, arrow-shaped leaves that are light green in color. The leaves are often wavy or crinkled with a length of up to 6 inches with slightly serrated edges.

You can find Rau Chua served with noodle soups such as Vietnamese Central Vietnam famous noodle soup (Mì Quảng) and Northern Vietnam Vermicelli Noodles with Grilled Pork Meatballs (Bún Chả Hanoi).

You can also add them to Vietnamese spring/summer rolls (Gỏi Cuốn).

I have no idea how to grow sorrel. I have never seen flowers on them so I have never seen their seeds. I also don’t think they grow from cuttings and propagating their roots.

Therefore, the best way to grow them is to ask a friend that has them.

You will need a few leaves with roots attached, and it will grow into a bunch. They go dormant in the winter but stay alive and well all year long.

Rau Thì Là (Dill)

Dill is more widely used in Northern Vietnam than in Southern Vietnam. It has a slender stem with finely divided, feathery leaves that resemble ferns. The leaves are light green and have a slightly sweet but strong grassy flavor that may be too strong for young children.

Dill is the star ingredient in one of Northern Vietnam most famous dishes, Chả Cá Lã Vọng. It is also used to make a classic Vietnamese simple fish soup (Canh Chua Thì Là).

Dill can be grown from cuttings. Choose a tall dill plant. Remove the leaves from the bottom half of the stem and place the stem in water to root. Once the roots are long, you can transplant the cutting into a pot or garden.

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