The spicy and exotic cuisine of Vietnam cannot be put on par with the gastronomic traditions of neighboring countries. She borrowed a lot from the cuisines of China, India and France. Visiting small authentic cafes or restaurants in Vietnam becomes a real adventure for tourists who appreciate the variety of aromas and tastes.

Features of Vietnamese cuisine

Vietnamese cuisine is all about balance, which most often manifests itself in the use of two or more contrasting textures (crispy and soft) in one dish. Balance is maintained between the basic tastes: bitter and sweet, sour, salty and hot, the color of ingredients, herbs and spices, and even the harmonious use of cooling and warming ingredients in accordance with the principles of Yin-Yang.

Features of Vietnamese cuisine are:

• freshness of food - dishes, as a rule, are prepared before serving and are not stored for future use;
• using plenty of fresh herbs and vegetables;
• popularity of dishes containing broth.

A wide variety of sauces are encouraged to be served separately from the prepared dish for adding or dipping. The most common seasonings in Vietnam are:

• ginger;
• lemongrass;
• coriander (cilantro);
• mint;
• Thai basil;
• Thai chili;
• lime.

Fish sauce, chili sauce, soy sauce, and shrimp paste are widely used. Food in Vietnam is not spicy; chili sauce or chili pepper is usually served separately as additional seasonings. Be sure, regardless of the dish you order, you will be served a plate of fresh herbs.

Fish sauce and shrimp paste

These products are used in almost all Vietnamese dishes. These seasonings are quite specific; they are based on fermented seafood. They are almost impossible to identify by eye, so food in Vietnam often becomes a problem for vegetarians or people with food allergies, but this does not mean that it is necessary to completely abandon Vietnamese cuisine.

Due to the fact that Buddhism is widespread among the Vietnamese, there is a special layer of monastic cooking in the country, which is considered not just vegetarian, it proclaims itself pure vegan. In other words, it does not use animal products, including dairy, eggs and animal fats. On the menu of some Vietnamese cafes you can see the words: beef, chicken, shrimp and fish. But in most cases we are talking about vegetarian substitutes for these products.

You can easily determine that you are in vegetarian cafe according to the inscription: “Kom tai”, which can be translated as “vegetarian food”. Often such establishments are located next to Buddhist temples.

First meal

What to try in Vietnam? We will tell you about many dishes, but we will start with soups, of which there are quite a lot in Vietnamese cuisine. They can be chosen to suit every taste. However, it is worth recognizing that the recognized leader in this category is the world-famous Vietnamese soup pho, which is a kind of calling card of Vietnamese cuisine.

Pho is actually flat rice noodles that are used to make Vietnamese soup. There are other dishes with such noodles that contain the word "pho" in their name. For example, pho fried noodles with beef.

But we digress a little. Let's get back to Vietnamese pho soup. It is very popular not only among locals, but also among tourists coming to the country. The base of the soup is made from beef with seasonings, chicken or vegetables. The aromatic spicy broth is prepared in advance; before serving the dish, dry noodles are scalded, finely chopped pieces of tofu or meat, and vegetables are added. All ingredients are poured into boiling broth.

Have you wondered what to try in Vietnam? Well, of course, pho soup, which you will be served with fresh herbs (mostly basil), chili peppers, lime, soybean sprouts, as well as a thick sweet and sour sauce, which should be added to the plate to taste. Eat with a spoon and chopsticks.

Interestingly, this dish is prepared not only in restaurants and cafes, but also on the street over coals. We must admit that this is not the only noodle soup in Vietnamese cuisine. Almost every region has its own varieties of soups. Among those that are popular throughout the country: Bún bò Huế - quite typically made with beef broth with round rice noodles, Mì Quảng - soup with sausages, yellow thin noodles and peanut topping.

Salads

It cannot be said that Vietnamese cuisine is replete with salads. What to try from this category of dishes? For example, from banana inflorescences, sprouted soybeans, with the addition of mint and basil. Many people like a salad made from fresh vegetables, lotus stem and rice cakes. Seafood lovers will appreciate the salad of grilled mussels, to which mint and rice paper are added.

Snacks

What to try in Vietnam from snacks? We recommend rice rolls - fried, crispy, or steamed. Most likely, you will like egg-wheat pancakes with seafood, although the filling can be very varied. Another one interesting snack- grilled bread with rice, served with various sauces and rice puddings with peanuts.

Goi Kuon

This dish can be compared to specially molded dumplings. It came to Vietnam from China. Unlike Chinese dish, Vietnamese has a different filling and is cooked not in a frying pan, but steamed. In Vietnamese cuisine, the shape is also different - instead of traditional “onions” they are made in the form of rolls.

The filling of Goi Kunov can be different - from vegetables to pork and seafood. From rice flour The dough turns out low-calorie and very tender. For this reason, even with the “heaviest” filling, this dish will not be a burden for sensitive stomachs.

Exotic dishes

Probably, this section will only interest gastronomic extremes, and yet we cannot ignore it. The hallmark of the local cuisine is dog meat dishes. Cages with live animals installed near restaurants and cafes, smoked dog carcasses cause a real shock among visiting Europeans, but for the Vietnamese this is a common occurrence.

Statistics show that almost three million dogs are eaten in Vietnam in just one year. Their meat is very fatty and resembles pork in texture and taste. Steam the fillets and serve them with shrimp paste and lemon or rice vinegar.

The ribs and neck are pre-marinated in soy sauce and then grilled. Sausages made from dog fillet - Doi Cho - are also popular. As you can see, Vietnamese cuisine is very unique. What to try from the described dishes is up to you.

Traditionally, many people consider rats to be insignificant rodents, but this is not the case with the Vietnamese. For them, rat meat is a delicacy. It is very juicy, bright pink in color. By taste qualities and the texture is a bit like rabbit meat. Rat carcasses are prepared according to different recipes, but more often they are baked in ovens or grilled. The dish is served with chili peppers and sweet and sour sauce.

Vietnamese chefs offer gourmet dishes made from bats. Enough bad smell The meat of these animals forces cooks to marinate it for a long time in herbs and spices, and then fry it on the grill. The dish is served with a lot of greens, a side dish of rice, chili pepper and garlic. Nowadays, ostrich meat dishes are becoming very popular in many restaurants around the world. Vietnam did not stand aside either.

It doesn't make much of an impression on many tourists. It tastes a little like beef: regular steaks that can have varying degrees of toughness.

Cobra dishes

Snake meat is very popular in Vietnamese cuisine. It is considered healing, many are even sure that dishes prepared from it are not only very tasty, but also very good for health. Cooking a snake is an interesting ritual. First, the head of the cobra is cut off, after which the blood is expressed, which is poured into a bottle with rice vodka. Then the heart is taken out, which continues to beat for about half an hour, and the carcass is taken to the kitchen, where processing continues.

While a restaurant guest is waiting for his order, he is offered to drink vodka with blood and eat a raw snake heart, which should be swallowed whole. For some time you can feel its beating inside. This is a very strange ritual for a European, but the Vietnamese believe that it has a beneficial effect on a person, giving him longevity and tranquility.

Dessert

I must say that the Vietnamese have a big sweet tooth. What to try in Vietnam to end your dinner? Many tourists believe that the most delicious Vietnamese dessert is Small pieces of fruit sprinkled with rice and then baked over coals, gradually adding coconut milk. The dish is served with chopped peanuts. This delicacy is not only served in cafes - it is extremely popular among the Vietnamese as street food.

Desserts in Vietnamese cuisine are quite varied. No less tasty is Ban Kam - balls of orange, sesame and rice. golden color. Visit local bakeries, which have a large selection of buns and croissants. I would especially like to mention sweets, but not chocolate ones, but made from natural products: coconut, ginger, sesame, peanuts and bananas.

Che

This dessert is difficult to classify: pudding, drink, sweet soup. It may include jelly and beans, lotus seeds and fruits, coconut and sesame seeds, rice and tapioca, corn and taro. All ingredients are seasoned with sweet or syrup. Most often, dessert is eaten cold from a plastic or glass glass. Sometimes che is served in bowls, like soup.

Beverages

The most unusual drink in Vietnam is egg coffee. It is made from sugar, yolk and condensed milk. The Vietnamese claim that the egg in this recipe is necessary to achieve a delicate texture and mild taste. The drink actually comes out with a light foam on top and is airy.

When it gets especially hot, both locals and visitors to the country prefer other Vietnamese drinks. Smoothies and juicy fruit shakes here have hundreds of variations. From strong drinks We recommend trying excellent balms infused with medicinal herbs. In addition, good wine is produced in Vietnam. The city of Dalat is the leader in this.

Cà phê

If you are a coffee fan, then you should try the Vietnamese drink. This country is the second largest coffee producer in the world after Brazil, although the bulk of the beans is Robusta. Vietnamese people like to roast very darkly, which gives their coffee a bitter aftertaste. But the taste of Vietnamese coffee largely depends not so much on the beans, but on the method of their preparation.

To brew this drink, drip filters are used, which are installed directly on the mug. Sometimes you need to brew your coffee in advance, especially if you plan to serve it over ice. In this case, the glass or mug is served without a filter.

Always served sweet. This is done to balance the excess bitterness of the drink. If you are still wondering what to try in Vietnam, drink a cup of coffee with condensed milk - you will appreciate the waffles and chocolate notes drink If you prefer unsweetened coffee, you must tell the waiter in advance. Also, keep in mind that “coffee with milk” in Vietnam means condensed milk. If you want to order regular milk, you need to say fresh milk. Vietnamese coffee served with green tea, which is added without restrictions.

Vietnamese cuisine very diverse, there are more than 500 traditional dishes. When coming to Vietnam, you should definitely try the most popular ones. Delicious food is part of Vietnamese culture, so it’s impossible to imagine a vacation without experiencing it.

The main rule for Vietnamese cuisine is to use only fresh ingredients. Therefore, you don’t have to be afraid of anything food poisoning. The only precaution you need to take when dining in simple Vietnamese cafes is to wipe your forks and spoons before eating, and also treat your hands with antiseptic.

The basis of Vietnamese cuisine, as in many other Asian countries, is rice (Com in Vietnamese). It is used as a side dish; rice replaces bread for the Vietnamese. It is served boiled or fried. The Vietnamese serve nuoc mam fish sauce as a sauce for most dishes. It resembles soy sauce, but has a slightly sweet taste.

Vietnamese people love the flavor of lime in their dishes, so many soups and meat dishes add lime juice. Lime is served with all seafood dishes.

So, let's move on to the most interesting Vietnamese dishes that you definitely need to try.

Soups. Of course, the most popular soup in Vietnam is Pho soup. It consists of rice noodles in meat broth with the addition of small quantity vegetables and greens. The pieces of meat in the soup are cut into thin slices, and sprouted soybean sprouts are added on top. We were surprised when we were served Pho soup for breakfast in Ho Chi Minh City. After all, it’s not customary for us to eat soup for breakfast. And in Vietnam this soup is eaten at any time; it is very popular among both locals and tourists. Pho soup is very nutritious and tasty dish. When we have lunch at a cafe, we often choose this one; the average cost of a dish is 35-50 tons dong or 1.5-2 dollars. There are several varieties of soup: with beef, pork, chicken or seafood. The Vietnamese eat it with chopsticks and a spoon.

Pho soup with beef

Bunh Bo Hue soup is the second most popular soup in Vietnam. Just like Pho, it is made with meat broth. The differences between the soups are that Bun Bo Hue uses a different type of noodles, and instead of thin slices of meat, large pieces with bones are added. In addition, shrimp paste and lemon grass are added to Bun Bo Hue, which makes its taste more piquant.

The dish "Bun Cha Ca" is fish soup with small pies with fish sauce, garlic and pepper. The dish is served with rice noodles. This is a very aromatic and unusual soup, completely different from fish soup. I recommend you try it!

In some restaurants you can make your own soup from various ingredients. This dish is called Hot Pot, its cost starts from 150 VND or 8 dollars. This is a large dish, best ordered for two. To prepare hot pot in a cafe, they bring a special gas burner to the table and place a pan of water on it. Plates with various ingredients, from which you cook your own soup: seafood, meat, fish, herbs, vegetables, spices, etc. We cooked soup from shrimp, noodles, cauliflower, herbs and spices, it turned out very tasty. Periodically, the waiter came up to us and monitored the process.

Another popular soup is crab soup. We tried it first, back in Ho Chi Minh City. This is a very tasty and nutritious soup with a rich crab flavor. For cooking, crab meat, water and spices are used. Judging by the consistency, there was nothing else in the soup. The cost is small (about 40 tons dong - 2 dollars), but the portions are very small. I really liked the eel soup (cost 60 tons dong - 3 dollars). But still, we like Thai soups more than Vietnamese ones.

Meat dishes. The variety of meat dishes is impressive: chicken, beef, pork, pigeons, ducks, frogs, ostriches, crocodiles, turtles, lizards, snakes, etc. In general, it seems that the Vietnamese eat everything that moves! In one of the restaurants, my husband really liked the ostrich meat, it tasted a little like beef: the meat was dark in color and quite tough. Crocodile meat is more tender, similar to chicken. I don’t eat these meat delicacies, I describe them from my husband’s words.

It's no secret that people in Vietnam eat dog meat. In the northern part of the country, dog meat dishes are very popular among the local population. And it's terrible! But in the southern part and, especially, in resort towns, there are no dogs or cats on the menu; eating dogs here is considered bad manners.

In some restaurants you can taste rat or mouse meat. If you want to try snake, in Vietnam you can order a whole ritual. They cut up the snake in front of your eyes, offer you to drink fresh blood with vodka, and have another snack warm heart, after which you will be served cooked meat. One snake can make up to 10 various dishes, so the ritual is usually ordered for a company. They say that the blood and heart of a snake are very beneficial for human health. But we are not ready for such a bloody ritual yet!

Another dish that can be found on the menu of any Vietnamese restaurant in Nha Trang is pancakes from rice paper- “dumb.” There are a variety of fillings for pancakes: both meat and vegetable. In size, Vietnamese nems are not at all similar to Russian pancakes: they are very small, almost one bite.

Nem Nuong is another dish using rice paper. These are homemade large rice paper rolls. The cafe brings separately sheets of rice paper, herbs and meat or fish for filling. You need to put all the ingredients on the sheet, especially a lot of greens. After that, roll the sheet into a roll - and you can eat!

Steamed rice cakes with filling look like snow-white lumps. They are sold everywhere: in street stalls, in supermarkets, and can be ordered in any cafe. The fillings can be very different.

Stuffed rice cakes

If you don’t have time to go to a cafe, but still want to have a snack, you can buy a Vietnamese baguette with filling (Banh Mi). It is prepared on the street and can have any filling. Usually the filling consists of pieces of meat or ham, lard, cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, and sometimes an egg and cheese are added. The baguette is topped with sauce. Cost from 10 to 20 thousand dong or 0.5-1 dollar depending on the chosen filling. Trays of Vietnamese baguettes can be found on all the busy streets of Nha Trang.

Vietnamese hot dogs

Vietnamese salads. Vietnamese salads seemed too specific to us. But maybe we just made a bad choice. We ordered a salad from a Vietnamese cafe called “Vietnamese salad.” There were no ingredients on the menu, which made it even more interesting. The composition, it would seem, turned out to be quite simple: beef, quail eggs, greens, a large number of onions. But...everything was well seasoned with sugar.

More successful was a salad called “Nom Hoa Chu” made from pieces of chicken, shavings of banana blossoms, cabbage and sprouted soybeans. It was topped with a slightly spicy dressing and sprinkled with nuts.

My husband liked the fried mussel salad with mint, soy sprouts and rice paper. The cost is about 2-3 dollars per serving.

Seafood dishes. Of course, the most popular among tourists are seafood dishes. The choice of seafood in Vietnam is huge: shrimp of different sizes, lobsters, mussels, rapana, oysters, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, sea mantises, sea ​​urchins and much more.

Under no circumstances buy shrimp and lobsters on the beach from Vietnamese women who carry them in special heating pots. They are exposed to the scorching sun for a long time and, of course, are not fresh. We were told about numerous cases of serious poisoning among Russian tourists from seafood purchased on the beach.

We ate fresh seafood dishes mainly in one very popular local cafe. It’s hard to even call it a cafe, the interior is too ugly. More precisely, the interior is completely absent. There are small tables and very tiny chairs against the wall. There is no menu as such, you just go up to large buckets of seafood and fish and choose what you like.

Grilled frogs taste like chicken, only even more tender. They can be found in any seafood cafe. You can order both whole carcasses and fried legs in batter ($4-5 per dish).

Grilled fish costs about 4-5 dollars for a large portion.

The prices are reasonable, but not as low as in the cafes for locals that we pass along the road. But we haven’t dared to go there yet, it’s too dirty around here! There are a variety of seafood in bowls with ice. Small clams and brine are especially popular. Our interest was aroused by strange seafood in the form of large hedgehogs. But we haven’t tried it yet!

Cafe for locals

Cafe for locals

Vietnamese desserts. Candied fruits and candied fruits are very popular among the Vietnamese. Before Chinese New Year, they sold out the entire section of the Big C supermarket.

The menu of Vietnamese cafes usually has a small selection of desserts. One of them is coconut mousse, it is served inside fresh coconut. Cost – 1-2 dollars.

And, of course, in Vietnam you need to try the fruits that are here huge variety: papaya, passion fruit, sugar apple, durian, dragon, different varieties of mango, sapadilla, lychee, langans, mangosteens, rambutans, guava, anona, water apple, carambola, spondias, star apple. I have not yet listed the entire list of fruits. Each of them has its own unique taste.

Fruits. Vietnam

Traditional Vietnamese drinks. In almost any cafe and restaurant they bring green tea. This tea is traditional Vietnamese drink, it's called Cha da. It is often served with ice. Vietnamese tea perfectly quenches thirst and refreshes hot weather. He has a pleasant mild taste, differs from the usual green tea.

Vietnamese tea

Cane sugar is our favorite drink in Vietnam. We've been wanting to try it for a long time, but apparently it's not popular in Thailand; we haven't come across it. But in Nha Trang they do it on almost every street. The juice is squeezed out of a cane stick with half a lime on a special machine. The cost of juice is 5-10 tons dong or 0.25 dollars. Cane juice is very tasty: sweetish, with a slight hint of lime. It is poured either into glasses if you are going to drink it right away, or into small bags of ice. The first time I saw that juice was poured into a bag, a straw was inserted and it was tied!

This is how cane juice is made

And, of course, what kind of vacation could there be in Vietnam without Vietnamese coffee? Vietnam ranks second after Brazil in coffee exports. Coffee is usually grown in mountainous areas. Near Nha Trang, in the vicinity of the city of Dalat, there are coffee plantations. Vietnamese coffee is highly roasted. He has rich taste and thick aroma.

Vietnamese coffee is prepared using special technology; it is not brewed in Turkish coffee pots or coffee pots. For cooking, a special filter is used, which is placed on top of the coffee cup. Pour a few teaspoons of ground coffee into the filter to taste, press it with a press, and then fill the filter with boiling water to the edge. Drops of coffee will gradually flow from the filter into the cup. The cooking process takes 3-5 minutes. After the coffee has completely drained from the filter, add boiling water or milk to taste to the cup.

In Vietnamese cafes, coffee is served either black or with the addition of condensed milk. Particularly popular iced coffee with ice. The cost is about 15,000 dong (0.8 dollars).

Iced coffee

We were surprised by the prices for beer in cafes and restaurants; a bottle of good Saigon beer costs 10,000 dong ($0.5). Red and white wine, which is produced in the neighboring city of Da Lat, costs from 80,000 VND per bottle (4-5 dollars).

If you don’t like or are tired of Vietnamese cuisine, there are a huge number of Russian, Italian, Kyrgyz, Armenian and other restaurants and cafes in Nha Trang. Since the majority of vacationers in Nha Trang are Russian, restaurants with Russian cuisine are very popular. There are a lot of them in Nha Trang, we visited several of them. For example, the Moscow restaurant made us very happy. Everything was delicious, reasonable prices, good service. In the Cosmos restaurant we even found smoked mackerel and fresh draft beer. After 6 months on Samui, where the choice of Russian dishes is very limited, I enjoyed eating okroshka with kvass and cabbage rolls. Vietnamese cuisine, without a doubt, deserves attention, but Russian cuisine is still closer!

Selecting hotels in Vietnam

Nha Trang hotels with reviews

We talk about what we eat in Vietnam (how much it costs and what it looks like). This is our big overview of Vietnamese food, names of dishes and prices.

We will be there for a month and a half, so the need arose to somehow understand the food - what is what in Vietnamese cuisine. Having purchased a special notebook, we began to write down the names of dishes and their translations, as well as everything that might be useful when communicating (more precisely, when trying to explain ourselves) with employees of local street eateries. The situation is complicated: the menu, if there is one at all, is only in Vietnamese, and among the catering workers, almost no one knows English, and if anyone knows even a little, they speak with such an accent that we can no longer understand anything. So you have to explain yourself mainly through sign language.

Advice: To correctly translate from Vietnamese, use the Tieng viet TCVN 6064 virtual keyboard in Google Translator - there you will find all the necessary characters.

Entering the names of dishes in Vietnamese into a notepad has become easier - you can simply show the cook the inscription and he will say whether such a dish is available, or twirl the “flashlights”, which means “no” in Vietnam.

We started our journey from Ho Chi Minh City, and as we move towards the north of Vietnam we will supplement the article with new names, descriptions and photos of food in Vietnam, prices for dishes, and also, if possible, note regional differences in dishes. UPD: we did just that, read our comparison in different cities of the country.

Let's make a reservation that we eat exclusively in small street eateries in order to imbue the spirit of the ordinary Vietnamese people and save money. It usually happens like this: the lower you sit, the tastier and cheaper you eat. Even white-collar workers - serious business men - do not hesitate to sit on a low plastic chair at a street eatery and have a snack.

Remark from Alyosha : During our stay in Vietnam, there was not a single case where we ate in some eatery, sitting side by side with a “white man”; our desk neighbors were always local residents. It is very rare for a European to sit on a plastic chair at street eateries, but in vain, because this is the way to eat when traveling that guarantees that the prices are minimal.

Exchange Rates at the time of writing: 1000 Vietnamese dong = 2.76 rubles, and $1 = 21,400 dong. Roughly speaking, to convert the price of a particular Vietnamese dish into rubles, cut off three zeros from the price in dong and multiply by 3 - you get the ruble equivalent.

Food prices in Vietnam are not too high, but given the fall of the ruble, they have become approximately the same as in Russia.

Food in Vietnam: what it costs, descriptions of dishes and their writing in Vietnamese

• Nem cuốn, bánh tráng cuốn or gỏi cuốn And chả giò(in Northern, Central and Southern Vietnam, respectively) - pancakes nem, or rolls. They are filled rolls wrapped in thin rice paper. The filling consists of rice noodles, shrimp, bacon, herbs and other ingredients - at the discretion of the cook. Rolls are served chilled or at room temperature. Price - from 6 thousand dong per piece.

• Chả nem or nem ran(in the south and north, respectively) - also rolls with filling, but small and fried. The filling consists of minced meat, mushrooms, vegetables and herbs; it may vary. Price - from 3.5 thousand dong per piece.
• Phở soup (pho) — National dish Vietnam, you should definitely try it. This is a very tasty rich beef broth with rice noodles, to which either thin slices of beef are added ( pho bo - phở bò), or chicken pieces ( fo ga - phở gà) or fish ( phởca). The soup is served with local herbs like mint and mung bean sprouts, dipping sauces and lime slices for squeezing. In general, there are a lot of varieties of soups in Vietnam - they can differ in types of noodles or meat and vegetables. Price: in Ho Chi Minh City we found pho bo for 20 thousand dong, but on average it costs 25 - 30 thousand dong. In Can Tho it costs 18 thousand dong.

Phở bò - beef soup

• Bún chả (Bún thịt nướng in the south)— fried pork with rice noodles. Served with fresh herbs and vegetables, as well as sauces. Price: from 25 thousand dong.
• Goi bo- salad of beef, vegetables and herbs. Price: from 17 thousand dong.
• Bún ca- fish noodle soup. Price: in Can Tho - from 15 thousand dong.
• (or Bún riêu) - soup with vermicelli, tomatoes, snails, beef, chicken, boiled pork blood and herbs. Price: from 28 thousand dong.

Bún ốc - soup with noodles, meat and snails

• Banh canh- noodles soup. There are many varieties: cua- with crab, tom- with shrimp and so on. Price: from 25 thousand dong.
• - very common street food in Vietnam. A very tasty fresh baguette with a “combined” filling at the seller’s discretion: vegetables, pork/beef/sausage, herbs, pate, chili (usually sellers ask whether pepper should be added), sauce. All this is wrapped in paper and placed in a bag. Very convenient: a Vietnamese guy arrived on a bike, they prepared a sandwich for him in 2 minutes, and he rode off. You can find mobile baguette shops almost everywhere (with the exception of the center - there are practically none there). Cost: from 10 thousand dong per piece - red price. In more tourist areas we met for 15 and 20 thousand (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hue, Ha Long). A baguette option with fried pork costs from 15 thousand VND.

Banh mì. Photo © cherrylet / flickr.com

• Banh bao (ban bao, dumpling pies)- this is a pie from yeast dough, steamed. Filling (may vary): pork/chicken, quail egg, onion, mushrooms, vermicelli. There is a vegetarian version of bánh bao. Price: from 10 thousand dong. Sometimes the price depends on the weight (seen in Hanoi).
• - another street food. You could say this is bread pudding. Basically it's fried banana pie, somewhat similar in consistency to pudding. The ingredients can vary greatly, but it is usually made from bananas, bread, coconut milk etc. Very tasty and satisfying. Bánh chuối carts are mobile and can be identified by the characteristic sweet smell of waffles. By the way, the waffles themselves are often sold too. Often just such a banana mass with mung bean can be found in the form fried waffles. Cost: in Ho Chi Minh City they sold it to us for 12 thousand VND per piece, which, of course, is expensive. In Da Nang they sold us the same one for 5 thousand.

Bánh chuối. Photo © noodlepie / flickr.com

• Chè chuối- among ourselves we called him “ banana pudding" In my opinion, one of the most delicious dishes in Vietnam. These are fried (sometimes fresh) bananas, doused with hot coconut milk and pulp, and sprinkled with roasted peanuts. Very tasty and filling! Served in plastic cups with a spoon. It's best eaten hot, but it's also delicious cold. In Hoi An we bought for 10 thousand dong, although in fact they sell it cheaper to locals (about 7 thousand).
• - a rice dish with fresh vegetables and tender marinated grilled pork (you can also take grilled chicken instead). Added hot sauce and broth with herbs. This is one of the types of street food in Vietnam; you can ask for cơm tấm to take with you, and the dish will be placed in a special container. Price: from 25 thousand dong in Ho Chi Minh City, in Can Tho we ate cơm tấm for 15 thousand dong.

Cơm tấm - rice with pork

• Banh chưng- a traditional Vietnamese dessert - a mass of gluten rice, mung bean, pork and other ingredients, wrapped in banana leaves. Price in the supermarket: from 30 - 35 thousand dong.
• — Vietnamese street food. A hearty and tasty dish, very easy to prepare: pieces rice dough fried with egg and green onions. All this is topped with the famous nước mắm fish sauce. Price: from 22 thousand dong.

Bột chiên. Photo © phswien / flickr.com

• - also cheap street food in Vietnam. It is deep-fried pasta with scrambled eggs and herbs. Often served fresh vegetables. Price: from 22 thousand dong.

• Nước mắm- fish sauce. It is obtained through the fermentation process of anchovy. Used instead of salt, you can dip pieces of food in it, or you can pour it over a dish - depending on the variety, of which there are many. Also added during cooking. Served free of charge.

Our journey is just beginning, so the article will gradually be filled with new information: we will continue to tell you about all the types of food that we try in Vietnam, as well as the prices for these Vietnamese dishes. To be continued…

Introductory image source: Khánh Hmoong / flickr.com.

Fragrance of aromas, a lot of exotic, fresh and light food, prepared only from natural ingredients with minimum quantity fats, delicious sauces, unusual herbs and spices - all this is inherent in the original cuisine of the distant state of Vietnam.

Characteristics of Vietnamese cuisine

Vietnamese cuisine is a symbiosis of Chinese, Thai and Japanese culinary traditions. However, despite the external similarity, it has its own special features. The basis of the Vietnamese diet is made up of only natural products.
The preferred grain here is rice. It is the main component of most dishes. The favorable geographical location and proximity to the sea contribute to the great popularity of fish and seafood. Octopus, crabs, shrimp, mussels and scallops are included in the recipe of almost all local dishes. Meat commonly used is pork, beef and poultry. Legumes, in particular peas, lentils and beans, are in demand in the country.
The local cooking is characterized by the use of spices and herbs. Coriander, cilantro, basil, mint and lemongrass add flavor to the dishes unusual taste. To highlight the taste of seafood, lemon and lime juice, as well as ginger, are used here.

Regional features

In Vietnam, there are clearly regional characteristics in food preparation. The cuisine in the north of the country is more traditional. Here they give preference simple dishes from meat and seafood. Little spices and seasonings are used. The favorite dishes of northerners are soups, especially pho.
The traditions of the central regions are more multifaceted and interesting. Much attention is paid here to preparing original exotic snacks. Local dishes differ pungent taste, which is achieved through the use of a considerable amount of seasonings, in particular chili pepper.
The culinary traditions of the south were formed under the influence of Chinese settlers and French colonists. Unlike the northern part of the republic, vegetables and exotic herbs are used everywhere. Due attention is paid to seafood. Southerners especially love chili peppers, which add a slight spiciness to their culinary masterpieces. Foreign influence is evidenced by the presence French pastries, especially popular are baguettes and croissants, an abundance of cheeses and all kinds of pates.

Popular dishes

The list of the most famous Vietnamese culinary delights includes more than 500 items. It is difficult to list them all, so it is worth highlighting the most interesting and extraordinary. Let's start with snacks.
Among meat snacks best known Nem Nuong, or Vietnamese fajitas. It is based on deep-fried meat sausages wrapped in thin sheets of rice paper - they are prepared mainly from pork or beef, with a little garlic and pepper added for a sharper taste. The filling is made from pickled vegetables, mainly daikon and carrots, as well as dandelion leaves, lettuce, basil and mint. The taste is perfectly complemented by shallots and spicy peanut-carrot sauce.
In the central regions, rice paper rolls with with different fillings - Cha Gio or Spring roll. The filling for them includes fresh vegetables, meat (pork or beef), and seafood. Spring roll is deep-fried until golden brown and served with soy sauce.
Many call it an analogue of Cha Gio pancakes Nem. The technology for their preparation is the same as that of spring rolls. The seafood and mushroom filling is wrapped in sheets of rice paper soaked in water. Then lightly fry in hot oil, giving them a light golden crust and golden brown color. Nem is served with pickled vegetables and herbs.
The snack category also includes Cuon Ram- pancakes with shrimp and herbs. They go well with beer or other alcoholic drinks.

Salads

Since the Vietnamese give preference to proper and balanced food, their cuisine contains a lot interesting recipes vegetable salads. Goi Buoi and Goicathu are the most popular.
Goi Buoi- light spring salad of pamela, seafood and pork. Visually, it immediately attracts attention with its bright colors, but its taste is no worse. A variety of spices and herbs complement the taste of the main ingredients. Coconuts and white sesame go well with shrimp, and dry cuttlefish goes well with thin slices of aromatic pork. For added piquancy, add a little chili pepper and a little lemon juice.
Goicathu The Vietnamese consider it a delicacy. Why this is so is not entirely clear, because the salad includes quite simple ingredients. The “star” of the dish is fresh mackerel fillet. To best highlight the taste of the fish, ginger, peanuts, lime juice and garlic are added here. Naturally, one cannot do without herbs and various spices.
Refined dishes include Goingosen. It contains tomatoes, walnuts and seafood. A special ingredient is young lotus shoots. Season the salad with sweet and sour sauce and lemon juice. When serving, decorate with finely chopped nuts, sprigs of mint and cilantro.

Vietnamese soups

The first place in the list of the most popular hot dishes of Vietnamese cuisine is pho (Pho)- thick soup with rice noodles and pieces of beef. He has French roots, began to be in great demand in the twentieth century. The classic recipe is based on the use of boiled beef and thin noodles. When serving, these ingredients are poured hot. beef broth, seasoned with spices and herbs. But each region of the state has its own variations of its preparation.
Extremely in demand Saigon (southern) pho. Unlike classic version he has sweetish taste, which is achieved by adding candis (sugar). In addition to beef and noodles, it contains lime and bean sprouts, red pepper pieces, mint and cilantro. When served, the dish is decorated with cumin, basil and soy sauce. The Hanoi (northern) version is more consistent classic recipe. Its main ingredients are dry rice noodles and beef. Their taste is complemented by spices, green onion and fish sauce. Other varieties of pho include pho ga (with chicken) and pho ka (with pieces fried fish). Pho fan, made with seafood, is also popular.
Interesting first dishes include hot pot, or lau(from English "hot pot"). Its specificity lies in the fact that everyone has the opportunity to take direct part in the cooking process. Guests who want to try this dish are brought a pan of hot broth, a mini-stove and ingredients that they themselves choose from the menu. All products are laid out on a large lid with a wide opening. During the cooking process, guests themselves determine the order of adding vegetables and spices. After 5-10 minutes, the soup is poured into large cups, noodles are added to them and served. The basis for lau is seafood (mussels, scallops, shrimp), fish fillet or meat (beef, chicken, less often pork). Mushrooms, tomatoes, lemongrass and herbs help diversify its taste.
The assortment of first courses is complemented by thick seafood broths, in particular bun rieu and banh cai. Noodle soup with shrimp is popular in the northern regions. In the south they prefer sour broths with tamarind - kan yua.
No less famous Bun bo Hue (bun bo). It has ancient roots, coming from the imperial city of Hue. The dish looks similar to pho, but the taste is completely different. Bun bo is also prepared on the basis of meat broth, but this is where all the similarities between them end. So, instead of elongated noodles, round rice vermicelli is added to it. The meat used is large pieces of beef. The pleasant spicy aroma of the soup is provided by spices and herbs. Exotic ingredients include banana blossom shavings and lemon grass.
You can try another one in Hanoi original soup- This bun-bunga. Cooked in meat broth with the addition of pork ribs and taro stems, it has an unusual minty-sweet flavor. Due to the use of many vegetables and herbs, the dish is characterized by a bright, rich color and pleasant aroma. The end result is simple, but quite tasty.
Traditional local cuisine includes Bun Bo Hue and Bun Riyu. The first one is beef soup, resembles typical pho. Their only difference is the use of multiple spices. As a result, the food turns out to be too spicy. The second is the complete opposite of the previous one, light soup from seafood. Since crab meat does not go well with spices, it is not spicy at all. The tomatoes that are included in the composition give it a rich, bright shade, and crab fillet- slightly sweetish taste.

Main dishes

There are about 200 types of main dishes in Vietnamese cuisine. All of them are distinguished by their extraordinary lightness, which is achieved through the use of the freshest products possible. The basis of the Vietnamese diet is rice and seafood. As a key ingredient, the former is included in almost all dishes. It goes through many stages of heat treatment - boiling, frying, steaming, but at the same time it has a very delicate taste and unusual aroma.
The most famous dishes made from rice include Banh Hoi Tom- sauteed seafood and rice noodles. It is prepared mainly in the north of the state. Seafood includes shrimp, lobster or crab meat. Spices, mint and basil complement the taste. Exotic ingredients include lime and lemongrass.
Rice cakes are widely known in Vietnam, for example Banh bao. Outwardly they resemble manta rays, stuffed with meat, vegetables and quail eggs. The dough for them is kneaded from rice flour, so the final dish turns out to be extremely fluffy and snow-white in appearance.
A variety of Banh bao is Banh kan, or rice cakes. They are prepared on the basis of rice flour dough. To make them light and fluffy, add a little boiled rice to the batch. You can’t do without seafood, in particular squid and shrimp. The taste of the dish is complemented by fried shallots, cracklings and peanut sauce. It is served at the table with greens and Latuk salad.
Among the hottest researches stands out Chao- aromatic rice porridge with chicken fillet, seasoned with fish sauce and lemon juice. No less interesting is rice vermicelli with slices of fried pork and river snail broth.
TO famous dishes Vietnamese cuisine includes Xoi chien phong(in translation "blowing sticky rice"). It is served as a side dish with fried chicken. Thanks to the unique cooking technology, the rice has a sticky consistency, which allows it to be rolled into small balls. On the plate they look very elegant, and the taste of the dish only benefits from this.
A harmonious combination of grains and meat is characteristic of Com Ga. The main ingredient for it is rice, deep-fried along with finely chopped pieces. chicken fillet. It is served on lemongrass stalks, along with herbs and garlic sauce.
Among meat dishes stands out Laumam. It is characterized by the use of many ingredients. The composition includes fish ("snake's head"), pork, beef, seafood (mainly shrimp and scallops), as well as more than 15 varieties of vegetables. Complements the taste of the ingredients used flavorful sauce made from peanuts, lime, red pepper and peanuts. The dish is served hot and is an excellent addition to pho.
Traditional food for the Vietnamese is Ban Cuon- small pancakes made from rice dough with minced pork and tree mushrooms. They are prepared exclusively by steaming, when serving, cut into small pieces and sprinkled with fried onions on top. They come with fish sauce with chilli and a few wedges of lemon.
In the north of Vietnam they often cook bun cha- pork with rice noodles. In this case, the meat is prepared according to an ancient recipe. Its thin slices are strung on bamboo sticks and baked over hot coals. For more bright aroma the fillets are marinated with spices and seasonings using chili peppers, vinegar and lemon juice. After frying it with a golden brown crust, along with the noodles, sprinkle with fish sauce, sprinkle with basil and serve.
There are also unique variations on the theme of the American sandwich in Vietnamese cuisine - these are banh mi, a well-done turkey fillet wrapped in a thin pancake made from rice batter. In some regions it is prepared from pork or beef, but since these types of meat are very expensive, the recipe with turkey is most widespread.
The Vietnamese can boast and delicious pizza, in their version it is called banh seo, which translated means “hot pancake”. Thin sheets of rice dough are specially baked for it. Seafood, tomatoes and herbs are used as filling; in the south of the state they also add beans, peanuts and a little soy sauce.
Among the main dishes it is worth highlighting com chen - Vietnamese version of Uzbek pilaf. The only thing that unites it and Asian pilaf is that they are based on rice. When it comes to fillings, the Vietnamese are more picky. They replace fatty lamb with sausages and quail eggs, although they still place more emphasis on vegetable content.
Fish dishes are also in demand here. The most famous are Ca Kho To- catfish fillet in caramel sauce. The meat is steamed, which makes it juicy, aromatic and has a delicate texture. Characterized by a sharper taste Ca Ran Chua Ngot- fried fish with sweet and sour sauce. A couple of slices of chili pepper and a few cloves of garlic add piquancy to it.

Vietnamese desserts

Vietnamese sweets are as specific as all other dishes. However, national desserts don't have too much variety. Among these there are often fruit chips, homemade sweets and dried fruits.
Fruit chips- This favorite treat most Vietnamese. Essentially, they are sweet candied fruits coated with caramel, ginger or regular sugar. The sweetness is easy to prepare and has a good taste; it is good to take with you to long journey, because it is very high in calories, so it does not cause hunger for a long time. In addition, such desserts are also good for health, since fruits are saturated with various vitamins and minerals that are necessary for the normal functioning of the body.
Nutritious and tasty too Vietnamese sweets, or nhan dau. Made from simple, natural products, they have a bright taste and interesting aroma. The main ingredients for them are sugar, coconut milk and peanuts. Sesame and ginger are often added here.
Found here and sweet pastries, however, it is very original. At first glance, simple cookies look quite ordinary, but their composition surprises even the most experienced gourmets. As a rule, they add ingredients that are not quite familiar to the typical average person. These can include soy sauce, spices, and even beef. The cooking technology is also unique; baked goods are steamed and wrapped ready dough in bamboo or banana leaves. Such a treat looks a little strange, but for the Vietnamese it is quite acceptable.
Tourists to Vietnam call this a not too sophisticated, but very popular sweet. coconut sugar- it can be either in crumbly or compressed form. It is used both as a complete dessert and as a flavoring additive for other dishes.
More refined and original desserts include Banh cam- small balls of rice noodles. They are stuffed inside with peanuts and sprinkled with chopped sesame seeds on top. This delicacy is often found in the south of the country; it goes well with Vietnamese coffee and tea.
On the eve of the New Year holidays, people often cook here banh tet pie. The basis for it is considered to be banana leaves, inside of which there is fruit filling. Various exotic fruits are used as a filler, sweet beans, legumes and other products.
They love it in Vietnam coconut wafers, or banh kep la dua. The recipe and technology for their preparation resemble European version, but there is one nuance - this is the color of the dessert. Thanks to the use tropical fruit pandan, it takes on a light greenish color; at first glance, it seems that the waffles are generally covered with mold. But even the eyes can sometimes deceive - this is exactly the option. Exotic ingredients give sweets a unique aroma and unforgettable taste.
Expensive desserts include puddings (viet che). They are not often prepared as they spoil quickly in hot tropical climates. Round rice, wild berries and exotic fruits are used to prepare them. Although even in such an unpretentious delicacy, the Vietnamese can combine incompatible things, adding, for example, beans. Oddly enough, this makes the taste of the pudding even more rich and interesting.

Traditional drinks

Drinks in Vietnam are mainly consumed tea, coffee, juice sugar cane and coconut milk. Among non-alcoholic drinks, the Vietnamese prefer cane juice - mia da. It is very sweet, which explains its popularity among locals. On hot days it perfectly quenches thirst. But just add a little ice, coconut milk and a couple of slices of lime, and it instantly turns into an exquisite Asian cocktail.
Exotic drinks include centella juice - rau ma. Outwardly, he looks unattractive. Poisonous green color, unpleasant smell - when you see such a sad picture, the desire to taste it instantly disappears. Nevertheless, according to local residents, this swill is almost a panacea for all diseases, so here it is “worth its weight in gold.”
A typical Vietnamese feast is impossible without aromatic green tea - Cha da. It is served to the table twice - before the meal and after it ends. The Vietnamese love strong tea without sugar. To slightly diversify the taste and compensate for the unpleasant bitter taste, lotus, jasmine, magnolia or chrysanthemum flowers are added to it.
Traditional drinks include coffee. Unlike Europeans, the Vietnamese drink it cold, often adding a couple of ice cubes. The ideal option is iced coffee with condensed milk. Local residents use it huge quantities, and they also cook it in their own way. Instead of a traditional Turk or coffee machine, they use special double-bottom filters that are installed on top of the cup. The filter with crushed grains is filled to the top with water. Gradually, under the pressure of the press, drops of coffee flow into the cup, enchanting everyone around with a wonderful aroma. As they say, everything ingenious is simple!
Are in great demand alcoholic drinks, especially vodka infused with alpine herbs or snake entrails. “Fire water”, in which a snake’s heart or body parts of other exotic animals float, looks very impressive, and, according to the Vietnamese, it has healing properties. As they say, “two in one” - you can relax and improve your health. The main thing is not to get carried away and not to overdo it, otherwise snake venom in large doses is unsafe.

Exotic dishes

Human fantasy has no boundaries. In Vietnam, this principle works flawlessly. They say that the Vietnamese can eat anything that moves; local delicacies are proof of this. Snake dishes, crocodile fillet, roast dog or cat meat, tender stew from rats, sea worms or bats - Vietnamese cuisine is full of exotic things. Of course, such research is not for the faint-hearted tourists, but sometimes their taste is quite good.
A classic of Vietnamese cooking is crocodile fillet dishes. As it turned out, it is very nutritious, juicy and tender, goes well with many spices and vegetables, so you can experiment with it endlessly. The paws and tail are considered the most expensive parts of the formidable animal - these are delicacies. The back part is quite tough, so it is used for cooking steaks.
A crocodile is still “flowers”, snakes are the true “exotic”. Snake meat is very popular in Vietnamese cuisine. He is credited healing properties, many even believe that dishes prepared from it are not only tasty, but also extremely beneficial for human health.
Cooking a snake is a whole ritual. Initially, the animal's head is cut off, then the blood is expressed, which is added to a bottle of rice vodka. Next, the heart is taken out (it is still beating for 20-30 minutes), and the carcass is taken to the kitchen for further processing. While guests are waiting for their dish, they are offered a glass of vodka with blood, and as a snack - a raw snake heart, which must be swallowed whole. So you can still feel its beating inside you for some time! This ritual looks very strange, but locals believe that it has a positive effect on a person, providing him with longevity and universal peace.
The calling card of the local cuisine is dog meat dishes. Smoked dog carcasses or cages with live animals placed near cafes and restaurants shock only visiting Europeans; for locals this is a typical occurrence. According to statistics, about 3 million dogs are eaten every year in Vietnam. Their meat is very fatty and resembles pork in taste and texture. The sirloin parts are steamed and served with shrimp paste and rice or lemon vinegar. The neck and ribs are marinated in soy sauce and grilled. Doi Cho, dog sausages, is also popular here.
For many, rats are insignificant rodents, but not for the Vietnamese. For them, rat meat is an almost priceless product. It is very juicy and has a bright pinkish color. The texture and taste are slightly reminiscent of rabbit meat. Rat carcasses are prepared in different ways, but mostly they are grilled or baked in ovens. Served with sweet and sour sauce and chili pepper.
Vietnamese chefs can offer bat dishes to the most spoiled gourmets. The meat of these animals has an unpleasant odor, so before cooking it is actively marinated in spices and herbs, and then baked or grilled. It is usually served with a side dish of rice, a lot of herbs, garlic and chili pepper. Well, an unusual gift is a glass of blood, which must be served as an addition to the main dish.
For tourists who are not too squeamish, the Vietnamese often offer frog dishes - only the hind legs of the animal are used for their preparation. They resemble chicken wings in taste and texture - just as juicy, tender and aromatic. They are served with vegetables and rice porridge. Turtle meat is also popular in Vietnam. In taste it resembles frog legs, served with vegetables and sweet and sour or spicy sauces.
Well, the most exotic dish of Vietnamese cuisine is considered balut. Outwardly it does not cause fear or horror - it is ordinary duck egg. As it turns out, there is little surprise- a duck embryo with wings, beak and feathers. The spectacle is not for the faint of heart, although the Vietnamese themselves claim that these eggs are healthy and perfectly satisfy hunger. The taste of balut is something between boiled egg and tender duck fillet. The embryo is usually eaten whole, dipped in fish or soy sauce. These eggs may not cause any appetite, but their taste turns out to be very good.

Vietnamese cuisine is very original. Many of them cause a slight “culture shock”, frankly surprising and striking not only with their taste, but also with their composition. However, in addition to exotic dishes made from snakes and other living creatures, it contains a lot of interesting things that are definitely worth trying!