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Vietnamese Cuisine and Its Regional Variety

For a long time, Vietnamese cuisine has been recognized as one of the most impressive that Asia has to offer, and is particularly well-liked by Koreans. It has many light dishes with lots of vegetables and grains that are pleasing to the Korean palate. In addition to these flavors, Viet Nam is a country with a similar history and environmental features to Korea. Also like Korea, Viet Nam developed its own unique cultural sentiment following previous eras of invasion, colonization, and along struggle toward gaining independence. Many of the country’s recipes share the spicy taste of modern Korean dishes, which had their red pepper powder introduced through Japan. Foods that flowed into Viet Nam during the colonial period such as Chinese Guangzhou-style dishes that stir-fry lots of vegetables, and French confectionery recipes characterize Vietnamese cuisine today. The typical ingredients of Vietnamese food are rice, herbs, nước chấm (dipping sauces), and vegetables. Rice noodles in Korea, however, are completely different from those in Viet Nam. If the ingredients are different, similar recipes can yield very different flavors. Let’s explore the authentic taste of Viet Nam!

The nation’s cuisine is geographically divided into northern (Hanoi), central (Huế) and southern (Ho Chi Minh City) foods. Hanoi in the north is the home of phở. Using a variety of ingredients from the land, the sea, and the sky, the rich and clear broth of this soup is combined with rice noodles and herbs to complete an appetizing meal. Phở is so popular that the saying goes, “I’m tired of eating so much rice, but rice noodles are always delicious.”

Bún chảis my favorite dish that I eat daily whenever I travel to Viet Nam. Noodles are mixed with charcoal-flavored grilled meat and a tasty sauce. Bún bònam bộis similar to bún chả. It’s a dry, mixed noodle dish that has a fragrance reminiscent of pad thai, although it looks quite different. It is topped with thin slices of roasted beef, along with vegetables, fried shrimp, and nước mắm(fish sauce), as taple every where in Viet Nam. There is a fresh lime on each table for you to season your meal, which transports you directly to a spicy, sour, sweet, and salty heaven.

The central region, Huế, is known for its palace cuisine that was passed down from the Huế dynasty. With successful chili pepper cultivation, spicy dishes developed here. Bún bòhuế is a thick noodle dish with fermented shrimp, lemongrass, and Vietnamese pepper in a pork bone broth, seasoned with nước mắm. Nem refers to a kind of appetizer made of rice paper, rolled with meat and vegetables, and then steamed or fried. Nem rán (also chảgiò), commonly known as spring rolls, are deep fried, while nem cuốn (gỏi cuốn) commonly known as summer rolls, are steamed.

Bánh khoaiand bánh xèo are pancake-like dishes. While both closely resemble a fried egg omelet, only bánh xèo includes egg in the batter: bánh khoai is made from a batter of rice, water, and turmeric. Furthermore, bánh khoai is deep fried, making it appear fluffy, while bánh xèo is pan fried, making it thinner and crispier. They are served mainly with peanut sauce and seafood as a garnish, and sprinkled with hoisin sauce (fermented soy sauce).

Ho Chi Minh City in the south is home to a variety of nationalities and has a high population density, resulting in a wide diversity of commercialized foods. The city’s rice noodles have set the global standard, and, in fact, even serve as the basic reference point for rice noodle shops in Paris, France. The city also boasts many shops and street vendors selling one of the country’s most famous snacks, bánh mì. Bánh mìis a short, crispy baguette made from rice flour and packed with cilantro leaves, fresh local vegetables, and one’s choice of meat. There are also dishes using beef intestines, as well as crab and shrimp dishes, which are amazing when seasoned with butter. Home-cooking style restaurants are especially popular among international visitors.

My advice: if you want a more traditional flavors, go to the north, and if you want a more novel cuisine, go to the south! The next time you stop over in Viet Nam, I hope you will have a chance to enjoy all the culinary delights that the country has to offer!