Vietnam Noodle – they are quite a versatile ingredient to be made into a variety of dishes. In Vietnam, there is no shortage of different noodle dishes. Some prefer eating them with soup, some fried, some with sauce, and some even crispy. Pho might be the front-runner of noodle dishes in Vietnam. You can have it with chicken (pho ga), beef (pho bo), fish (pho ca), and there’s even a vegetarian-friendly version. But aside from pho, there are many other noodle dishes to try when in Vietnam; here are five of them.
Bún bò Huế
It got its name from its origin, the old imperial city in central Vietnam, Hue. Bun bo Hue is a beef noodle soup with lemongrass. The broth has shrimp paste and chili oil, so it is a bit on the spicy side. Some restaurants or eateries serve this with pork blood, but the main component would be the beef strips. Compared to pho that has flat rice noodles, bun bo Hue has round noodles. Bun bo Hue translates to Hue beef noodle soup, but it also has some pork in it. It is best to try this noodle dish in Hue as it is its origin.
Try it at Bún Bò Dì Búp (68 Tran Quang Khai, Hue City).
Bún Thịt Nướng
Bún Thịt Nướng is made up of rice vermicelli noodles topped with grilled pork, fresh herbs like mint and basil, bean sprouts, cucumbers, pickled carrots and daikon, and roasted peanuts. This dish also has a lot of varieties; instead of meat, some serve this with tofu, prawns, or beef. The ingredients let you have different textures and flavors like mint, sour, sweet, and crunch when you eat this. It does not have any soup, but it is dressed in fish sauce which brings all the flavors together.
Try it at Bún Thịt Nướng Chả Giò Bà Thêm (Hẻm 88 Nguyễn Huệ, Q1)
Hủ tiếu
Hủ tiếu is a dish that originated in Cambodia and has been made popular in the Southern part of Vietnam. It is made up of thinner rice noodles (other versions use egg noodles), pork, shrimp, squid, and topped with quail eggs, bean sprouts, spring onions, and roasted or fresh garlic. The soup has a bit of a sweet taste as the broth is made from pork ribs and sugar. There are a lot of ways to cook this dish; some put liver, meatballs, and tofu instead of pork.
Try it at My Hung Hu Tieu Nam Vang (So 5 Hà Huy Tập, Tân Phong, Quận 7, Hồ Chí Minh).
Bún chả
This is another popular noodle dish in Vietnam especially in the northern part, Hanoi. It even gained more popularity as well-known travel writer and TV host Anthony Bourdain ate this dish with former US president Barack Obama in 2016. When you order this, you’ll be served with a plate filled with rice noodles, and another one filled with leafy vegetables and bean sprouts. Bún chả also has meatballs and grilled pork; it is served with watered-down fish sauce with sugar, so it has a bit of a sweet taste.
If you’re in Hanoi, you can try it at Bún chả Hương Liên (24 Lê Văn Hưu, Phan Chu Trinh, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội), or at Bún Chả Tuyết (34 Hàng Than, Nguyễn Trung Trực, Ba Đình, Hà Nội). If you are in Ho Chi Minh, try this delicious dish at Bún chả Hà Nội – Phú Mỹ Hưng (34 Cao Triều Phát, Tân Phong, Quận 7, Hồ Chí Minh).
Cao lầu
Cao lầu is a noodle dish that originated in the city of Hoi An in the central part of Vietnam. The noodles in this dish are quite different among other rice noodles as they are soaked in lye water. It is made up of barbecued pork, pork rinds, bean sprouts, lettuce, mint, and other herbs. When translated, cao lầu means “high floor,” which was quite apt because in the past it was only eaten by those who could afford it; people who ate it had a special elevated area, and were separated among others. It’s a good thing now that one can enjoy a bowl or two of this noodle dish without breaking a bank.
Try this at Thanh Cao Lau Restaurant (26 Thai Phien, Hoi An), or at Morning Glory (106 Nguyễn Thái Học, Phường Minh An, Hội An).