To those who have always wanted to travel to Vietnam or to Southeast Asia, Vietnam is no stranger to many choices and decisions. Not only because of its uniqueness in what we call “the God-given nature” with many interesting tourist attractions, the country is also well-known for its richness in culture, mostly in its cuisine. At one time in your life you may have heard of phở or bánh mì, but what you have not known is that there is more than just phở when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine. And perhaps a few lines below will give you some ideas to think about.

First of all, prepare yourself for the omnipresence of rice. As a country with a tropical climate, it’s no surprise when rice plays a big part in Vietnamese cuisine—from being every family’s daily meal to snacks or even street food. However, what’s even better than its diversity is that you can find a good place to taste it all over Vietnam. Think of an early morning, walking down the street, and suddenly you find yourself sitting comfortably at a street vendor with a hot dish of broken rice and roasted pork ribs (call it cơm-tấm simply). Or just a hot bowl of Phở with beef, because the noodles are made from rice too. Or even cheaper, a small pack of xôi (the sticky rice one, you know it) can be everything you ask for in a convenient breakfast. What could be even better than that for your Vietnam tours?

Next, chances are you will encounter lots of street food vendors while travelling around the country. You might be surprised with what these vendors offer, because it’s a whole world of choices! Fresh and ripe fruits, soft drinks… even hamburgers and sandwiches are also available. You can get these snacks and dishes with a much cheaper price (even a bowl of bún bò can be much cheaper in here than in a restaurant), and you can even get to taste the best flavor from these vendors sometimes. If you are in the mood for discovering, take your time to hit the streets, then see how far you can go with this endless discovery.

So let’s have a list of what you can try while staying in Vietnam. Think of bún thịt nướng, bún bò, cơm tấm, phở, bún riêu cua, bò lá lốt, bánh ướt/bánh cuốn (the steamed rice cake), bánh mì (the Goddess of convenient meals, I mean it) … all that you can try either in a restaurant or just a casual food store with $1 - $5 per dish, depending on where you taste it. Moreover, make sure you only take one small cup of Vietnamese drip coffee (with or without sweet condensed milk/sugar), or you will have more sleepless nights than you should. And don’t forget to call for an iced tea (a.k.a. trà đá), because you always need to cool off with the hot weather in here.

With that said, where do we start with all these recommendations? Of course there will always be Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to begin, but with such diversity and richness, Ho Chi Minh City is more likely a common recommendation for all these dishes. Discovering is a favorite thing to do while travelling, and it’s even better when it comes to cuisine. So, what do you think about it, and are you ready to take part in this trip?

Best dishes in Hanoi to try 

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