A taste of Asia: 5 top Vietnamese dishes to try

Vietnam’s modern culinary identity was forged through periods of profound hardship. The Second World War’s impact reached Vietnam through devastating famines, particularly in the north, where French colonial policies prioritising industrialisation over agriculture led to the deaths of a million Vietnamese people between 1940 and 1945.

In the decades that followed, local cooks developed innovative techniques to adapt to the scarcity caused by war. Rice was extended with root vegetables, and new methods – such as using smokeless cooking techniques to avoid detection – emerged from necessity. These ingenuities are proof of the resourcefulness and resilience found here.

Food rationing continued through reunification in 1975 as Vietnam rebuilt itself. Then the Doi Moi economic reforms of 1986 marked a turning point, opening Vietnam to international trade and sparking a rapid culinary evolution. Yet, with seasonal ingredients available year-round, regional cuisines today still maintain their distinctive characteristics, referencing the country’s 54 recognised ethnic communities, who have each contributed to Vietnam’s cuisine through centuries of migration, interaction and adaptation.

This history has given Vietnam a unique food landscape to explore. Northern cooking, for instance, still follows seasonal rhythms. Ingredients like mustard greens change their role across the growing cycle – young leaves are used for soup, mature for stir-frying and late-season for pickling.

The weather of Central Vietnam, marked by frequent typhoons and floods, shaped both its people and their cuisine, which favours root crops and plants that can withstand storms and floods. Similarly, coastal cuisine developed its salty and spicy flavours from its environment and necessity. Saltier dishes mean more rice is consumed – age-old kitchen wisdom for making food go further.

In the south, the two seasons of the Mekong River Delta mean it produces fruits, vegetables and herbs all year round. This abundance of herbs defines the region’s eating culture. Unlike the more formal Red Delta River cuisine of the north, southern cooking also continues to evolve and adapt. Ho Chi Minh City (home to Vietnam’s largest Chinatown),  for example, serves as a melting pot of styles, blending regional cuisines, modernity and outside influences.

The beauty of Vietnam’s cuisine lies not in uniformity, but in how these distinct regional flavours, traditions and cultures live together to create a Vietnamese meal.

Influenced by Chinese noodle soups, the northern-style pho is defined by a clear broth that focuses on its beef flavour using a combination of five spices: star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and pepper. The southern style adds cloves and features a sweeter broth (with the option of a fattier version) and is typically served with herbs.

Another signature southern accompaniment is hoisin sauce and a chilli sauce similar to sriracha.

Where to eat: For the northern style, I like the tai lan (thin-sliced beef) version at Pho Thin (13 P Lo Duc) in Hanoi. For the southern style, head to Pho Phuong (25 Hoang Sa) in Ho Chi Minh City.

One of Hanoi’s most loved dishes, bun cha thrives on the balance between caramelised grilled meats and a light, slightly sour dipping sauce that absorbs the smoky flavours to become a richly flavoured broth.

Traditional Hanoi bun cha was grilled using bamboo skewers; the meat would be sandwiched between a split bamboo stick, adding a subtle flavour to it.

Where to eat: Bun cha never tastes the same outside the capital. Check out the Tuyet Bun Cha 34 stall on Hàng Than street in Hanoi.

Where most Vietnamese cha dishes use minced fish or meat, chunks of bagridae fish are chosen here for their firm texture. But it’s the cooking method that makes this special: the fish is first grilled over charcoal, then refried with onion and dill at the centre of the table, like a hotpot.

Where to eat: Although this is a northern dish, my go-to spot for this is Cha Ca La Vong in Ho Chi Minh City on Ho Xuan Huong.

Mekong Delta farmers would eat the leftovers from the grain harvest out of necessity so they could sell their whole grains. Today, com tam (broken rice) uses these same broken grains but has evolved into a lunch staple where everything comes on one plate: rice, shredded pork skin, grilled pork chop, egg meatloaf. Even the way it’s eaten sets it apart: just a spoon, no chopsticks.

Where to eat: If you want to feel the energy of Ho Chi Minh City, go to Quan Com Tam Hong Calmette on Hoang Dieu – a busy com tam stall.

This noodle dish is made with rice noodles – specifically from 13/2 rice, prized for its high starch content, which creates chewy noodles that stay firm when cool. Originating from Quang Nam province, local variations exist, particularly in the choice of meat and accompanying herbs. It was originally made with affordable seafood, using prawns and crab roe for the broth.

Where to eat: Quan an @Vu (130 Do Thi Loi) in Ho Chi Minh City is run by a chef who only makes this dish and cao lau (noodle soup).

This article has been adapted from Anaïs Ca Dao van Manen’s Vietnam: The Cookbook (Phaidon; £40), a definitive deep dive into Vietnamese cuisine, featuring more than 400 authentic home-cooking recipes sourced by the author on her extensive travels across Vietnam. Out now.

Wanderlust recommends Anaïs documented her travels in Vietnam on Instagram (@anaiscadao) in her Off the Eaten Path with Anais video series, which recounts the local people that she met while collecting recipes from rural and remote communities.