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Where do nems really come from?Nems, origin Vietnam: the story of a roll that became a star in France

Nems are on every Asian menu in France, yet their story is far more Vietnamese — and more French — than you'd think.

  • 2names: nem rán, chả giò
  • 1rice paper wrapper
  • 20thcentury: the trip to France

Contents

At a glance

  • Original name: nem rán (north), chả giò (south).
  • Arrival in France: with Vietnamese migrants, especially after 1954 and 1975.
  • Today: a deli and street food favourite, chicken, prawn or meat-free.

First, a question of words

One word, several rolls: nem, nem rán, chả giò

“Nem”, a broader word in Vietnam

In Vietnam, nem covers a family of pork preparations, like fermented nem chua or grilled nem nướng.

Nem rán in the north, chả giò in the south

Same family, two names, with variations from region to region and family to family.

Why France kept “nem”

Early contacts went largely through the north and Hanoi, so the northern word likely took hold.

Wondering how it differs from the fresh roll? Read nem or spring roll, fried or fresh?

Illustration of golden nems served with lettuce, fresh herbs and dipping sauce
The nem — one word, many rolls
Illustration of Southeast Asian culinary specialities, between rice fields and feast dishes
The roots — a rice craft

The roots

A feast dish before a street dish

Rice paper (bánh tráng), a rice-growing craft

Steamed, sun-dried rice paper gives the fried nem its blistered surface.

The nem of Tết and big family tables

Rolling takes time, so nem rán belonged to feasts and family gatherings.

Possible influences, with caution

China has its own wheat spring rolls; a kinship is often mentioned, but sources differ.

See also Cambodian vs Vietnamese cuisine.

Inside the roll

What the “historic” nem contained

A few simple ingredients, and a clever logic.

Minced pork

The base

Gives body and tenderness.

Vermicelli

The binder

Soaks up the juices.

Wood ear mushrooms

The bite

A springy crunch.

Vegetables

Sweetness

Lighten the filling.

The raw filling cooks inside while the wrapper crisps: a crackling shell around a tender heart.

From Vietnam to France: how the nem crossed over

The colonial era and first contacts

Students, sailors, cooks and WWI workers brought it quietly.

Waves of Vietnamese immigration and the first restaurants

After 1954 and from 1975, families opened restaurants with the nem at the top of the menu.

Asian delis and the party nem

From the 1980s–90s, delis made it a French party staple.

Variations: chicken, prawn, meat-free

New fillings extend what the nem always was.

On the Crispy Road, meat-free nems sit beside the chicken ones.

From family dish to street food

Why the nemis eaten by hand

Born on feast tables, it ended up in passers-by's hands.

  1. A hand holding a kraft takeaway bag in front of a lantern-lit Asian restaurant
    01

    A portable, crunchy format that travels well

    Small, closed, easy to hold and to carry.

  2. A street food stall lit by red lanterns in an alley at night
    02

    The nem on Vietnamese streets today

    Sold at stalls, often on a vermicelli bowl.

  3. A customer pointing at the chalkboard of a busy lantern-lit Asian restaurant
    03

    And in France, at the counter

    Eaten on the go, shared standing up.

Crunchy, portable, shared.味わう道

The gesture and the sauce: how to eat nems.

More street dishes: Vietnam street food essentials.

At Asian Road

The nem on the road of flavours

“Rolled, then fried to golden perfection.”

At 9 rue Laurent Fauchier, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, the Crispy Road serves two nems, by four pieces, to take away or eat in:

Chicken Nems

Chicken and fragrant vegetables, rolled then fried to perfection.

Veggie Nems

Fragrant vegetables, rolled then fried to perfection.

Not a Hanoi grandmother's recipe, but the same handheld crunch.

Details on the Crispy Road nems page.

Its fellow traveller: the other Crispy Road voyager.

Explore Asian Road's Vietnam world.

See the Crispy Road

The Asian Road dining room with neon, red lanterns and its counter
The counter — where nems turn golden

The nem's origin, made simple

  1. From Vietnam: nem rán in the north, chả giò in the south.
  2. Brought to France by Vietnamese migrants, mainly after 1954 and 1975.
  3. Popularised by delis; fillings and wrappers evolved.

Next step: our takeaway nems.

FAQ

The origin of nems, in questions

Are nems Chinese or Vietnamese?

Vietnamese, rolled in rice paper; a kinship with Chinese spring rolls is debated.

Nem vs chả giò?

Same roll: nem rán in the north, chả giò in the south.

Since when are nems eaten in France?

Likely early 20th century, widely after 1954, 1975 and with 1980s–90s delis.

Why “nem” in France?

The northern word arrived first and stuck.

Is the nem street food in Vietnam?

It became one, while staying a feast dish at home.

What was in the original nem?

Pork, vermicelli, wood ear mushrooms and vegetables in rice paper.

The neon wall and illustrated posters of the Asian Road dining room
The wall — neon of the road

Further reading

The rest of the journey

Taste the next leg: the Crispy Road nems await you at 9 rue Laurent Fauchier, to take away or eat in.

The Crispy Road nems

The roll at the counter: nems, origin Vietnam

Keep on the road