The road journal · Vietnam stop
In Vietnam, the best table is often a plastic stool on the pavement. Here are the street dishes to know, and how to eat them like a local.
Contents
Before sitting down
Eating on the street is the everyday way to eat in Vietnam, on low stools, elbow to elbow.
Most vendors specialise in a single dish, and herbs arrive fresh every morning.
Born in northern Vietnam in the early 20th century, phở is a breakfast soup built on a long-simmered broth:
Taste the broth first, then adjust with lime, chilli and herbs.
Introduced during the French colonial period, the baguette became lighter and crispier in Vietnam, filled with pâté, meats, pickles, coriander and chilli.
Regional broths
Every region has its own bowl.
Every bowl comes with herbs, lime and sauces to finish it your way.
Hanoi smoke
Hanoi's lunchtime classic: charcoal-grilled pork in a sweet-sour broth, with rice vermicelli and herbs.
In the south, bún thịt nướng puts it all in one bowl.
Fried or fresh
Fried rolls are called nem rán in the north and chả giò in the south, eaten hot in lettuce with herbs.
Gỏi cuốn are fresh, unfried rice-paper rolls.
Read our guide on the difference between nems and spring rolls.
The street, hour by hour
The same pavement serves soup at dawn, rice at noon and shellfish at midnight.
Sticky rice, soups and egg bánh mì to start the day.
Broken rice with grilled pork, and point-and-pick counters.
Sizzling crêpes, woks and shared shellfish.
Vietnam is eaten by the clock味わう道
The other must-tries
Four dishes worth seeking out.
Chè desserts, phin-filtered iced coffee and fresh sugarcane juice complete the street.
Follow the crowds, choose specialised stalls and learn to season at the table.
Journal tip: nước chấm takes five minutes — fish sauce, sugar, lime, water, garlic and chilli.
And on the Asian Road
Herbs thrown in at the last second, a crispy nem, quick and hot service.
Asian Road is not a Vietnamese restaurant but Southeast Asian street food with no fixed country, in the heart of Aix-en-Provence.
From Vietnam, the road brought back the spirit of the pavement.
To see what the road kept from this stop, visit the Vietnam stop.
FAQ
Further reading
Vietnam is only the first stop. The rest of the journey is in the journal.
Keep on the road
