List of Vietnamese dishes facts for kids

Canh chua

Pho and eggs in Ho Chi Minh city

This is a list of dishes found in Vietnamese cuisine.

Noodle dishes

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Bánh canh		South of Vietnam	Noodle dish	Thick noodle
Bánh đa cua		Hải Phòng	Rice paper with soup	Rice paper with crab broth
Bánh hỏi		Bình Định Province	Noodle dish	Extremely thin noodles that are woven into intricate bundles and often topped with chopped scallions (spring onions) and a complementary meat dish
Bánh tằm cà ri		Cà Mau	Noodles	Spicy chicken curry over special rice noodles
Bún bò Huế		Thừa Thiên–Huế Province	Noodle soup	Huế style (hot and spicy) beef rice vermicelli soup with lemongrass and pork
Bún bung		Hanoi	Noodle soup	Rice vermicelli cooked with pork ribs and bamboo shoots
Bún cá		Hanoi	Noodle dish	Rice vermicelli and grilled fish balls mixed with fish sauce and raw vegetables
Bún chả cá		South Central Coast	Noodle soup	Rice vermicelli soup with fried fishcake
Chạo tôm		Thừa Thiên–Huế Province	Noodle dish	Barbecued shrimp paste/mousse on a sugar cane stick
Bún chả		Hanoi	Noodle dish	Vermicelli noodles with grilled pork meatballs served over salad, herbs, bean sprouts, and sliced cucumbers
Bún đậu mắm tôm		Northern Vietnam	Noodle dish	Rice vermicelli with fried beans and shrimp paste
Bún mắm		Trà Vinh, Sóc Trăng	Noodle soup	Rice vermicelli with broth made from fish sauce or choke fish
Bún mọc		Hanoi	Noodle soup	Rice vermicelli with sprouted broth
Bún măng vịt			Noodle soup	Bamboo shoots and duck noodle soup.
Bún ốc		North of Vietnam	Noodle soup	Noodles with snails
Bún riêu		Red River Delta	Noodle soup	Rice vermicelli in a tomato and crab broth
Bún thịt nướng		Huế	Noodle dish	Grilled pork (often shredded) and cold vermicelli noodles over a bed of greens (salad and sliced cucumber), herbs and bean sprouts. Also often includes a few chopped up egg rolls, spring onions, and shrimp. Served with roasted peanuts on top and a small bowl of nước chấm.
Bún thang		Hanoi	Noodle soup	Ric vermicelli served with broth and various other ingredients – laksa leaves, Chinese coriander, thin fried chicken eggs, shredded chicken breast, and thinly sliced pork rolls
Cao lầu		Quảng Nam Province	Noodle dish	Originated from Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam, mì quảng is adamant about maintaining a variety of colors and textures, featuring a pork and shrimp-based broth, the chewy yellow of the thick turmeric noodles, the bright green ribbons of lettuce, the soft earthy pork, the tenderness of the shrimp, the pleasant crunch of crushed peanut between your teeth, and the snap of the sesame-freckled rice crackers.
Cellophane noodles miến, bún tàu, bún tào			Noodles	Transparent noodle made from starch and water, generally sold in dried form, soaked to reconstitute, then used in soups, stir-fried dishes, or spring rolls.
Hủ tiếu		Southern Vietnam	Noodle soup	Chinese/Cambodian noodle soup traditionally consisting of rice noodles with pork broth.
Mì or Súp mì			Noodle soup	Vietnamese/Chinese noodle soup with yellow wheat noodles brought over by Chinese immigrants.
Mì Quảng		Quảng Nam Province	Noodle dish	Ingredients often vary, but dishes most often consist of wide rice noodles served with little broth, pork chops, chicken, shrimp, vegetables, peanuts, and bánh tráng.
Mì xào giòn			Noodle dish	Deep-fried egg noodles, topped with seafood, vegetables, and a sauce
Phở		Hanoi	Noodle dish	Noodle soup served with various cuts of beef and onions. Often eaten with basil, mint, lime, and bean sprouts
Miến lươn		Northern Vietnam, North Central Coast (Nghệ An)	Noodle soup	Rice vermicelli served with eel meat
Miến trộn			Noodle dish	Stir-fried rice vermicelli mixed with shrimp or crab, seasoned with sweet and spicy spices
Rice noodles bánh canh, bánh phở			Noodles	Made from rice flour
Rice vermicelli bún			Noodles	A type of rice noodles

Dumplings

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Bánh ú			Dumpling	Bak Chang dumplings – like Chinese zongzi
Bánh bao			Dumpling	Ball-shaped bun filled with pork and other ingredients
Bánh bột lọc		North Central Coast	Dumpling	Wrapper made of tapioca starch packed with shrimp
Bánh bột lọc trần			Dumpling	Dumplings with wrappers made of tapioca starch; similar to chaozhou fun guo
Bánh bột lọc lá		Thừa Thiên–Huế Province	Dumpling	Tiny rice flour dumplings stuffed with shrimp and ground pork and wrapped in a banana leaf; from Huế
Bánh cam		Southern Vietnam	Dumpling	Deep-fried glutinous rice sesame balls filled with sweetened mung bean paste; from southern Vietnam
Bánh ít			Dumpling	Small stuffed glutinous rice flour balls
Bánh ít trần			Dumpling	"Naked" small stuffed glutinous rice flour balls
Bánh khúc		North Vietnam	Dumpling	Glutinous rice ball
Bánh nậm		Thừa Thiên–Huế Province	Dumpling	Flat rice flour dumpling from Huế stuffed with minced pork and mushroom, and seasoned with pepper and spices; wrapped in a banana leaf
Bánh phu thê		Bắc Ninh Province	Dumpling	Literally "husband and wife cake"; a sweet cake made of rice or tapioca flour and gelatin, filled with mung bean paste; also spelled bánh xu xê (su sê)
Bánh phu thê bột bán			Dumpling	Husband and wife cakes made with tapioca pearls
Bánh rán		Northern Vietnam	Dumpling	Deep-fried glutinous rice sesame balls filled with sweetened mung bean paste; from northern Vietnam
Bánh tẻ		Hanoi	Dumpling	Small steamed rice cake wrapped with leaves of some local trees into a long, thin cylindrical shape, and boiled thoroughly.
Bánh giò			Dumpling	Made from filtered flour, lean shoulder meat, wood ear, dried onion, pepper, fish sauce, salt... Bánh giò has a long, jutting shape like an upside down hand.

Pancakes and sandwiches

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Bánh bèo		Quảng Bình Province	Rice cake	Small steamed savory rice cakes
Bánh bột lọc		Huế	Rice cake	Rice dumplings made in a clear rice flour batter stuffed with shrimp and ground pork. Cooked inside a banana leaf.
Bánh căn		Southern Vietnam	Egg dish	A southern specialty consisting of small pancakes made with quail eggs, cooked in small clay pans
Bánh đúc			Rice or corn cake	Rice cake or corn cake eaten as a dessert or savory meal
Bánh khọt		Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province	Pancake	A southern specialty consisting of small, fried rice flour pancakes
Bánh mì			Sandwich	Vietnamese sandwich
Bánh rế		Bình Thuận Province	Pancake	Deep-fried pancake
Bánh xèo		Southern Vietnam	Crepe	Coconut milk-flavored crepes
Bánh bột chiên		Southern Vietnam	Rice cake	Fried rice cake with eggs and tangy soy sauce.
Bánh phồng tôm		Southern Vietnam	Snack	A form of deep fried snack made from starch and prawn.
Bánh cống		Sóc Trăng	Tapioca cake	Minced pork mixed with tapioca root and whole green beans, served with a circled shrimp on top.
Bánh quai vạc		South Central Coast, Southern Vietnam	Tapioca cake	Made from tapioca starch, filled with shrimp and meat inside.
Bánh tai		Phú Thọ	Rice cake	Made from plain rice flour, pork and some other spices.
Bánh tai heo			Tapioca cake	Made from flour, granulated sugar, white sesame, condensed milk, eggs, butter, vanilla, cooking oil, salt, water... and processed by deep frying.

Rolls and rice papers

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Bánh cuốn		Hanoi	Roll	Steamed rice roll
Bánh tôm		Hanoi	Seafood dish	Shrimp patties
Bánh tôm Hồ Tây		Hanoi	Seafood dish	A shrimp patty specialty originating from the area around West Lake (Tây Hồ), Hanoi
Bánh tráng		Central Vietnam, Binh Dinh	Rice paper	Rice paper
Bánh ướt		Khánh Hòa Province	Rice paper	Steamed rice paper
Cha gio or Nem ran		Saigon	Roll	Fried pork spring rolls
Gỏi cuốn			Roll	Soft vermicelli summer roll
Gỏi cá			Roll	Raw fish meat wrapped in rice paper rolls with herbs, served with dipping sauce
Món cuốn			Roll	Roll which includes a variety of ingredients rolled in rice paper (bánh tráng)
Popiah bò bía			Roll	Spring roll wrapped in a soft, thin paper-like crepe or pancake made from wheat flour
Trảng Bàng dew-wetted rice paper bánh tráng phơi sương Trảng Bàng		Tây Ninh Province	Rice paper	Wetted rice paper

Rice

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Cơm nắm		Northern Vietnam	Rice dish	Rice "sandwiches"
Cơm tấm		Saigon	Rice dish	Warm broken rice often served with a slab of grilled pork chop marinated in sugar and fish sauce (sườn), a slice of steamed pork loaf topped with egg yolks (chả trứng hấp), and a mixture of pork skin and thinly shredded pork (bì).
Cơm rượu		Southern Vietnam	Dessert	Dessert from Southern Vietnam, made from glutinous rice
Cơm cháy		Ninh Bình, Hải Phòng	Dessert	Crispy golden brown rice at the bottom of the cooking pot – which is then left dried in natural sunlight for2–3 days
Cơm hến		Thừa Thiên-Huế	Rice dish	A Vietnamese rice dish made from cooked baby river mussels (basket clams), rice, peanuts, pork rinds, shrimp paste, chili paste, starfruits and bạc hà stems. It is normally served with the broth of cooked mussels
Cơm gà Quảng Nam		Quảng Nam	Rice dish	Cooked rice served with boiled chicken and sprinkled with chicken broth
Cơm lam		Northern midlands and mountainous, Central Highlands	Rice dish	Glutinous rice and other ingredients placed in bamboo tubes and cooked on fire
Cơm chiên			Rice dish	Rice fried with meat, eggs, and vegetables

Xôi

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Xôi			Sticky rice dish	Sweet (ngọt) or savory (mặn) dish made from glutinous rice and other ingredients.
Oản			Sticky rice dish	White sticky rice, granulated sugar or cake flour formed into a truncated pyramid shape – used as an offering in Buddhist temples.
Xôi chiên			Sticky rice dish	White sticky rice flattened and deep fried in oil.
Xôi đậu xanh		Northern Vietnam, Central Vietnam	Sticky rice dish	Mung beans are scrubbed, soaked and peeled – then mixed with glutinous rice and steamed.
Xôi gà			Sticky rice dish	White sticky rice cooked with coconut milk and shredded boiled/ roasted chicken, then served in bowls or pandan leaves.
Xôi gấc			Sticky rice dish	Sticky rice cooked with gac meat to create a bright red color and delicious flavor.
Xôi lá cẩm			Sticky rice dish	Sticky rice cooked in Camellia leaves to create a red purple color.
Xôi đậu phộng			Sticky rice dish	Soaked glutinous rice cooked with boiled peanuts.
Xôi ngũ sắc		Northwest	Sticky rice dish	Sticky rice cooked with multiple-colored rice leaves to create 5 colors that represent the Five Elements
Xôi sắn		Northern Vietnam	Sticky rice dish	Glutinous rice mixed with glutinous cassava roots that have been grated or cut into small pieces, then cooked and seasoned with fried onions and oil.
Xôi vò			Sticky rice dish	Sticky rice cooked separately with pandan leaves for aroma, and turmeric powder for color.
Xôi xéo		Hanoi	Sticky rice dish	Sticky rice placed into a bowl, then cut into slices with a knife, and sprinkled with green beans and fried onions.

Soups and cháo (congees)

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Bird's nest soup súp yến sào			Soup	Bird's nest soup
Canh chua		Mekong Delta	Soup	Hot and sour soup
Khổ qua nhồi thịt			Soup	Bitter gourd stuffed with meat, then bundled with scallions and cooked in bone broth
Ốc nấu chuối đậu			Soup	A rustic but quite sophisticated dish that consists of boiled snails cooked with green bananas, fried beans, bacon, adorned with guise leaves and perilla
Congee cháo			Rice dish	Rice porridge
Cháo lòng			Rice dish	Rice porridge cooked in broth made from pork bones and boiled pork intestines
Lẩu			Hot pot	Spicy sour soup with assorted vegetables, meats, and seafood
Súp măng cua			Soup	Asparagus-crab combination soup
Thịt Kho Tàu			Soup/Stew	Fatty pork and eggs braised in coconut milk
Bò kho			Meat dish	Beef and vegetable stew

Other dishes

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Balut trứng vịt lộn or hột vịt lộn			Egg dish	Fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell
Bánh				"Cake" or "bread"
Bánh chưng		Northern Vietnam	Rice dish	Square-shaped steamed glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in a Phrynium placentarium leaf (lá dong) The dish is a traditionally served around Vietnamese New Year to be eaten with pickled leeks
Bánh giầy		Northern Vietnam	Rice dish	White, flat, and round glutinous rice cake, wrapped in cut pieces of banana leaves, and usually served with a type of Vietnamese sausage chả lụa
Bánh đa			Rice dish	Called Bánh tráng nướng in the South, large round flat rice crackers
Bánh gối			Stuffed pastry	Deep fried pastry stuffed with cellophane noodles, minced pork, cloud ear fungus and thin slices of chinese sausage
Bánh lá		Huế	Rice dish	Parcel of a variety of rice stuffed with some fillings and wrapped in a leaf or leaves.
Black pudding dồi tiết' (Northern) or dồi huyết (Southern)			Sausage	Blood sausage
Bò 7 món		Saigon	Meat dish	7 courses of beef
Cassava-based dishes
Chả			Sausage	Sausage
Cốm		Red River Delta	Rice dish	Young rice, roasted and wrapped in lotus leaves; the accompaniment is ripened bananas
Giò lụa			Sausage	A pork sausage, similar to Bologna sausage
Lò trấu				Fixed Rice Husk Stove
Nem chua			Meat dish	Cured fermented pork
Ô mai		Hanoi	Fruit dish	Snack made from salted dried apricot or sugared dried apricot
Ốc bươu nhồi thịt			Meat dish	Minced snail mixed with ground pork, carrot, black mushroom stuffed in snail shell
Rousong chà bông			Meat dish	Meat floss
Bò nướng lá lốt			Meat dish	Ground beef wrapped in lolot (NEVER grape leaves)
Tiết canh			Blood	Fresh animal blood mixed with fish sauce/ light salted water – used with chopped meat and animal cartilage
You tiao quẩy			Doughnut	A long, golden-brown, deep fried strip of dough

Sweet cakes and desserts

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Bánh bò		Southern Vietnam	Dessert	"Cow cake" (literal name in Vietnamese), made from glutinous rice flour and coconut milk, with a honeycomb-like texture
Bánh cáy		Thái Bình	Dessert	Rectangular-shaped sweet dessert made by roasting and grinding glutinous rice and other ingredients
Bánh da lợn		Southern Vietnam	Dessert	Colored steamed layer cake made from tapioca starch, rice flour, coconut milk, water, sugar, and other ingredients
Bánh chuối			Dessert	Banana cake
Bánh cốm		Hanoi	Dessert	Made from cốm, green bean paste, grated coconut and pumpkin jam or naked lotus jam. Often used for engagement ceremonies
Bánh đậu xanh		Hải Dương	Dessert	Made from ground mung bean paste with sugar and vegetable oil or animal fat
Bánh gai		Northern Vietnam	Dessert	The crust is made up of glutinous rice flour and hemp leaves; the filling is of finely chopped lard, banana essential oil, coconut rice, and cooked green beans
Bánh tro		Northern Vietnam	Dessert	Leaves are burned into ashes and then soaked with glutinous rice to create a golden brown color like amber. Served with sugar or honey/ molasses.
Bánh in		Huế	Dessert	A Vietnamese cake from the Huế, often sold in small rectangular shaped snack packs. The main ingredients include mung bean, rice flour and durian
Bánh Flan			Dessert	Steamed cake made from eggs, milk and caramel
Bánh kẹp lá dứa			Dessert	Pandan and coconut flavored waffle eaten plain
Bánh khoai mì			Dessert	Sweet cassava cake
Bánh khảo		Northern Vietnam (Hải Dương)	Dessert	Glutinous flour roasted with sugar, filled with pumpkin jam and fat
Bánh lọt		Southern Vietnam	Dessert	Made from rice flour and tapioca starch with the aroma of coconut milk, sugar, and the green and white color of pandan leaves
Bánh mật		Northern Vietnam	Dessert	Made from glutinous rice flour mixed with mung bean molasses, and wrapped in banana leaves
Bánh nhãn		Nam Định	Dessert	Made from fragrant glutinous rice or Hai Hau yellow sticky rice, chicken eggs, white sugar and lard
Bánh pía		Sóc Trăng Province	Dessert	Teochew-style with durian
Bánh tét		Southern Vietnam	Rice dish	Log-shaped cylindrical glutinous rice cake, wrapped in a banana leaf and filled with a meat or vegetarian filling
Bánh tiêu			Dessert	Hollow doughnuts
Bánh trung thu			Dessert	Mooncake
Chè			Dessert	Sweet dessert soup or pudding
Chè trôi nước		Southern Vietnam	Dessert	Dessert consisting of balls made from mung bean paste wrapped in a shell made of glutinous rice flour.
Chendol chè bánh lọt			Dessert	Coconut milk, a worm-like jelly made from rice flour with green food coloring (usually derived from the pandan leaf), shaved ice and palm sugar
Chuối chiên			Dessert	Banana fried in a batter
Coconut candy kẹo dừa		Bến Tre Province	Dessert	Candy made with coconut milk and coconut cream
Sữa chua			Dessert	Yogurt made with condensed milk
Douhua tào phớ			Tofu dish	Soybean pudding
Grass jelly thạch sương sáo			Dessert	Made by boiling the aged and slightly oxidized stalks and leaves of Mesona chinensis (member of the mint family) with potassium carbonate for several hours with a little starch and then cooling the liquid to a jelly-like consistency
Mè xửng Huế		Thừa Thiên–Huế Province	Dessert	A chewy candy originally from the city of Huế, made with boiled down cane sugar, (into a soft and thick solid), coated with sesame seeds, and usually containing peanuts.
Tangyuan bánh trôi		Northern Vietnam	Rice dish	Boiled Glutinous rice balls – also called bánh chay; literally "floating cake") – served together with bánh chay
Tapioca pudding chè chuối			Dessert	Made from bananas and tapioca
Taro cake bánh khoai môn			Dessert	Taro cake
Thạch rau câu or sương sa			Dessert	Gelatin dessert
Rượu nếp		Northern Vietnam	Dessert	Sweet dessert made from black glutinous rice.
Sâm bổ lượng		Saigon	Soup	Sweet, cold soup

Condiments and sauces

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Chẳm chéo		Điện Biên Phủ, Northwest Vietnam	Condiment	Based on Thai sauce, nam chim chaeo (or nam jim jaew) brought over by ethnic Thai people in Vietnam. Main ingredients are coriander, bird's eye chili, garlic, different herbs, hạt dổi and mắc khén (Indian prickly ash; a variety of Sichuan pepper). There are different types of chẳm chéo as well. Eaten with vegetables, meats, and sometimes fruit.
Fish sauce nước mắm			Base Condiment	A base condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. It is normally used as seasoning during cooking or a base for sauces with other ingredients and is not to be used by itself.
Hoisin sauce tương đen			Condiment	A popular condiment for phở in Ho Chi Minh City
Muối ớt rau răm			Condiment	Dipping sauce made with Vietnamese coriander, bird's eye chilis, lime, and other ingredients. Used as a dipping sauce for meats or trứng vịt lộn.
Muối ớt xanh		Central Vietnam	Condiment	Dipping sauce with green bird's eye chilis and kaffir lime leaves as main ingredients. Usually served with seafood.
Nước chấm			Condiment	Dipping sauce with fish sauce, water, sugar, lime and sometimes chilis and ginger.
Peanut sauce tương đậu phộng			Condiment	Used in cuốn diếp
Sa tế		Chợ Lớn, Ho Chi Minh City, Southern Vietnam	Condiment	Chili jam
Shrimp paste mắm tôm			Condiment	Shrimp paste
Soy sauce xì dầu or nước tương			Condiment	Condiment produced from fermented soybeans
Tương			Condiment	Condiments made from fermented bean paste
Tương ớt			Condiment	Hot/chili sauce that varies in different regions.

Beverages

Name	Image	Region	Type	Description
Bia hơi			Beverage	Fresh beer
Chanh muối			Beverage	Salty limeade
Nước mía			Beverage	Sugar cane juice often mixed with kumquat juice
Nước sâm			Beverage	Iced ginseng drink
Nước sắn dây hoa bưởi			Beverage	Made of kudzu and pomelo flower extract.
Rau má			Beverage	Iced pennywort juice often sweetened
Rượu cần		Tây Nguyên and Tây Bắc	Beverage	Rice wine
Rượu đế		Mekong Delta	Beverage	Rice liquor
Rượu thuốc			Beverage	Medicinal liquor
Snake wine rượu rắn			Beverage	An alcoholic beverage produced by infusing whole snakes in rice wine or grain alcohol
Egg soda soda sữa hột gà			Beverage	Iced soda with egg, sugar and milk
Soy milk sữa đậu nành			Beverage	Beverage made from soybeans
Vietnamese iced coffee cà phê sữa đá			Beverage	Traditional Vietnamese coffee, made using medium to coarse ground dark roast Vietnamese-grown coffee with a small metal Vietnamese drip filter (phin cà phê)
Vietnamese lotus tea trà sen, chè sen, or chè ướp sen			Beverage	A type of green tea produced in Vietnam that has been flavored with the scent of Nelumbo nucifera
Vietnamese tea trà Việt			Beverage	Green tea, similar to Keemun and Yunnan, but more sweet
Vietnamese wine			Beverage	Wine produced in Vietnam