During my month in Vietnam, I ate a lot of street foods from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and everywhere in between. While I always like to indulge in a boozy brunch or fine dining on my travels, there is something about eating street food with the locals that really helps me understand the country’s culture.
While wandering through Hoi An’s bustling streets smelling all the delicious street vendors’ food, I finally decided on one and ordered. After paying, I looked around to realize there was nowhere available to sit. The vendor had some tiny plastic children’s tables and chairs but they were all taken. (I took pictures but lost most of my Vietnam pictures from my hard drive crash. ☹️ )
I decided I’d eat and walk (and probably spill on myself) 🤷♀️ or find a curb. But lucky for me, I didn’t have to. A Vietnamese family gestured for me to sit with them; the woman put her daughter on her lap to make room for me. They didn’t speak any English and I don’t speak any Vietnamese but with hand gestures, warm smiles, and Google Translate – it ended up being one of my favorite dining experiences. Vietnamese people are so warm and friendly. This is just one of the many examples I saw during my trip.
Street food is an easy and inexpensive way to dive into Vietnamese cuisine and culture. Here are my personal top 3 favorite street foods you must try in Vietnam.
Bánh Mì (Vietnamese Sandwich)
Nothing can beat this popular street food and perfect on-the-go meal in Vietnam! Bánh Mì is an iconic Hoi An street food and is consistently ranked as one of the world’s best sandwiches. A Banh Mì consists of a crunchy french baguette filled with meats, coriander, and vegetables. The vegetables are typically pickled radish, carrot, and cucumbers. Soy sauce and chili sauce are added for that extra kick!
Banana Nutella Roti
Roti is a very popular street food in South East Asia. You’ll find carts all over the country offering a variety of filling options. Bananas, strawberries, apples, chocolate sauce, Nutella, peanut butter, etc.
Vietnamese Phở & Mango Lassi (Sinh to Xoai)
Phở is a popular food in Vietnam – in fact, it’s considered Vietnam’s national dish. It’s sold everywhere from street vendors to five-star dine-in restaurants. Phở is a Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, vegetables, and usually beef (sometimes chicken). There is some dispute between northern Vietnam (Hanoi) and southern (Ho Chi Minh City) over its origin. The main difference between the regions is the herbs, flavors of broth, and width of rice noodles. After the Vietnam War, many refugees popularized the dish throughout the world. Now you can find the popular Vietnamese dish in most large cities. But nothing beats Phở in Vietnam!
Mango lassi is basically a mango smoothie and a perfect way to cool off during the warmer months. It’s made from yogurt, milk, and mango pulp -some vendors add sweetener.
After eating all of the delicious street foods in Vietnam, you may want to try your hand at a cooking class. With the Hoi’An Eco Cooking Class, you’ll visit a local fresh market, go on a bamboo basket boat ride, learn to cook with local ingredients, and take home recipe cards for some local favorites.
