Vietnam cuisine for tourists

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Vietnamese cuisine

Vietnamese cuisine is a mixture of Chinese, Indian, French, etc. traditions, while remaining completely unique and original.

The choice of dishes is quite diverse, and prices in restaurants and cafes are very acceptable and affordable. It is believed that Vietnamese cuisine is the cheapest in the world, but not because it is prepared from simple products, but because the products there are cheap. In addition to traditional Vietnamese dishes, Thai, Indian, Indonesian, Chinese and other Asian cuisines are widely represented here.

Seafood dishes are common here, but there is also a large selection of pork, beef and chicken dishes. Vietnamese eat everything, without any restrictions and prohibitions. Special delicacies are dishes from snakes, turtles, rats and game. At tourist resorts in the menu of some restaurants you can taste the meat of ostrich, crocodile, python, frog, dog. Many believe that in Vietnam eat insects. This is not so. For insects, you need to go to the next one Cambodia or in Thailand.

Ostrich meat

A meal in Vietnam is considered a collective event, so separate dishes are served on the table in a common plate, from which the guests take out pieces with chopsticks. But don't worry, this rule when served in restaurants usually doesn't apply to Europeans.

Unlike the cuisines of neighboring Asian countries, Vietnamese cuisine is not spicy,and will appeal to anyone. Nevertheless, for all its temptation, it is better to be careful when eating national Vietnamese food on an unaccustomed stomach during the first days of your stay in this country. Any restaurants and cafes offer European cuisine. More and more often you can find Russian cuisine.

The basis of the basics of Vietnamese cuisine is rice. There are dozens of species, ranging from the usual (familiar to us) and ending with sticky, or very exotic black or red rice. And this is not surprising, since Vietnam ranks second in the world in the cultivation and export of rice after Thailand. No Vietnamese meal is complete with a cup of rice.

Vietnamese fast food

The second most popular dish is rice noodles, although egg noodles are also found, but much less often. Noodles are thick and thin. It is added to the most popular Vietnamese pho soup, and also fried with vegetables or meat.

As for dairy products, they can only be bought in stores (prices per liter of milk are approximately Russian). The Vietnamese themselves do not read them. Instead, tofu is very popular, it is added to dishes quite often.

No feast is complete without vegetables and herbs. They are added everywhere, both in an already prepared dish, and in addition to the main one. A set of vegetables and herbs is about the same as in Russia: potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, cabbage, peppers, onions, parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, etc.specific aromas of Vietnamese cuisine are due to plants: lemongrass, mint and many others. Chinese seasonings of garlic and onions, fresh ginger roots and soy sauce-all this is inherent in Vietnamese cuisine. A constant companion of dishes in Vietnamese cuisine is the fish sauce "Nyok mom" and "Nyok Cham".

Popular Vietnamese dishes

In our opinion (the authors of the site), Vietnam will not surprise with particularly interesting and delicious dishes if you have already been to other Asian countries. Moreover, Vietnamese cuisine may seem even a little bland or too sweet, you often have to Salt everything. Fortunately, for this on the tables of cafes and restaurants there is always fish or soy sauce (salt in its pure form is almost not found), and you can add salt to the dish yourself. Here are some popular traditional Vietnamese dishes worth trying:

• Rice with chicken, pork, vegetables or egg (Rice with chicken/pork/vegetables/eggs) – the most inexpensive and common dish to satisfy hunger. It's just stir-fried rice with your chosen filling (chicken, etc.) and vegetables, sometimes a little toasted in a wok. This dish costs from 30,000 VND and is served almost everywhere. If you just need an inexpensive meal, then choose it.
• Pho is the most popular dish among Vietnamese. It is a soup with beef (pork, chicken), rice noodles, sprouted sprouts and Greens. Pho is most often eaten for breakfast, although many eat it for lunch or dinner. The method of its preparation may be different, but, ultimately, when the dish is served, its smell and taste are unique. Be sure to at least a single use for tourists, although it is not a fact that everyone will be delighted with it.
• Spring rolls or NEM is a very popular and tasty dish. Despite its Chinese origin, it has been an integral part of Vietnamese cuisine for centuries. These are fried vegetables wrapped in a pancake of rice flour and glass (rice) vermicelli. If desired, chopped meat or seafood is added to the filling. Then the finished roll is deep fried. There is an option for vegetarians – the so – called fresh roll (Fresh rolls) - in this case, the rolls are not fried. Rolls are usually served with a spicy, sweet or sour fish sauce. However, keep in mind that some restaurants called spring rolls serve fried homemade sausages, and this is a completely different dish.
• Chao or Tiao (chao) - thick rice porridge, which is most often served with finely chopped pieces of chicken or beef. White rice and water are mixed and then boiled until the rice is soft and boiled, turning into Chao (porridge). Then Nyok mam (fish sauce) and lemongrass are added to taste. Ciao is served hot. It is also an excellent remedy for indigestion!
• Bun - rice flour vermicelli. Vermicelli is made from rice flour, making small, round white threads that are then rolled into small rolls called Kon bun (skeins of rice vermicelli). There are many ways to make rice vermicelli and each dish has its own unique flavor. Buncha is prepared with roast pork, while bunjok includes river snails. And finally, bunbo, which is cooked with beef.
• Banh com – one of the favorite Vietnamese desserts that can be found everywhere. They are a kind of Sweet Cakes made of glutinous rice, peas and Coke chips wrapped in banana leaves.

Food prices in Vietnam

The price of food and food in Vietnam for tourists is very different from the place (City) and the level of the institution, and usually higher than for local, but in general not higher than in non-metropolitan regions of the Russian Federation. Here are some prices for a benchmark:

• Beer bank 0,33 L – - from 8 200 VND (0.32 USD) in a supermarket, from 10,000 in a street store, from 12,000 in a cafe.
• Soft drink (Coca-Cola, Sprite, etc.) 0,33 L – - from 6000 (0.23 USD) in a supermarket, from 10 000 in a cafe or store.
• Water 1.5 L. - 10 000 in the store.
• One dish in an inexpensive cafe for locals - from 30 000 (1.17 USD).
• One dish in a cafe for tourists - from 50 000 (1.95 USD).
• Dinner in an inexpensive cafe with beer, soft drink, shake - from 100 000 (3.9 USD).
• Dinner in a cafe for tourists with beer, soft drink, shake - from 120 000 (4.68 USD).
• One seafood dish (fish) - from 100 000 (3.9 USD).
• One seafood dish (shrimp, squid, etc.) - from 300 000 (11.71 USD).

Where and what to eat

In order to eat in Vietnam, there will be no problems. There are many street eateries, cafes, restaurants for every taste and budget: prices for a dish start from 30,000 VND per person (approximately 1.17 USD, see currency of Vietnam). In major cities (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang) there are international chain restaurants Mcdonalds, KFC, Burger King. To get enough of a couple of dishes and wash it down with a shake, beer or carbonated drink (they are called softdrink here), Cook from 100,000 VND (approximately 3.9 USD) or more depending on the class of the institution. At popular resorts, prices are higher, and for lunch you will have to pay 120 000 – 160 000 dongs for one. Seafood dishes are very expensive, and if they cost the same as a similar chicken dish, then there will only be one smell and tails from seafood.

The variety of seafood in Vietnam is huge

Seafood in Vietnam

Seafood in Vietnam

The mark-up for drinks in cafes and restaurants is not very large. For example, beer in a store can cost 10,000 VND, and in a cafe from 12,000. I would also like to note that eateries focused on locals (and they often eat out) offer quite tasty food and for little money, however, the choice of dishes here is not great, but the portions are very large.

Restaurant for tourists in Vietnam

However, food in cheap cafes for locals is not suitable for every tourist. If you are at least a little squeamish, you can hardly eat from poorly washed greasy plates and it is not known in what conditions of cooked food. You can even see such pictures in the backyards of local cafes:

Rat "helps" wash dishes in non-tourist cafe

There are "snake restaurants" where you will be offered a snake and in front of your eyes they will play a whole performance with its preparation (from one snake - up to 10 dishes, a little of everything: fried snake, boiled, fresh snake blood, snake heart, etc.). They are located in separate blocks, it is not easy to find them. Pleasure is not cheap, but interesting and exotic. You can try dishes with a snake not only in "Snake restaurants", but also in some simple establishments. The cost of such dishes is comparable to the cost of chicken dishes, but there is only skin from the snake.

In some parts of Vietnam, the rat is considered a delicacy and can be found on restaurant menus. Such dishes, for example, are known for the border town of Chaudhok in the south, through which most excursions towards Cambodia lie. But do not think that all Vietnamese do is eat rats, frogs and snakes. In fact, you will have to look for a restaurant or cafe in the menu of which you will find such delicacies, and besides it is very expensive.

Inexpensive cafe for locals

Eating by buying food in shops or supermarkets in Vietnam is quite problematic and not cheap, because there are few real supermarkets, especially in small towns and tourist resorts. Even if you find a grocery store, you will see that there are no price tags, and the prices for products familiar to Europeans, such as milk, breakfast cereals, are much higher than in Russia. On the other hand, if you manage to find large chain supermarkets, for example, "Big-C", "Coop", "a-mart", "Auchan", etc., then they have a huge selection of products and low prices. In addition, in large supermarkets you can find ready-to-eat dishes on plastic pallets, which can only be heated.

For quick snacks, the option with a baguette stuffed with different fillings (melted cheese, vegetables, pieces of meat, sauces and herbs – optional) is perfect. You can meet a tray with baguettes in Vietnam everywhere. It is also inexpensive, about 8 000 VND (approximately 0.31 USD).

Fruit in Vietnam

In Vietnam, there are a lot of different exotic fruits: banana, coconut, durian, guava, breadfruit (jackfruit), Sapodilla, lychee, rambutan, mangosteen, guanabana, Dragon's eye, longan, mango, pineapple, grapefruit, pomelo, pomegranate and others. Prices for these fruits, by our standards, are very low. Fruits can be bought at the market, in street shops or in supermarkets. But in the market you can overpay, because tourists are usually called inflated prices, sometimes several times, so it is best to buy fruit in shops where prices are indicated or away from tourist areas.

Fruits are more often sold whole, rather than peeled and butchered, as is usually sold in Thailand.

Fruits in Vietnam

For reference, minimum prices for some fruits in Vietnam (per kg.):

• Pineapple-20 thousand VND
• Mango-22 thousand VND
• Mango round-38 thousand VND
• Lamiai-30 thousand VND
• Mangosteen-65 thousand VND
• Noina-45 thousand VND
• Pamella - 32 thousand VND
• Pitahaya (Dragon's eye) - 20 thousand VND
• Rambutan-16 thousand VND
• Chinese apples-20 thousand VND
• Guanabana-30 thousand VND
• Sapodilla-35 thousand VND
• Watermelon-24 thousand VND
• Coconut-20 thousand VND (1 piece)
• Lychee-50 thousand VND

Drinks in Vietnam

In the menu of restaurants and on the shelves of shops you will find everything from local draft beer to expensive whiskey and liqueurs. There are also a variety of soft drinks, including exotic ones.

The country produces local wine, quite decent in quality. A special pride is the wine produced by in Dalat. It is even produced for export. A bottle of an inexpensive 0.75 L variety costs between 50,000 and 70,000 VND (approximately 1.95 USD), in tourist places - more expensive.

Dalat wine

Popular local beers are Tiger, 333, Saigon and Saigon Special, Hanoi, Singha. Beer prices are low, on average 10 000 – 12 000 Dong (approximately 0.39 USD) for a bottle (jar) volume of 0.33 L. in the store. In the menu of cafes and small eateries, even in tourist places, The Cheat is usually small, about 1.5 times the price of the store. In remote tourist places such as Sapa, the price of a bottle of beer goes up to 30,000 VND. Local restaurants offer draft beer Bia Hoi from 5000 VND (approximately 0.31 USD) per mug. European brands are also sold everywhere, which are somewhat more expensive.

Several varieties of Vietnamese beer

Do not forget to buy as a souvenir home a bottle of whiskey with a snake, scorpion or other reptiles. They are sold everywhere, but take your time and look at the price. In the market, prices are not always cheaper than in souvenir shops or shops. For example, a half-liter bottle in a shop in the Ku Chi tunnel complex cost 35,000 Dong, and the same bottle in the Ben Tang market in Saigon offered to buy for 150,000! Of course, you can bargain in the market, but is it worth it if you can buy cheaper at a fixed price? There were no problems with the export of such bottles in reasonable quantities, but they can not be taken in hand luggage, so you have to carefully pack the glass bottle in your luggage. The contents of the bottle can be drunk (tested on your own experience), and then top it up with whiskey or cognac many more times.

Snake whiskey from Vietnam

From soft drinks-a lot of freshly squeezed juices and shakes of exotic fruits, which are quite a lot in the country. From almost every type of fruit growing here or a mixture of them, you will prepare a juice or shake with ice. A glass of this drink in the restaurant is worth it 30 000 – 35 000 dongs. Be sure to try sugar cane juice on the street at least once (from 6,000 VND per glass). It will be squeezed out of the cane right in front of your eyes, adding a little syrup, lime juice.

In Vietnam, local tea is very popular, it grows in greater quantities in the region adjacent to Dalat. The Vietnamese themselves prefer to drink green tea, although black tea is also produced in the country. Special honor is enjoyed by green tea under the brand OLONG (Oolong), it has useful properties and is fragrant. Compared with other types of tea, it is expensive, for a package of 200 g.you will have to pay from 60,000 VND. There is also a special type of tea – artichoke. Artichoke tea comes in the form of resin (dissolved in water) or dried leaves (brewed like regular tea).

Local coffee is an amazing taste and aroma. It is not inferior in its qualities to coffee of other famous countries. The Vietnamese prepare it in their own way-not brewing, but pouring ground coffee with hot water. If desired, you can add sugar or milk to coffee, but it is insanely tasty with condensed milk. A cup in a cafe or restaurant costs from 30,000 VND, if you meet cheaper, then most likely you will be served instant coffee. Buying real Vietnamese coffee beans is best at the market in Dalat, for a package of 0.5 kg of about 100,000 VND, but you can bargain. And, in general, in any supermarket, depending on the price, weight, brand – coffee is very inexpensive. Do not buy it in tourist places, especially in specialized stores with signs in Russian, it is 1.5 – 2 times more expensive here. Read more all about coffee in Vietnam.

Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk

In Vietnam, a huge number of familiar carbonated drinks at very low prices, they are called soft-drinks (soft-drinks). For example, a small bottle of Coca-Cola 0.33 L. in a large supermarket costs from 6 000 VND, in a cafe 10 000 (approximately 0.39 USD). There are a lot of interesting and delicious local carbonated drinks made from exotic fruits, herbs and even vegetables!

Bottled water is sold everywhere, even on the streets. The cost is almost the same everywhere - 10,000 (approximately 0.39 USD) for a bottle of 1.5 liters, cheaper can be found only in large supermarkets. But it is better to buy water in stores, preferably with cellophane packaging-a fuse on the neck. We (the authors of the site) witnessed how a seller from a cafe near the Ben Tan market in Ho Chi Minh City collected empty water bottles, went into the house for a few minutes and returned with the same bottles, but already filled with water for sale. One can only guess what kind of water he filled them with.