Top 10 Vietnamese Street Food Favorites Ranked by our Explorers (and Phở is not among them!)
When travelers think of Vietnamese cuisine, iconic bowls of Phở usually steal the spotlight. But what happens when you dig deeper into the local food scene using real data from food enthusiasts? Through our app, Street Food Explorer Vietnam, users and culinary explorers have rated and reviewed dishes across the country to uncover everyday favorites and regional specialties.
To our surprise, Phở didn’t make the cut for the absolute top spots! Instead, our community’s votes have crowned a completely different lineup of must-try street food treasures. Here is the definitive ranking:
#10. BÚN MỌC — 4.6
SOUP BÚN NOODLES & PORK PASTE
MỌC or chewy pork balls are made by mixing pork paste with chopped wood ear mushrooms (the mushroom is optional). BUN MỌC is typically served piping hot, and it often consists of rice noodles, different types of pork bologna topped with scallion, coriander, and fried shallots.
#9. CHẢ GIÒ — 4.6
FRIED SPRING ROLLS
The world-famous fried spring rolls, also called NEM RÁN in northern Vietnam and RÁN in central Vietnam. The filling varies depending on the desire of the maker, sometimes it may include shrimp, glass noodles and bean sprouts. The rice paper can also be replaced by a lumpia wrapper or a net rice paper. The dish is served as a main course or appetizer with fish sauce dipping sauce and herbs, then you are supposed to roll it inside a salad leaf.
#8. BÚN THỊT NƯỚNG — 4.6
VERMICELLI w/ GRILLED PORK
Also called Bo Bun in some Western countries, BÚN THỊT NƯỚNG consists of rice noodles, barbecue pork, fresh vegetables. This dish is topped off with scallion oil and the ubiquitous fish sauce. Sometimes the eatery will have several meats you can mix together with the fried spring rolls. Just show them what you want!
#7. MÌ QUẢNG — 4.7
MI QUANG NOODLES SOUP
MÌ QUẢNG is a popular noodle dish that originated from central Vietnam, and probably in our top 5 Vietnamese dishes. Compared to other noodle dishes, there is only a small amount of broth, just enough to wet the noodles and bring the ingredients together. The dish has many variations such as chicken, snakehead fish, or frog, but the most popular ingredients include slices of pork belly, whole shrimp, roasted peanuts, sesame rice paper, and quail eggs.
#6. BÚN CHẢ CÁ — 4.7
BÚN SOUP w/ FISH CAKE
BÚN (noodles) CHẢ CÁ (fish cake) is especially popular in seaside towns. This dish features Vietnamese fried fish cake, tomatoes, rice noodles, and a clear broth which is light in body, but it is packed with umami. Simple yet delicious!
#5. BÚN CÁ — 4.7
BÚN SOUP & FISH
BÚN (bún noodles) CÁ (fish) is a must-try for its delicate broth infused with tomatoes and pineapple, served over thin rice vermicelli noodles, and topped with tender pieces of fish and fish cake. BÚN CÁ has many regional variations: BÚN CÁ CHÂU ĐỐC features snakehead fish and a rich, slightly sweet broth ; BÚN CÁ HÀ NỘI often uses fried fish and dill, creating a lighter, more herbaceous flavor ; BÚN CÁ HẢI PHÒNG has a spicy broth and crispy fried fish ; BÚN CÁ NHA TRANG showcases mackerel or other local seafood, with a clear, tangy broth.
#4. CƠM LAM — 4.8
BAMBOO TUBE STICKY RICE
CƠM LAM is prepared by stuffing glutinous rice into bamboo tubes, and then grilling over charcoal. It is a specialty in Tay Bac and Sa Pa, in North Vietnam. CƠM LAM can be enjoyed plain with sesame salt or with grilled pork or chicken skewers.
#3. BÁNH XÈO — 4.8
VIETNAMESE PANCAKE
BÁNH XÈO is a large fried pancake stuffed with bean spouts, pork, and shrimp. You are supposed to cut a piece of the pancake (with a spoon), roll it inside rice paper or mustard greens, then dip the roll in fish sauce. We find it easier to mix the pancake and the greens in a bowl, pour some fish sauce and eat from the bowl. Anyway it's really a classic Vietnamese dish to try.
#2. BÁNH CANH — 4.8
BANH CANH NOODLES SOUP
BÁNH CANH is a regular noodle soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner. BÁNH CANH noodles are thick and chewy and made from tapioca flour. To compare, BÁNH CANH and HỦ TIẾU only differ in noodles, otherwise, the savory pork broth and ingredients of BÁNH CANH are similar to HỦ TIẾU, so these dishes are often sold in the same places.
#1. TRÁI CÂY TÔ — 5.0
FRUIT BOWL
TRÁI CÂY TÔ means literally Fruit Bowl, it is a delicious refreshing dessert: the fruits are cut into bite-sized pieces and then mixed with yogurt, condensed milk and ice. You can easily find it at smoothie stalls.
We can’t hide that we are a bit surprised by the winner: not that TRÁI CÂY TÔ (fruit bowl) isn’t worth it: it is actually delicious and healthy because of the mix of tropical fruits including bananas, kiwis, watermelon, lychees, jack fruits! But we thought is it less common for tourists to try it. This dish is often hidden in the menu below the more famous NƯỚC ÉP (fruit juice) and SINH TỐ (smoothie).
Number 2 and 3 in the ranking are also excellent but more common. Number 4 is also a surprise, less famous but really worth a try.
Our explorers have good taste and are ready to dive deeper into the menus! How about you? Discover and rate these dishes and many other gems of Vietnamese food in our app!
Find more tips in our app. Try Street Food Explorer Vietnam for FREE
and eat like local Vietnamese eat!
