Vietnamese cuisine

Vietnamese cuisine refers to the foods and drinks that come from Vietnam. A meal typically brings together five basic tastes—sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and spicy—known as ngũ vị. Each dish’s character is shaped by one or more elements, like nutrients or colors, following a five-part philosophy. Common ingredients include lemongrass, ginger, mint, Vietnamese mint, brown sugar, long coriander, Saigon cinnamon, bird’s eye chili, soy sauce, lime, and Thai basil leaves. Traditional cooking is known for using fresh ingredients, little dairy or oil, varied textures, and plenty of herbs and vegetables. It is low in sugar and mostly gluten-free, since many dishes rely on rice—such as rice noodles, bánh tráng rice paper, and rice flour—rather than wheat.

Historically, Vietnamese food has been shaped by several outside influences. From China, through centuries of contact and sinicization, came dishes like wonton (vằn thắn/hoành thánh), char siu (xá xíu), har gow (há cảo), shahe fen (hủ tiếu), wheat noodles (mì), popiah (bò bía), youtiao (bánh quẩy), mooncake, Suzhou-style mooncake (bánh pía), nian gao (bánh tổ), tang yuan (sủi dìn), bánh bò, baozi (bánh bao), Yangzhou fried rice (cơm chiên Dương Châu), and chow mein (mì xào). The Vietnamese added their own styles and flavors to these. Ethnic minorities near the China–Vietnam border, like the Tày and Nùng in Lạng Sơn, also adopted Chinese foods such as roasted pork (thịt lợn quay) and braised pork belly (khâu nhục). New World vegetables like chili peppers and corn reached Vietnam during the Ming dynasty.

The French introduced baguettes, which were combined with Vietnamese fillings to create bánh mì thịt—a popular fast food known overseas as a Vietnamese baguette. (Bánh mì refers to the bread; thịt means meat or stuffing.) The French also brought onions, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, lettuce, tarragon, carrots, artichokes, asparagus, and coffee. Many of these western ingredients got names based on similar local items, with the word tây (meaning western) added: onions became hành tây (western shallots), asparagus became măng tây (western bamboo shoots), and potatoes became khoai tây (western yam). French-influenced dishes are numerous and include salad (sa lát), pâté, pâté chaud (patê sô), croissant (bánh sừng trâu/bánh sừng bò), bánh flan, yogurt (ya ua), rotisserie (rôti), butter (bơ), duck à l’orange (vịt nấu cam), omelette (ốp lết), œufs au plat (ốp la), farcies (phá xí), beefsteak (bít tết), cooking with wine (sốt vang), jambon (dăm bông), and saucisse (xúc xích). French colonial rule also led to shared dishes and drinks—like baguettes and coffee—across Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, and introduced dairy products into Vietnamese-French fusion cooking.

Influences also came from Champa, Malaysia, and Cambodia. Cham cuisine contributed coconut milk and central dishes like bánh khọt. Malay and Indian traders brought spices and curries (cà ri), which are uncommon in the north but popular in central and southern Vietnam. The most common curry is chicken curry, followed by goat curry; chicken curry is a staple at weddings, funerals, graduations, and death anniversaries. As in Cambodia, curry is eaten with bread, steamed rice, or round rice noodles. From the ethnic Khmer in southern Vietnam came mắm bồ hóc (prahok), used in the rice noodle soup bún nước lèo—a dish originating with Khmers in Vietnam, not found in Cambodia. Contact with former communist countries in Eastern Europe introduced stuffed cabbage soup, Olivier salad (sa lát Nga), and Czech beer (bia Tiệp).

Across Vietnam’s three regions, mainstream culinary traditions share several features: meats are cooked briefly; vegetables are eaten fresh or lightly boiled or stir-fried; herbs and vegetables are used abundantly; textures vary widely, mixing crisp with soft, watery with crunchy, delicate with rough; broths and soups are common; and condiments are colorful and arranged attractively. Yet each region has its own style. In northern Vietnam, the colder climate limits spice availability, so food is often less spicy, with black pepper used instead of chilies. Northern cuisine tends to avoid bold tastes, favoring light, balanced flavors from subtle combinations of ingredients. In the past, meats like pork, beef, and chicken were relatively limited.