Guides
Guides to street-level Việt Nam
Plain, practical guides from people who live on Việt Nam’s pavements: what to eat and how to order it, what to see and when, from Hà Nội to the Mekong.
Hà Nội
- Hà Nội street food: 13 dishes to try and when to eat themThe Hà Nội street food worth crossing town for, from phở and bánh cuốn at dawn to bún chả at lunch and chè…
- Hà Nội Old Quarter by time of day: what to eat, see and doA day in Hà Nội’s Old Quarter: the lake and phở at dawn, coffee, the old trade streets, bún chả for lunch,…
- How to order phở in Hà Nội (and what to say)Bò or gà, tái or chín, bát or tô: a plain guide to ordering phở in Việt Nam, with the Vietnamese words you…
- Bún chả: how to eat Hà Nội’s favourite lunchGrilled pork, cold noodles, herbs and a warm bowl of sauce: what comes on a bún chả tray, how to eat it like…
- Bánh cuốn: Hà Nội’s steamed rice rolls, and how to watch them being madeSilky rice sheets steamed in seconds and rolled around pork and wood ear mushrooms: what bánh cuốn is, the…
- Chả cá: Hà Nội’s turmeric fish with dill, and how to eat itTurmeric fish sizzled at your table with a mountain of dill: what chả cá is, how to eat it with bún, peanuts…
- Egg coffee (cà phê trứng): the story, how to drink it, and a recipeHà Nội’s egg coffee began with a milk shortage in the 1940s. What it tastes like, how to drink it, and how to…
- Vietnamese coffee: the phin, the drinks and how to orderStrong Robusta, a slow phin filter and condensed milk: the Vietnamese coffees to try, from cà phê sữa đá to…
- Bia hơi: a beginner’s guide to Hà Nội’s fresh beer cornersWhat bia hơi is, how a bia hơi corner works, what to eat with it, and how to toast like a local: một, hai,…
- Water puppets in Hà Nội: what you are watching, and how to enjoy the showVietnamese water puppetry began in the rice paddies of the Red River Delta. What happens behind the bamboo…
Huế
- Huế in a day: the Citadel, Thiên Mụ pagoda and the royal tombsOne day in Huế: bún bò for breakfast, the Imperial City, Thiên Mụ pagoda, the royal tombs and dinner in a…
- What to eat in Huế: bún bò, bánh bèo and the food of the emperorsHuế was Việt Nam’s imperial capital, and it still cooks like it: small, refined dishes and the spiciest food…
- Bún bò Huế: what’s in the bowl and how to eat itLemongrass, chilli and fermented shrimp paste in a beef and pork broth: what’s in a bowl of bún bò Huế, what…
Hội An
- Hội An in two days: old town, tailors, lanterns and the beachA relaxed two-day plan for Hội An: the old town before the crowds, a tailor, lanterns on the river, a bike…
- Hội An street food: what to eat, from cao lầu to white roseCao lầu, mì Quảng, cơm gà, white rose dumplings, bánh mì, bánh đập and more: the dishes to eat in Hội An,…
- Hội An lanterns: the full-moon nights, how they are made, and how to bring one homeWhy Hội An glows at night, when the full-moon lantern nights are, how a silk lantern is made by hand, and how…
- Getting an áo dài made in Hội An: fabric, fittings and how long it takesWhat an áo dài is, how Hội An’s tailors make one in a day or two, how to choose the silk, and what to check…
- Cao lầu: the noodles you can only eat in Hội AnChewy noodles, sliced pork, crisp croutons and fresh greens with just a little sauce: what cao lầu is, the…
Sài Gòn
- Sài Gòn street food: 13 dishes to try, and when to eat themThirteen dishes Sài Gòn eats on the pavement, from cơm tấm and bánh mì in the morning to snails and bánh xèo…
- Bánh mì: what goes inside, the kinds to try, and how to order oneThe Vietnamese sandwich, from the light, crackly loaf to the pâté, pickles and chilli inside. The kinds worth…
- Cơm tấm: Sài Gòn’s broken rice, and how to order itBroken rice, a charcoal-grilled pork chop and sweet fish sauce: what comes on a plate of cơm tấm, how to eat…
- Bánh xèo: the sizzling Vietnamese pancake, and how to eat itWhat’s in a bánh xèo, why it’s named after a sizzle, how southern and central pancakes differ, and how to…
- Ốc: how to eat snails in Sài Gòn, and what to orderSài Gòn’s quán ốc serve snails, clams and scallops with cold beer. What to order, how to get them out of the…
- Bến Thành Market in Sài Gòn: what to buy and how to bargainSài Gòn’s most famous market, under its French-era clock tower: what you’ll find inside, how to bargain with…
Mekong
- Mekong Delta from Sài Gòn: a day trip or an overnight stay?Mỹ Tho, Bến Tre or Cần Thơ? What a Mekong Delta day trip from Sài Gòn gets you, why floating markets are…
- Cái Răng floating market: when to go, how to get there and what to eatThe Mekong Delta’s biggest floating market starts before sunrise. When to arrive, how to get there from Sài…
- Vietnamese fruit: what to try, and how to buy it at the marketRambutan, mangosteen, durian, star apple and more: the fruits to try in Việt Nam, how to eat them, and how to…
All over Việt Nam
- 30 Vietnamese dishes to try, north to southPhở, bún chả, cao lầu, bánh xèo and 26 more: the dishes worth tracking down in Việt Nam, from Hà Nội to the…
- Best time to visit Việt Nam: the weather, region by regionViệt Nam has three climates. When the north, centre and south are usually at their best, when to expect rain…
- What food costs in Việt Nam: street prices and a daily budgetRough prices for phở, bánh mì, coffee and beer in Việt Nam, what a day of eating adds up to, and how to pay:…
- Vietnamese phrases for street food: what to say at a plastic-stool tableThe Vietnamese for ordering, asking the price, skipping chilli or ice, saying it was delicious and toasting,…
- How to pick a good street food stall in Việt NamEight signs of a stall worth sitting down at, from the locals on the stools to a menu of one dish, plus what…
- Vietnamese table manners: chopsticks, toasts and who paysHow to eat politely in Việt Nam: chopsticks, shared dishes, inviting others to eat, pouring and toasting, who…
- How to cross the street in Việt Nam (and ride on a motorbike)Walk slowly, never run: how to cross the street through Vietnamese traffic, what all the horns mean, and how…
- Tipping in Việt Nam: when to tip, who to tip and howDo you tip in Việt Nam? Not at street stalls, but guides, drivers and spa staff appreciate it. Where tipping…
- Vegetarian food in Việt Nam: what to eat and what to sayEating vegetarian or vegan in Việt Nam: cơm chay restaurants, dishes that often come meat-free, where fish…
- Vietnamese herbs: a guide to the herb plateThai basil, perilla, Vietnamese balm, fish mint and six more: what each herb on a Vietnamese herb plate…
- Vietnamese fish sauce (nước mắm): how it’s made and how to choose itHow nước mắm is made from anchovies and salt, how to read the label and pick a bottle, how to mix nước chấm,…
- Chè: Vietnamese sweet soups and desserts, and how to order themBeans, jellies, tapioca and coconut milk, hot or over ice: what chè is, the kinds to try from Hà Nội to Sài…
- Tết in Việt Nam: what to expect if you visit at Lunar New YearTết, the Lunar New Year, is Việt Nam’s biggest holiday: what closes, how to travel, the traditions you will…