If you come to visit Vietnam, you might be overwhelmed by a wide variety of dishes called “noodles,” all made from rice flour but actually different from each other. Vietnamese noodle soups go through many meticulous and elaborate stages of preparation, combining various ingredients and spices to create extraordinary culinary experiences. This is definitely one of the Vietnamese dishes you cannot miss, but first, let VLS help you distinguish these types of Vietnamese noodle soups and, by the way, learn the Vietnamese language with us!
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Phở: King Of Vietnamese Noodle Soups
Phở is the most famous dish among international tourists. A bowl of phở captivates with its distinctive aroma, featuring large, thick slices of beef brisket, tender rare beef, and vibrant green herbs, accompanied by the fragrant flavors of onions and other condiments. The clear broth is naturally sweet from hours of simmering bones, enriched with savory and aromatic seasonings. The pho noodles are white, soft, and submerged in steaming hot broth, melting in the mouth upon each bite.
To truly enjoy phở, it is customary to squeeze in some lime juice and add a touch of chili, enhancing the flavor with a tangy and spicy kick that is irresistibly delicious. In Hanoi, you can also order a side of crispy fried dough sticks to enjoy alongside your phở.
Bún Bò (Beef Noodle Soup)
In addition to phở, bún bò is a dish favored by international tourists when traveling to Vietnam, especially the bowl of bún bò Huế. Bún bò in Huế and in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) are two completely different versions. The noodles in bún bò Huế are small, and the broth is fragrant with the aroma of shrimp paste and lemongrass. In the bowl of bún bò Huế, there will be additional chả cua (crab meatballs) whereas the noodles in Saigon are bigger, and the broth is milder.
Instead of crab meatballs, people in Saigon eat chả lụa (Vietnamese pork ham) or bò viên (beef meatballs) with their bún bò. The bowl of bún bò in Saigon also comes with a spicy satay sauce for those who enjoy a spicy taste, providing a delicious and fiery experience.
Mỳ Quảng (Quang-Style Noodle)
This is a dish you can easily find when traveling to Da Nang or Quang Nam. It is also made from rice flour, but Quang-style noodles are flat, thin, and larger than other noodles. They are often mixed with turmeric powder, giving the noodles a yellow color and adding an extra kick to the taste. Quang-style noodles are served with chicken, pork, quail eggs, shrimp, or fish, accompanied by a rich and thick broth that fills about 2/3 of the bowl. Mix all the ingredients together with various fresh herbs, squeeze in some lime juice, and take a bite of fresh chili, and all these things make you become a Vietnamese foodie!
Hủ Tiếu (Rice Noodle Soup)
Hu tieu is a popular dish in the southern provinces of Vietnam, representing a blend of Khmer, Chinese, and Vietnamese cultures. Hu tieu noodles are typically firm, thin, and chewier compared to rice vermicelli, and they are cooked by briefly blanching them in boiling water. The broth is made from pork bone marrow and dried shrimp, enhancing the natural sweetness. A bowl of hu tieu usually contains pork, beef balls, minced meat, pork liver, shrimp, quail eggs, bean sprouts, and chives. You can add a squeeze of lime, some pickled garlic, and thinly sliced chili to create the most exquisite flavor in a bowl of hu tieu.
Bún Riêu (Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup)
With the main ingredient being crabs, a readily available and familiar food to the Vietnamese, bún riêu can be found in every region, each with slight variations. For example, in the northern region, bún riêu is served with tofu and may include pork trotter and beef. In the southern region, bún riêu may have cooked pork blood or beef meatballs. The crab broth in the northern region is cooked according to the standard method by smashing the crab meat while cooking and then straining it, while in the southern region, the crab meat is mixed with ground lean meat and set aside.
Bánh Đa Cua (Crab Cake Soup With Red Noodle Soup)
Bánh đa cua is a specialty of Hải Phòng, a city located in the northeastern part of Vietnam. The distinctive ingredient of this dish is the reddish-brown rice noodle sheets known as “bánh đa” in Vietnamese. Fresh crabs are used to create a rich and flavorful broth. A delicious bowl of Bánh đa cua Hải Phòng typically includes crab meatballs, bánh đa noodles, beef wrapped in lolot leaves, finely chopped scallions, chili, a few drops of lime juice, and crispy pork sausage.
Bún Mắm (Fermented Fish Noodle Soup)
Bún mắm is a familiar dish of people from the Mekong Delta, especially in An Giang and Tra Vinh provinces. The unique broth of bún mắm is cooked with mắm bò hóc, a specialty fermented fish of the Khmer people. Originally, bún mắm only consisted of fish, but later cultural interactions added various types of sausages, pork, and roasted pork, making the bowl of bún mắm more substantial and enticing. Bún mắm not only has a distinctive flavor but also comes with a variety of typical vegetables from the southwestern region such as water spinach, bean sprouts, shredded morning glory, corn, chives, finely chopped banana blossoms, and bitter vegetables…
