TOP FIVE ICONIC VIETNAMESE FOOD YOU NEED TO TRY

It has been almost six months since the going-to-be-former President of the United States Barack Obama visited Vietnam. Needless to say, the fact that he tried a lot of Vietnamese food and gave great feedback about it has elicited an overwhelming curiosity of an innumerable number of prospective visitors interested in exploring this Southeast Asian country. Regarding this inclination to Vietnamese food, we have a list of five must-try dishes that every visitor should grab when visiting Vietnam.
 

1. Phở

There is pretty much no reason for which Pho should not be mentioned first. Considered to be one of the most typical Vietnamese dishes, the reputation of Pho is almost irrefutable when it comes to Vietnamese food. Consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat, pho can make even the most demanding customers utter beautiful words about how delicious pho is, and about how pho makes them feel. In the map of Vietnamese food, pho is renowned for two of its versions: the northern, typically Hanoi pho, and the southern, generally Saigon pho. It all depends on your personal taste to pick which one; just remember that the broth of Saigon pho is usually sweeter than that of the more northern pho.
 

2. Bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwich)

French baguettes are definitely not something strange to people all around the world. However, the most notable distinction between French and Vietnamese baguettes is that the latter is made with rice flour along with wheat flour. More interestingly, according to BuzzFeed, Vietnamese baguette is filled with goodness! Consisting of Vietnamese sausage, liver pâté, grilled pork, fresh cucumber slices, and temptingly delicious sauces, bánh mì is considerably the gift of God that will heavenly melt in your mouth and make you want to try it over and over again. A few years ago, bánh mì even made it to the list, published on Huffington Post, of best street food in the world. Bánh mì is undeniably one of the best Vietnamese food that you must try at least once when in Vietnam.
 

3. Bánh xèo (sizzling pancake)

Which Vietnamese food is tasty, cheap, and so addictive that you cannot stop eating? Bánh xèo! Derived from the loud sizzling sound when fried on the pan, bánh xèo basically means "sizzling pancake," impressive enough? Pancakes containing shrimp, fatty pork, diced green onions, bean sprouts and egg, fried and wrapped in rice paper, bánh xèo culminates in a very-close-to-ambrosia when it gets dunked in a spicy sauce, including fish sauce and carrot pickles, this iconic Vietnamese food ends up with a crunchy bite and finally melts in your mouth. Besides the fact that it is delicious, bánh xèo is fun to eat, like I can spend the whole day making rolls of bánh xèo without ever getting any boredom! That being said, bánh xèo is a must-try.

4. Gỏi cuốn (Spring rolls)

So you have learned that Vietnamese food is fun to eat, right? And making rolls of bánh xèo just to dip it in a particular sauce soothes all the stress you have to endure away? Let's try Gỏi cuốn, or Vietnamese spring rolls, because it is really fun to eat, too. Very similar to bánh xèo, gỏi cuốn consists of pork, prawn, vegetables, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients contingent on one's personal taste, all wrapped in, yes, rice paper. However, unlike bánh xèo, gỏi cuốn offers a different kind of dipping sauce: hoisin sauce. Sometimes this typical Vietnamese food can also be served with fish sauce, but this alternative is not as popular as spring rolls with hoisin sauce. Interestingly, in southern Vietnam, Spring rolls are usually called "gỏi cuốn" while in northern provinces, it is often called "nem cuốn." Regardless of whichever name it may be, try it.

5. Bún chả (Rice vermicelli and grilled meat)

Even though there are still more to come, the last dish introduced today is a specialty from Hanoi: bún chả. Known as one of the most iconic dishes when it comes to Hanoi food, bún chả is ridiculously tasty with the richness in its dipping sauce and the distinctive yet addictive savor of skillfully grilled pork. President of the United States Barack Obama is one of those who were fascinated by bún chả when in Hanoi. Interestingly, the restaurant where Mr President visited now offers an even more quirky name for their dishes: "bún chả Obama," and this has been effectively attracting a lot of diners. Outside of Hanoi, specifically in more southern provinces, this typical Vietnamese food has an alternative called "bún thịt nướng" which is also well-known as one of the best dishes in Vietnam.

All the aforementioned dishes are a must during your Vietnam tours!