20 Vietnamese Dishes That Are 100% Worth Adding To Your Recipe Rotation (2024)

What is it? If you haven't tried phở (pronounced "fuh") yet — with its perfectly assembled baseline ingredients of noodles, broth, fresh herbs, and meat — you're missing out. Start with this detailed guide to making it at home, which includes instructions for both stovetop and Instant Pot versions.

Recipe: Phở

What is it? If you're craving the flavors of phở without the meat, try this version from bestselling cookbook author Andrea Nguyen. She uses sharply seared tofu and nutritional yeast to add impressive layers of flavor.

Recipe: Vegan Phở With Seared Tofu

What is it? Grlled pork patties served with rice noodles, and eaten by dunking the noodles in a sweet chili papaya sauce. This dish had a bit of a pop culture moment years ago, during former President Obama's trip to Vietnam, where he famously enjoyed an order of bún chả with the late Anthony Bourdain.

Recipe: Bún Chả

What is it? This noodle dish boasts the textural variety of crispy pork fat, perfectly chewy noodles, and tender char siu meat.

Recipe: Cao Lầu

What is it? A traditional Vietnamese dish of thinly sliced beef and rice noodles, Diep Tran’s spin on the classic is packed with flavorful sauces, tangy pickles, and fresh herbs. It's perfect for a summer meal to share with friends.

Recipe: Bun Bo Xa Ot (Vietnamese Steak and Rice Noodle Salad)

What is it? An appetizer favorite, these Vietnamese spring rolls come together with vermicelli noodles, mint, and your choice of protein, all wrapped tightly inside a rice paper wrapper.

Recipe: Gỏi Cuốn (Summer Rolls)

What is it? This Vietnamese sandwich is the harmonic result of a few complementary ingredients, including a fresh slice of French bread, pickled vegetables, and juicy pork. The curious inclusion of a French roll here is a result of French colonialism in Vietnam in the 1860s.

Recipe: Bánh Mì

What is it? There's something perfectly balanced about this dish of fried fish, paired with tomato and onion sauce. Maybe it's the crispiness of the fish or the distilled umami flavor of the tomato sauce — whatever it is, it'll make you go for seconds.

Recipe: Cá Chiên

What is it? These stir-fried rice noodles with beef prove there's countless ways to eat Vietnamese noodles, and this is just one of many. The noodles here are cooked in a mix of soy sauce and fish sauce, while the beef is cooked in a base of oyster sauce. A sauce trifecta!

Recipe: Phở Xào Thịt Bò

What is it? Inspired by a milk shortage, this original Vietnamese coffee recipe pairs coffee with creamy egg fluff made with egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk. It's actually pretty genius — and delicious.

Recipe: Cà Phê Trứng (Egg Coffee)

What is it? Don't let your eyes fool you: These Vietnamese crepes don't include any eggs and are instead a blend of rice flour, turmeric (which lends it its yellow color), coconut cream, and your choice of protein.

Recipe: Bánh Xèo

What is it? Known as the signature dish of Saigon, this meal consists of rice usually served with grilled pork chops and fish sauce. The dish was apparently born when farmers began cooking with the "broken rice" they couldn't sell. Nowadays, the popularity of this dish has resulted in broken rice selling at sometimes higher prices than regular rice!

Recipe: Com Tam

What is it? Fall-apart fatty pork and eggs come together in a savory, rich recipe that is surprisingly easy to make. Most of the time, you're just watching the pot simmer and do its thing.

Recipe: Thịt Kho Tàu (Caramelized Braised Pork and Eggs)

What is it? If you're up for a challenge, this colorful fermented fish noodle soup rewards you with a deep, complex flavor derived from layers of, yep, generous fermented fish — as well as lemongrass, squid, crackling pork, and stuffed chilis.

Recipe: Bún Mắm

What is it? These delicate stuffed steamed rice rolls are often filled with minced pork and served with a hearty helping of fresh herbs.

Recipe: Bánh Cuốn

What is it? Gather 'round, seafood lovers: This one's for you. This recipe combines crab meat, shrimp, and chewy noodles, and dunks it all in a savory slurry of fish sauce, annatto oil (this is where the soup's orange hue comes from), and chicken broth.

Recipe: Bánh Canh Tom Cua

What is it? This colorful dessert layers crushed ice, red and mung beans, coconut sauce (sweet coconut milk), and jelly pieces. It's refreshing, fun to make, and the perfect summertime treat.

Recipe: Chè Ba Màu

What is it? Sweet corn might sound like an unconventional main ingredient for a dessert, but it works here perfectly paired with tapioca pearls and a rich, sweetened coconut sauce.

Recipe: Chè Bắp

What is it? Look, when you cook full-fat coconut milk, bananas, and tapioca pearls, and top it with salted peanuts, it's impossible not to make a dessert that's irresistible. If you're a fan of banana-flavored things, this one will rock your world.

Recipe: Chè Chuối (Banana Tapioca)