Here is your must-try dish when travel to Vietnam​​

Pho is an iconic dish of Vietnam. Flavorful. Delicious. Nutritious.

But, little did you know, there are plenty of low-key dishes you cannot miss in Vietnam besides Pho.

Let us introduce you to the amazing world of Vietnamese cuisine.

1. First and foremost: Cơm Tấm - Vietnamese broken rice

(Photo Credit: Nadova)

A dish with a kind of weird name, but its taste would completely change your mind.

“Cơm tấm” is made from “tấm” rice, grilled pork ribs, shredded pork rind, steamed egg rolls, pickles, and dipping sauce.

To be honest, there is nothing special about its ingredients. All can be easily found in any random market.

What makes this dish so special? Maybe it is how these ingredients are cooked and combined.

• The rice used in this dish should be “tấm” rice, which is fluffy and full of flavor. The aroma of cooked broken rice when it is cooked properly is beyond heaven.

• Grill pork ribs, which are golden and crispy on the outside but soft and sweet on the inside, bringing a special flavor to Vietnamese broken rice. Most of the time, the ribs are grilled on charcoal stoves, giving them the iconic smoky flavor. Not to mention, the process of grilling allows the ribs to slowly absorb all spices, which enhances its flavor ten times better.

• Next is shredded pork rind - an essential ingredient of this dish. It’s fragrant and chewy. It’s something you cannot find anywhere else besides Vietnam.

• Steamed egg rolls require lots of ingredients and delicate cooking skills. The standard egg rolls should be aromatic, and soft, but not crumbly.

• Pickled vegetable is a must-have. Pickles are normally made of carrots, white radish, spicy sauerkraut, kimchi, or papaya. These will create a sour taste and balance the flavor of Vietnamese broken rice.

• Dipping sauce (a.k.a nuoc cham) including scallion oil and fish sauce. Depending on the preference of each region, the dipping sauce will be prepared in many different ways. You can sprinkle the sauce on the dish or dip the ingredients into the bowl of sauce.

You can easily find a place to enjoy delicious Vietnamese broken rice anywhere in Vietnam, but our top recommendations to try this dish are Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang.

2. Bánh Canh: A thick noodle soup

(Photo Credit: Nadova)

It's a simple noodle dish made from thick noodles and rich and savory pork broth.

What makes this dish so special is the soft and chewy noodles, which are made from tapioca flour or rice flour. Sounds strange, right? But it is the particular texture that allows the tapioca noodles or rice noodles to absorb the flavorful broth better.

Enjoying a bowl of “Banh Canh” with the soft and chewy noodles, the richness and sweetness of long-hour broth, and the fresh taste of carefully selected toppings will surely be a great experience.

3. Bún Bò Huế: Hue Beef Noodle Soup

It is a dish having a perfect balance of spicy, sour, salty, and sweet flavors. It is even served on the royal menu to the king and the Mandarin Aristocrats.

In order to make a flavorful bowl of “Bún Bò Huế”, beef bones need to be simmered and the broth needs to be boiled for at least 6 to 10 hours. Lemongrass, ginger, and shrimp paste are also required to create the signature silky sweetness for the broth.

When the broth is ready, a variety of toppings is added. There are thin slices of marinated and boiled beef shank, crab cakes, chunks of oxtail, pig's knuckles, and sometimes jiggling cubes of congealed pig blood.

Remember to have some fresh herbs and vegetables such as lettuce, Vietnamese basil, and banana flowers to enjoy your bowl of “Bún Bò Huế” to the fullest. This is a dish you cannot miss when visiting the central of Vietnam.

4. Bún Riêu: Crab Noodle Soup

A quintessential of Hanoian cuisine.

It has the perfect balance of sweet and sour broth, with a hint of shrimp paste - the soul of the broth.

It has juicy and flavorful tofu which are fried and soaked in the broth for hours.

It has a soft, slightly sweet yet firm crab mixture.

Notably, the crab mixture needs to be stir-fried beforehand with dried onions and then boiled with sautéed tomatoes, which allows the mixture to achieve the fullest flavor and appearance.

This local dish successfully captures the essence of traditional Hanoian cuisine: rich, flavorful, yet perfectly balanced. It's a pity to miss a bowl of "Bún Riêu" when you are in Hanoi.

Ready to enjoy all these amazing dishes? Let's hop on a tailor-made food tour with us right now!