Famous Vietnamese food & spa trip (updated)

Vietnamese food is amazing. But you can join there a cooking class to learn how to cook these delicious Vietnamese dishes. Filled to the brim with Vietnamese street food stalls, night markets, and cozy Vietnamese restaurants, Hanoi, Hoi an, and Saigon are foodie’s dream destination.

Besides exploring Vietnamese food destination there are plentiful, inexpensive yet quality wellness center and spa in the heart of the main cities. If you are opting for a relaxing or traditional massage, foot spa, body treatment, after a day of sightseeing, they will offer you a much-needed pampering session as well as a team of professional therapists.

We would love to share some of the best and surprising Vietnamese street food experiences that are made on the sidewalks with locals and not in restaurants.

1. BANH MI

This is a Vietnamese sandwich, but its origins are French, which is made up of an outlandish combination – crusty bread rolls greased with pate, mayo, pickled vegetables, fresh coriander and chilies, Asian ham. It savors like a rich ham sandwich with a blend of Asian freshness. You will get this authentic sandwich in any food outlet in Vietnam.

Classic Ban Mi with chilled beer

2. CA PHE TRUNG

Vietnamese egg coffee is a sweetened cup of dark coffee, topped with a foamy layer of sweetened egg cream. It’s really quite a unique experience, almost like drinking coffee and custard together. When you are in Hanoi, you must try this egg coffee.

Traditional egg coffee in Vietnam

3. PHO

Pho/noodle soup is the classic and one of the best Vietnamese dishes that Hanoi offers. Let’s just say you don’t want to miss this aromatic soup, filled with slices of meat (usually beef, Pho bo) and (chicken, Pho ga), rice noodles, and a plateful of fresh herbs. You must try this dish at PHO GA, BUN THANG in Hanoi.

Have a nice warming bowl of soup. This dish is best as a late-night snack

4. BUN CHA

This is one of the best northern Vietnamese dishes that quickly became my husband’s favorite due to its spicy flavor. It consists of grilled pork strips, balls or cha served over a bed of rice vermicelli noodles or bun alongside fresh vegetables, herbs, and a bowl of dipping sauce.

Vietnamese Restaurant: BUN CHA 34, 34 HANGS THAN, Hanoi

a local dish Bun Cha originated in Hanoi

5. GOI CUON
Vietnamese rice paper roll is essentially salad snug in a packet. These rolls are packed with bright and fresh flavors. It is made of crunch vegetables, soft noodles, and herbs in the rice paper. You can have it with punchy peanut and dipping sauce.

Vietnamese fresh spring roll

6. BANH TRANG TRON
This is a hodge-podge rice paper salad was prepared by a nearby hawker that we have discovered in Vietnamese street food form in Hoi an ancient town. This local snack has an authentic taste of local ingredients includes beef jerky, dried squid or shrimp, fresh coriander, chili oil, green mango, toasted peanuts, hard-boiled quail eggs and so many more.

Enjoy this incredible cheap snack on the go

7. KEM HO TAY
This is a famous ice cream shop just opposite Tran Quoc pagoda in Hanoi, you can have it at the shop or take it away. We had coconut ice cream and it was tasty. Many locals prefer to buy ice cream from here.

8. BANH RAN
This is one of a wide variety kind of Vietnamese donuts or cakes made of glutinous rice flour, mashed potato, sugar, coated with sesame seeds due to its moderately sweet taste, crispy cover, and subtly fragrant. This is delicious Vietnamese street food.

Local street food

9. CHE (DESSERT)
Vietnamese food is a favorite around the globe, but the unique dessert remains slightly under wraps. Check out a few dessert recipes which we found out in the Vietnamese street food shops in Hoi an city that is must-tries.

Vietnamese sweet dessert

a. Che Ba Mau: the three-color dessert: this popular dessert gets its name from its classic layers of yellow mung, bean paste, red beans, and green pandan jelly toppings with a layer of ice and a bounteous pouring of rich coconut cream.

b. Che Chuoi: Banana with sago pearls in coconut milk: this is a delicious daily sweet dessert made of sweet banana, rich coconut milk, sago pearls, sesame seeds, crushed peanuts comprise this warm, heavenly treat.

c. Chè Long Nhãn Hạt Sen: Logan and Lotus Seed Sweet Soup: this is quite a popular dessert among locals made of thick juicy logan fruit, squidgy and fragrant lotus seed, and sugar. You will fall in love with this refreshing sweet soup.

10. LAU HOT POT
Lau is one of the most popular Vietnamese dishes that you will find in Hanoi, sitting on the sidewalk in the evening. There are many kinds of hotpots include simmering soup, veggies, followed by chicken, seafood, fishes, noodles, and so on. You must try this local Vietnamese food in Hanoi.

11. VIETNAMESE WEASEL COFFEE
This is one of the most luxurious coffees known around the world. In Vietnam, people call it ca phe chon. The exotic blend of coffee beans is eaten by the local civet cats where they are then passed through the digestive system. It is also known as Civet Cat Coffee.

You can say it is like a gift from mother nature that this little animal has an instinct of discovering the best coffee berries to eat.

We had this weasel coffee somewhere in Ho Chi Minh city. The coffee was served in small metal Vietnamese drip filters known locally as Ca Phe Phin where the freshly grounded coffee is contained inside, then they poured the hot water into the device and covered it. The filtering process can take up to five minutes before it is ready to be consumed. We advise everyone to have this coffee when they are in Vietnam next time.

Taste authentic weasel coffee in Vietnam

12. For every traveler traveling to Vietnam, you must try the taste of Vietnamese dishes. Vietnam is famous for its local cuisine, but the country also boasts of an excellent Indian restaurant. However, if you have a craving for Indian cuisine, then try our suggested Indian restaurant, Baba’s Kitchen in Vietnam. They serve authentic Indian dishes like tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, palak paneer, and kheer, known as pudding. They offer you kheer free of costs at the end of the meal, which is very authentic and delicious to eat.