The main sauce for Vietnamese food is “ nuoc mam” ( Fish sauce). Fish sauce is made from fish. Only the fresh anchovy fish makes the good quality fish sauce that is clear in color and good smell. Mix the raw fish-sauce with garlic, chili, lemon juice or vinegar, pure water, sugar .. you will have a special sauce for many kind of dishes as “ goi cuon”, “ Cha gio” ( Spring roll), Banh Xeo ... Vietnamese people also use fish sauce for almost kind of foods when cooking. Cuisine in Viet Nam is various and colorful. It goes different at each place in the whole country. Northern cuisine Pho

Pho is a very popular and special dish in Viet Nam from the North to South. Each local has a different taste but the same basis in cooking. The original Pho is from the North and came to the Center and the South around 1950s. Pho has two main stuffs those are the broth and the noodle. The special ingredients for “ Pho” are “ tai vi” , “ Dinh Huong” ..... from the Chinese herbs. There are “ Pho ga” ( noodle with chicken) and “ Pho bo” ( noodle with beef)

Bun cha Ha Noi:

Hanoian makes “ Bun cha” with two type of meat, grilled and meat ball ( also grilled). “ Bun cha” often go with fresh vermicelli , vegetable, lettuce and fish sauce.

Cha ca La Vong:

“ Cha ca La vong’ is named for a special dish in Ha Noi. This fish is marinated, grilled over the charcoal then fried in oil. They often use the flesh of “ Lang “ fish. This kind of fish has not too much bone, sweet taste and good smell. Some restaurants use another kind of fish such as “ ca nheo “, “ ca qua” but less delicious as their flesh is softer and have too much small bone. Each of them has their own recipient how to marinate the “ Cha ca” but the main ingredients are turmeric , “ me”, pepper , fish sauce…. This dish will go with a special kind of sauce called “ mam tom” . However, many people can’t eat “ mam tom” because of the smell that some tourists prefer to go with the soya sauce.

Banh Tom Ha Noi:

One of the dish that you will never want to miss that is “ Banh Tom” . The famous restaurant is at the West Lake, “ Banh Tom Ho Tay “. Banh Tom makes from the fresh shrimp and a kind of flour. They cover the shrimp in flour then deep fried in oil. The flour is mixed with salt, pepper for the taste. Some people use sweet potato instead of the flour that makes the taste sweeter. This dish be served with fish sauce which mixed sour , sweet and spicy taste and some kind of vegetable and pickled papaya or carrot.

Banh cuon:

“ Banh cuon” is a very famous and popular dish in Ha Noi. There are many names to be known with “ banh cuon” such as “ Banh cuon Tay Ho” , “ Banh cuon Thanh Tri” , “ Banh cuon Hai Duong”.... “ Banh cuon” makes from rice flour. Vietnamese people use the good rice and grind them very fine with water. They cover the top of a steam pot by a fabric. When the water was boiled, they will put that stuff ( grind rice) on the fabric then cover it for a few minutes. “ Banh cuon” is served with fish sauce.

Center cuisine
Banh Beo, Banh Nam , Bot Loc: ( Hue) :

“ Banh Beo” is very popular in the center ( Hue , Da Nang , Hoi An) and the South of Viet Nam. Banh Beo is made from rice flour as the main flesh, the grind shrimp on the top and people often put on the top a small piece of fried fat . “ Banh Beo” is served with the mixed fish sauce ( Garlic, chili, lemon , sugar, water). Go with “ Banh Beo”, people never forget to order “ banh nam “ and “ banh bot loc”. “ Banh Nam also is made from rice flour. They mix meat, shrimp and put it in the middle. “ Banh Nam “ is wrapped by banana leave and steamed in boiled water. Different with “ Banh Beo” and “ Banh Nam “, Banh bot loc” is made from cassava’s flour. A bit complicate for making that flour. Inside the “ Banh bot loc” often is a shrimp. After cooked, the flour becomes transparent. Banh beo , banh nam , banh bot loc will go with a sweet fish sauce.

Banh beo		Banh Nam		Banh Bot Loc		Banh Uot

Bun Bo Hue:

“Bun bo Hue” is the name of a special dish of Hue. The broth has cooked with bone of pork and beef in a long time, beef , meat , lemongrass , chili…and a special of thing what they call “ mam ruoc Hue “ that is made from the very small shrimp. Without this taste and smell, that is not “ bun bo Hue”. The shrimp paste also is an important ingredient. Bun bo Hue also very popular in Saigon but a bit different taste. “ Bun bo Hue” usually includes thin slices of marinated beef shank , pork, shrimp paste, pork paste and “ cha” . It is commonly served with bean sprouts, raw onions, banana flower ( very fine slice ) , lettuce. People can put “ sate “ ( fried chili) and more “ mam ruoc Hue” for spicy and stronger taste.

Southern cuisine
Foods in the South of Viet Nam often have a sweeter taste compared with Northern or the center. They prefer to use pepper more than chili but like spicy.
Southern of Viet Nam has Mekong Delta and plenty of rivers that easy to find the gift of nature as fish, shrimp, snails that people can make many kind of dishes.

Bi cuon		Cha gio		Snails popular shop		goi cuon shop

Goi cuon:

Southern people is very like “ Goi cuon” and “ Bi cuon” . That is one of dishes as appetite for the party. Specially, at the countryside. “Goi cuon” has wrapped by a rice paper with boiled shrimp ( without the shell), boiled bacon, vermicelli , lettuce and serve with soya bean sauce. ( Tuong) “ Bi cuon” has wrapped by rice paper with lettuce and a stuff that made from pig skin. “ Bi cuon” is served with fish sauce.

Banh xeo:

The name “ banh xeo” maybe picked up from the sound when you are cooking that kind of dish. “ Banh Xeo” is made from rice flour mixing with coconut milk, onion. The stuff in the middle is shrimp , bacon, mushroom , green bean and bean sprouts. “ Banh xeo” has different size at each local and “ Banh Xeo “ in the South is biggest , thinner and crunchy. “ Banh xeo “ goes with vegetable, lettuce and fish sauce.

Hu tieu:

The special soup in the South is Hu Tieu. Different with “ Bun Bo Hue” or “ Pho” that people have put some special ingredients for a special taste, the broth of “ Hu tieu “ just pure from the pork bone or chicken. People often add shrimps, meat, and so on for more delicious.