Vietnam Culinary Inspiration: A Journey Through the Country's Food Soul
Vietnamese food is receiving its long-overdue recognition as one of the great culinary traditions of the world. Anthony Bourdain said it was the most complex and rewarding street food culture he encountered in 25 years of food travel. The Michelin Guide arrived in Vietnam in 2023 and found a food scene considerably more sophisticated than the international press had suggested. And yet the best Vietnamese food is still not in any restaurant — it is in the house behind the market stall, in the grandmother's kitchen, in the floating market boat where the cook has been making the same soup since 5am. This is the food we design culinary tours around.
The Three Cuisines of Vietnam
The Dishes That Define Vietnam
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Alice Mercer
Luxury Travel Designer"I design each trip to be unique and completely private. Tell me your travel dream, and I will make it a reality."
- ✓Pho at Pho Thin, Hanoi — a masterclass in northern Vietnamese restraint
- ✓Bun bo Hue at Nguyen Chi Thanh stall — the most complex noodle soup in Vietnam
- ✓Cao lau at Ba Le Well restaurant, Hoi An — a dish that only exists in this town
- ✓Imperial banquet dinner at Madame Tuyen's garden home, Hue
- ✓Private market walk and cooking class in every major city
- ✓Mekong Delta boat kitchen: cooking on a floating market river vessel
- ✓Cave dining on Halong Bay: the most spectacular meal setting in Vietnam
- ✓Regional wine and spirit tasting: rice wines, fruit wines, and Vietnamese craft beer
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best food city in Vietnam?
＋Hoi An produces the most unique and distinctive cuisine — dishes that exist only in this town and nowhere else. Hanoi produces the most disciplined and perfectly executed food. Hue produces the most complex and ceremonially interesting cuisine. Saigon produces the greatest diversity. Every answer is defensible; every city deserves at least one full day of eating.
Is Vietnamese food generally spicy?
＋Less spicy than most people expect. Northern Vietnamese food is not spicy at all. Central Vietnamese food can be quite hot (bun bo Hue especially). Southern Vietnamese food uses more chilli than the north but is still manageable for most Western palates. Spice is almost always added at the table, so you can control your own level.
Can I bring home Vietnamese ingredients?
＋Yes — fish sauce (Phu Quoc nuoc mam is the finest), dried rice noodles, pho spice packets, and Vietnamese coffee grounds all travel well and are freely available in good condition. Fresh herbs and produce cannot be brought back to the UK. Phu Quoc fish sauce, in particular, is one of the great food souvenirs.
Are Vietnamese cooking classes worth doing?
＋Excellent ones are genuinely among the best travel experiences available in Vietnam. The key is choosing a class that starts at the market (not a pre-stocked kitchen), uses a private teacher (not a group demonstration), and produces dishes you will actually make at home. We book all cooking classes through vetted providers we have used personally.
What is Vietnamese coffee?
＋Vietnamese coffee is made from dark-roasted robusta beans brewed through a small drip filter (phin) directly over sweetened condensed milk. It is strong, sweet, and completely unlike European espresso. Iced (ca phe da) or hot (ca phe nong), it is one of the great pleasures of travelling in Vietnam. The egg coffee (ca phe trung) of Hanoi — espresso topped with a meringue-like mixture of egg yolk and condensed milk — is extraordinary and must be tried.
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Design Your Culinary Vietnam Journey
Our food specialists build culinary itineraries around the dishes, the markets, the kitchens, and the restaurants that genuinely define Vietnamese food culture.