Vietnamese noodle soups
Noodle soups are the backbone of Vietnamese eating — breakfast, lunch, and a midnight bowl. From the clear beef broth of northern phở to Hue’s fiery bún bò and the south’s sweet, variable hủ tiếu, each region reads the same idea completely differently. Here is how to order a good bowl of each, and where it is at its best.
The clear beef (or chicken) noodle soup that the rest of the world copies badly.
Hanoi’s lunch: grilled pork patties and belly in a sweet-sour dipping broth.
© Chainwit. · CC BY 4.0A Hoi An-only noodle that, by legend, needs water from one specific well.
Hue’s fiery lemongrass beef noodle — the spicy, grown-up cousin of pho.
© Jpatokal · CC BY-SA 4.0Turmeric-yellow noodles with just a splash of intense broth — central Vietnam’s signature.
© Casablanca1911 · Public domainSilky steamed rice sheets rolled around pork and mushroom — a northern breakfast.
© Tonbi ko · CC BY-SA 4.0The south’s endlessly variable pork-and-seafood noodle — wet or dry, your call.
© TarnishedPath · CC BY-SA 4.0A bright, tangy tomato broth with clouds of freshwater-crab paste and tofu.
© Phương Huy · CC0Fat, chewy tapioca noodles in a thick, almost gravy-like crab broth.