The CookbookCookbook · 6 dishes

Vietnamese rice & mains

Beyond the soups sits Vietnam’s plate food — broken rice under a grilled pork chop in Saigon, turmeric fish grilled at your table in Hanoi, chicken rice in Hoi An, vermicelli bowls you dress yourself. These are the dishes that fill you up and show off regional character. Here is what each one actually is and how to eat it well.

Com tam — Cơm tấm© Christopher Crouzet · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cơm tấm$1.50–3
Com tam·gum tum

Saigon’s plate of broken rice with grilled pork chop — the city’s default lunch.

Southern
Turmeric dill fish — Chả cá© Phương Huy · Public domain
Chả cá$6–12
Turmeric dill fish·cha ka

Hanoi’s theatrical table-grilled fish with turmeric, dill, and a mountain of herbs.

Northern
Cơm gà Hội An$2–4
Hoi An chicken rice·gum ga hoy an

Turmeric-yellow rice cooked in chicken stock, topped with hand-torn poached chicken.

Central
Grilled pork vermicelli — Bún thịt nướng© Lưu Ly · Public domain
Bún thịt nướng$2–3.50
Grilled pork vermicelli·boon tit nuong

A cool bowl of vermicelli, smoky grilled pork, herbs, and pickles you dress yourself.

Southern
Caramelised clay-pot fish — Cá kho tộ© Charles Haynes · CC BY-SA 2.0
Cá kho tộ$3–6
Caramelised clay-pot fish·ka kho toh

Fish simmered in a clay pot with caramel and fish sauce until sticky and deep.

SouthernNationwide
Hotpot — Lẩu
Lẩu$5–12 pp
Hotpot·low

A bubbling communal pot you cook at the table — Vietnam’s big group meal.

Nationwide