Northern Vietnamese Cuisine: Discover food in the North

Northern Vietnamese cuisine is famous for its delicate flavors and unique dishes that have been passed down for generations. From the fragrant bowls of Pho in Hanoi to the crispy shrimp cakes by West Lake, the food here tells the story of a rich cultural heritage and local traditions. Each dish is carefully prepared, balancing fresh ingredients and subtle seasonings, reflecting the cool climate and peaceful lifestyle of the North. Whether you’re wandering through bustling streets or quiet villages, these dishes offer a true taste of northern Vietnam’s soul.

Food in the North

Pho (Rice noodle soup)

Pho, a typical dish of Ha Noi people, has been existing for a long-time. Pho is prepared not only in a sophisticated manner but also in the technique which is required to have sweet but pure bouillon, soft but not crashed noodle, soft and sweet-smelling meat.

Only in cold days, having a hot and sweet-smelling bowl of Pho to enjoy, would make you experience the complete flavor of the special dish of Ha Noi.

Bun thang ("Ladder" soft noodle soup)

Dishes made of soft noodle soup are diverse such as vermicelli and fried chopped meat, Bun Thang, vermicelli and sour crab soup, stewed vermicelli and boiled lean meat, etc.

The popular dish is vermicelli and sour crab soup whilst Bun Thang is for con-noisseurs, unique and available in Ha Noi only. A bowl of Bun Thang includes lean pork paste, thin fried egg, salted shredded shrimp, chicken, onion, shrimps paste, and a little Belostomatid essence.

Especially, Bun Thang bouillon made from shrimps and meat must be very sweet and pure. Without enjoying Bun Thangwhen arriving to Ha Noi, it somewhat seems to lack of a part of taste ofHa Noi.

Mon oc (Snail dish)

Snail dish is a popular but unique dish of Ha Noi people. It is easy to order some dishes like snail steamed with ginger leaf, gingered snail, snail sauted with carambola, snail boiled with lemon leaf, snail steamed with Chinese herbs, and so on, in many small restaurants, restaurants, and even hotels.

However, vermicelli and snail sour soup is the most attractive to young ladies because of brittleness by snails, the slightly sour taste by snail soup, and hot by chilly boiled down, making even gorged people keep eating.

Com (Grilled green rice)

Every autumn, around September and October, when the cool north-westerly wind brings a cold dew, the sticky rice ears bend themselves into arches waiting for ripe grains because these rice grains are at their fullest and the rice-milk is already concentrated in the grains, predicting that thecom season has arrived.

Better than any other person, the peasant knows when the rice ears are ripe enough to be reaped to begin making com. Com is made from green sticky rice that is harvested in blossom period, roasted in many times, crashed and sieved.

Com is a speciality; at the same time, it is very popular. One can enjoy com with tieu ripe banana. When eating com, you must eat slowly and chew very deliberately in order to appreciate all the scents, tastes, and plasticity of the young rice.

Com is an ingredient also used in many specialities of Viet Nam, includingcom xao (browned com), banh com (com cakes), che com (sweetenedcom soups), etc. Com may be obtained anywhere in the North of Viet Nam, but the tastiestcom is processed in Vong Village, 5km from Ha Noi, where com making has been a professional skill for many generations.

Cha ca La Vong (La Vong grilled fish pies)

Cha ca La Vong is a unique specialty of Hanoi people, therefore one street in Ha Noi was named as Cha Ca Street.

Cha ca is made from mud-fish, snake-headed fish, but the best one is Hemibagrus (Ca lang). Fish bone is left away to keep fish meat only, then seasoning, clipping by pieces of bamboo, and frying by coal heat. An oven of coal heat is needed when serving to keep Cha ca always hot. Cha ca is served with roasted peanuts, dry pancakes, soft noodle soup, spice vegetables and shrimps paste with lemon and chilly. The Cha ca La Vong Restaurant on No.14 Cha Ca Street is the "ancestor restaurant" of the dish.

Banh cuon (Rolled rice pancake)

Banh cuon is popular to Vietnamese as disk for breakfast. The cake preparing process includes grilled rice which is steamed and oil-spread to have sweet-smelling. Banh cuon is prepared available. Leaves of cake put on plate as the customers ask for the disk. The cake is called Banh cuonThanh Tri due to its origin is Thanh Tri Village of South Ha Noi.

Besides Banh cuon Thanh Tri, there is rolled rice pancake with the filling of the cake is made from minced pork mixed with Jew's ears and thin-top mushrooms. The cake, placed on plate, serve with salted shredded shring and fried dry onions. The customers immediately experience the disk as it is just finished and stilI very hot.

It is the sauce of the cake that fascinates the customers. The cake-makers have their own know-how, some of them prepare Banh cuonwith Belostomatid essence to have sweet -smelling to attract to the customers.

Lon quay Lang Son (Lang Son roasted pork)

Anyone who arrives in Lang Son Province could find it difficult to say no toLon quay dish. Lon quay Lang Son is delicious for many reasons, however, the main specific taste of the dish comes from the unique flavor of a kind of leaf called "Mac mat" (meaning "sweet leaf"). The leaf is soaked with spices, fish sauce, glutamate, flavoring powder, then stuffed into clean pig belly and placed on reverted furnace. Pig is fried the spread with watery honey so as to make the skin turn golden and brittle, and pork is soft and sweet-smelling as finish.

Banh tom Ho Tay (Ho Tay fried shirmp cake)

All people who used to live in Ha Noi are familiar with Banh tom Ho Tay Restaurant on the Thanh Nien (Young) Street. The cake preparing process includes wheat flour mixed with potato fibres, placing on shape with shrimps upper, then fried with oil. The cake is brittle, soft, sweet-smelling, and served with vegetable pickles and sweet and sour fish sauce for best taste.

Conclusion: Northern Vietnamese Cuisine

Exploring the food of northern Vietnam is like taking a journey through the region’s history and culture. Every bite, from the savory grilled fish of Cha Ca La Vong to the sweet, roasted green rice known as Com, reveals the care and passion behind each recipe. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned traveler, tasting these special dishes will deepen your connection to the land and its people. Northern Vietnamese cuisine is not just about eating - it’s about experiencing a way of life that’s rich, authentic, and unforgettable.