

Vietnamese cuisine is celebrated worldwide for its emphasis on fresh herbs, balanced flavors, and healthy ingredients, with the country's food culture earning global recognition through its rise on international food tourism rankings. Vietnam was named the "World's Best Culinary Destination" by the World Travel Awards four years running from 2019 to 2022. The country's 54 ethnic groups contribute to a remarkably diverse culinary landscape spanning over 500 traditional dishes.
Curated by our food editors. Critical reception and community vote both shape the ranking โ updated as opinions shift.
Create a free account or sign in to join the discussion.
Sign in to join the conversation

Pho is Vietnam's national dish, a deeply aromatic beef or chicken noodle soup that originated in northern Vietnam in the early 20th century and is now recognized globally as one of the world's greatest soups. The broth is slow-simmered for 6-12 hours with star anise, cinnamon, cloves, charred ginger, and beef bones, giving it a complex, layered flavor. Vietnam has an estimated 350,000 pho restaurants nationwide, with Hanoi alone home to over 100 pho vendors on a single street in the Old Quarter.

Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich that fuses a French baguette legacy with Vietnamese flavors โ chili, coriander, pickled daikon and carrot, pate, and various proteins โ and was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2011. The baguette recipe was introduced by French colonizers in the 19th century but was transformed by Vietnamese bakers into a lighter, crispier loaf using rice flour. Hoi An's Banh Mi Phuong, made famous by Anthony Bourdain, serves over 2,000 sandwiches per day and has been featured in over 300 international publications.

Bun Bo Hue is a spicy beef noodle soup from the imperial city of Hue in central Vietnam, considered by many food critics to be more complex and layered in flavor than Pho. The broth is spiked with lemongrass, shrimp paste, and annatto oil, giving it a distinctively red color and bold umami depth. It is served with thick round rice noodles, sliced beef shank, pork knuckle, and traditionally a slice of Vietnamese blood sausage.

Goi Cuon are translucent rice paper rolls filled with shrimp, pork, vermicelli noodles, and fresh herbs, served cold with a rich hoisin-peanut dipping sauce. Unlike their fried counterparts, fresh spring rolls are celebrated as one of the healthiest preparations in Vietnamese cuisine, low in fat and high in vegetables and lean protein. They are a staple appetizer at Vietnamese restaurants from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and have gained enormous popularity in healthy eating circles abroad.

Com Tam, which literally means "broken rice," is a southern Vietnamese comfort dish built around the fractured rice grains that were once considered leftovers and sold cheaply to laborers. Today it is paired with grilled pork chop (suon nuong), shredded pork skin (bi), and a steamed egg meatloaf (cha trung), drizzled with sweet fish sauce dressing. Ho Chi Minh City has over 30,000 Com Tam stalls, and the dish is so embedded in city life that the meal is eaten at all hours including midnight.

Cao Lau is a rare and hyper-local noodle dish found almost exclusively in Hoi An, made from noodles that must be soaked in lye water drawn from a specific ancient well in the Cham Islands to achieve their distinctive chewiness. The dish features thick yellow noodles topped with roasted pork, crispy croutons, fresh greens, and a small amount of rich broth. Its unique flavor profile and protected geographic character make Cao Lau one of the most sought-after dishes by food tourists visiting central Vietnam.

Banh Xeo is a large, crispy Vietnamese crepe made from rice flour batter colored with turmeric and filled with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, and green onions, named after the loud sizzle it makes when the batter hits the hot pan. It is eaten wrapped in mustard leaf or lettuce with fresh herbs and dipped in a sweet-sour fish sauce. The dish varies significantly between north and south Vietnam โ southern versions are much larger, sometimes the diameter of a dinner plate.

Cha Ca La Vong is a Hanoi specialty so iconic that the street where it is traditionally served was renamed "Cha Ca Street" in its honor. The dish features catfish marinated in turmeric and galangal, pan-fried at the table with dill and green onions, and eaten with vermicelli noodles, roasted peanuts, and shrimp paste. The recipe has been kept by a single Hanoi family, the Doan family, for over 100 years and the restaurant La Vong continues to serve only this one dish.

Banh Cuon are delicate, gossamer-thin steamed rice rolls filled with seasoned minced pork and wood ear mushrooms, served with sliced pork sausage, crispy fried shallots, cucumber, bean sprouts, and a light fish sauce dipping broth. The batter is spread over a muslin cloth stretched across a pot of boiling water and steamed for just 30 seconds to achieve its translucent, silky texture. Hanoi's Banh Cuon Ba Hoanh in the Old Quarter has been a breakfast institution for over 70 years.

Chao is Vietnam's version of rice porridge or congee, a deeply nourishing slow-cooked rice soup prepared with chicken, pork, fish, or offal and served with ginger, scallions, and fried dough sticks. It is a universal comfort food eaten for breakfast, during illness, and as late-night street food across all regions of Vietnam. Regional variants include Chao Long (offal porridge) popular in the south and Chao Ca (fish porridge) favored in coastal cities like Da Nang and Nha Trang.
The most-voted lists across every category โ curated weekly. Join the early readers.
No spam. One email per week. Unsubscribe anytime.

Explore more Food rankings on Top10Grid
Cast your vote above to unlock the real distribution
Tap the arrows on any item to vote
Because you're viewing Food

Top 10 Cabbage Dishes Transforming 2026 Home Cooking
483 views ยท 1 votes
Top 10 Emerging Protein Innovation Snacks That Actually Taste Good
106 views ยท 0 votes

Top Food Products โ beverages โ March 2026
99 views ยท 0 votes

Top 10 Restaurants in Tokyo 2026
89 views ยท 0 votes
Top 10 Best Grilling Marinades Taking Over Summer 2026
88 views ยท 0 votes

Top 10 Street Food Destinations in Southeast Asia
85 views ยท 0 votes

Pho is Vietnam's national dish, a deeply aromatic beef or chicken noodle soup that originated in northern Vietnam in the early 20th century and is now recognized globally as one of the world's greatest soups. The broth is slow-simmered for 6-12 hours with star anise, cinnamon, cloves, charred ginger, and beef bones, giving it a complex, layered flavor. Vietnam has an estimated 350,000 pho restaurants nationwide, with Hanoi alone home to over 100 pho vendors on a single street in the Old Quarter.

Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich that fuses a French baguette legacy with Vietnamese flavors โ chili, coriander, pickled daikon and carrot, pate, and various proteins โ and was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2011. The baguette recipe was introduced by French colonizers in the 19th century but was transformed by Vietnamese bakers into a lighter, crispier loaf using rice flour. Hoi An's Banh Mi Phuong, made famous by Anthony Bourdain, serves over 2,000 sandwiches per day and has been featured in over 300 international publications.

Bun Bo Hue is a spicy beef noodle soup from the imperial city of Hue in central Vietnam, considered by many food critics to be more complex and layered in flavor than Pho. The broth is spiked with lemongrass, shrimp paste, and annatto oil, giving it a distinctively red color and bold umami depth. It is served with thick round rice noodles, sliced beef shank, pork knuckle, and traditionally a slice of Vietnamese blood sausage.

Goi Cuon are translucent rice paper rolls filled with shrimp, pork, vermicelli noodles, and fresh herbs, served cold with a rich hoisin-peanut dipping sauce. Unlike their fried counterparts, fresh spring rolls are celebrated as one of the healthiest preparations in Vietnamese cuisine, low in fat and high in vegetables and lean protein. They are a staple appetizer at Vietnamese restaurants from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and have gained enormous popularity in healthy eating circles abroad.

Com Tam, which literally means "broken rice," is a southern Vietnamese comfort dish built around the fractured rice grains that were once considered leftovers and sold cheaply to laborers. Today it is paired with grilled pork chop (suon nuong), shredded pork skin (bi), and a steamed egg meatloaf (cha trung), drizzled with sweet fish sauce dressing. Ho Chi Minh City has over 30,000 Com Tam stalls, and the dish is so embedded in city life that the meal is eaten at all hours including midnight.

Cao Lau is a rare and hyper-local noodle dish found almost exclusively in Hoi An, made from noodles that must be soaked in lye water drawn from a specific ancient well in the Cham Islands to achieve their distinctive chewiness. The dish features thick yellow noodles topped with roasted pork, crispy croutons, fresh greens, and a small amount of rich broth. Its unique flavor profile and protected geographic character make Cao Lau one of the most sought-after dishes by food tourists visiting central Vietnam.

Banh Xeo is a large, crispy Vietnamese crepe made from rice flour batter colored with turmeric and filled with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, and green onions, named after the loud sizzle it makes when the batter hits the hot pan. It is eaten wrapped in mustard leaf or lettuce with fresh herbs and dipped in a sweet-sour fish sauce. The dish varies significantly between north and south Vietnam โ southern versions are much larger, sometimes the diameter of a dinner plate.

Cha Ca La Vong is a Hanoi specialty so iconic that the street where it is traditionally served was renamed "Cha Ca Street" in its honor. The dish features catfish marinated in turmeric and galangal, pan-fried at the table with dill and green onions, and eaten with vermicelli noodles, roasted peanuts, and shrimp paste. The recipe has been kept by a single Hanoi family, the Doan family, for over 100 years and the restaurant La Vong continues to serve only this one dish.

Banh Cuon are delicate, gossamer-thin steamed rice rolls filled with seasoned minced pork and wood ear mushrooms, served with sliced pork sausage, crispy fried shallots, cucumber, bean sprouts, and a light fish sauce dipping broth. The batter is spread over a muslin cloth stretched across a pot of boiling water and steamed for just 30 seconds to achieve its translucent, silky texture. Hanoi's Banh Cuon Ba Hoanh in the Old Quarter has been a breakfast institution for over 70 years.

Chao is Vietnam's version of rice porridge or congee, a deeply nourishing slow-cooked rice soup prepared with chicken, pork, fish, or offal and served with ginger, scallions, and fried dough sticks. It is a universal comfort food eaten for breakfast, during illness, and as late-night street food across all regions of Vietnam. Regional variants include Chao Long (offal porridge) popular in the south and Chao Ca (fish porridge) favored in coastal cities like Da Nang and Nha Trang.

Top 10 Foods Banned in Other Countries But Legal in the US
57 views ยท @admin

Top 10 Easter Foods From Around the World in 2026
51 views ยท @admin

Top 10 Thai Dishes You Must Try in 2026
34 views ยท @admin

Top 10 Budget Meals That Feed a Family of Four for Under $10
32 views ยท @admin

Top 10 Italian Pasta Dishes in 2026
32 views ยท @admin

Top 10 Fast Food Menu Items That Became Cultural Phenomena
30 views ยท @admin
If you liked this, you might love these

Top 10 Cabbage Dishes Transforming 2026 Home Cooking
10 items
Top 10 Emerging Protein Innovation Snacks That Actually Taste Good
10 items

Top Food Products โ beverages โ March 2026
10 items

Top 10 Restaurants in Tokyo 2026
10 items
Top 10 Best Grilling Marinades Taking Over Summer 2026
10 items

Top 10 Street Food Destinations in Southeast Asia
10 items