Good food, I repeat GOOD FOOD.
This is not your local Banh Mi or corner store rice paper rolls. This is the food of your dreams – tummy starts to rumble on cue. Proper authentic Vietnamese food that you didn’t even know existed. The worst part is coming back home and knowing you won’t be eating it again until you make another trip.
Hanoi – Bun Cha
A fun fact about Bun Cha is that President Obama sat down with George Cluney to enjoy a beer and a meal at a totally typical everyday restaurant. I mean if it’s good enough for Obama and Cluney it must be good, right!
It’s fresh, it’s smoky pork, there’s noodles, there’s fresh herbs and salad (yes, sometimes it comes with gastro too) I could eat this everyday for a week. The sweet and sour flavours are simple, tangy and melodic in the mouth. It’s basically brilliance in a bowl!
I braved the crazy streets alone on my first night here to make it to this epic spot in central Hanoi – LINK
Hoi An – Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pancake)
I’ve had these before in Australia and let me just say I didn’t enjoy them. The Hoi An version however – now this is all types of wow. Again, like all good Vietnamese food, the flavours are punchy and fresh. The pancake is crispy and the sauce is so good you might drink it. It’s also a fun-to-eat food. One that you happily share but will-fight-for-last-bite. There are variations on style depending on the restaurant but we absolutely loved the one at LINK
The above were the ones that really stood out to us. We had incredible food everywhere we went. Sometimes we went rouge with Pizza or Japanese and really nothing disappointed. Can confirm all fruit shakes are generally delicious.
We have plans to return to Vietnam, next time we will visit Ho Chi Min to discover and savour original Pho and Banh Mi 🤤
Travelling The Dream 