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What to eat in Southern Vietnam? Top 30 Southern Vietnamese Foods

Last update: Wed Mar 5 2025
Top 30 Southern Vietnamese Foods
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best Southern Vietnamese Foods

01
Chả giò
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Called chả giò in the south, and nem rán in northern Vietnam, both names are used to refer to the same dish - fried spring rolls. The main characteristic of these tasty rolls is the pork and shrimp filling, wrapped in delicate rice paper.


Frequent additions to the stuffing include vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, or mushrooms, glass noodles, and bean sprouts. The rolls are shortly fried and result in a treat with an appetizing golden color, a thin, crispy, and light outer layer, and a delectable filling. 

MOST ICONIC Chả giò

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02
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Cơm tấm sườn is a classic dish from South Vietnam. It consists of grilled pork served on top of broken rice. The combination is often topped with a mix of stir-fried onions and pickles, and it's accompanied by fish sauce for dipping. The pork is typically marinated in lemongrass, pepper, garlic, and fish sauce before it's grilled.


This dish is usually served in the morning for breakfast.

03
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Bánh mì đặc biệt is a traditional bánh mì sandwich variety originating from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). The sandwich usually consists of a split baguette that's filled with pork liver pâté and thinly sliced cold cuts such as headcheese, giò lụa sausage, and pork shank.


Next, the baguette is filled with mayonnaise, pickled carrots and daikon, sliced chili peppers, cucumber strips, and coriander. This type of bánh mì is also known as special combination bánh mì, and it can be found at numerous street carts in the country. 
04
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Hủ tiếu Nam Vang is a popular Vietnamese street food with Cambodian-Chinese roots. The dish is named after the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh (Nam Vang), and the recipe is tweaked to adapt to Vietnamese flavors. The noodle soup should have a clear and rich broth made from pork bones, pork, and dried squid and shrimp.


The noodles can be transparent rice noodles, chewy tapioca noodles, or thin Chinese egg noodles. Toppings include a combination of sliced pork liver, cooked pork meat, sautéed ground pork, quail eggs, fried shallots, garlic, and poached shrimp. 
05

Pancake

BÀ RỊA-VŨNG TÀU PROVINCE, Vietnam
4.0
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Bánh khọt is a savory Vietnamese pancake made with a thin rice flour batter and cooked on outdoor grills equipped with a specialized terracotta bánh khọt mold. The batter is poured into the mold, and the pancake is then topped with various savory ingredients.


Once prepared, these small puffed pancakes are often served with aromatic herbs and leafy vegetables on the side, which can be used as wrappers. Fish sauce is also a staple accompaniment to bánh khọt. Although it’s often confused with bánh căn (as it’s called in Central Vietnam), bánh khọt is not as soft as bánh căn because it’s fried in oil until crunchy and contains turmeric, which gives it a nice yellow color, unlike bánh căn, which doesn’t contain turmeric.

06

Salad

SOUTHERN VIETNAM, Vietnam and  one more region
4.0
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Nộm is a traditional salad. It's made with a combination of fresh, grated vegetables such as cabbage and turnip, along with papaya, green mango, banana flowers, cucumber slices, and sometimes even shredded boiled pork. Other common ingredients include hot chili peppers, roasted ground nuts, and grated carrots to make the salad more visually attractive and colorful.


Nộm is the name in the North, while in Southern Vietnam, the salad is known as gỏi. The salads are usually dressed with nước chấm, and they're often served with prawn crackers on the side.

07
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Gà kho sả ớt is a traditional chicken dish that’s especially popular in the Mekong Delta area. The dish is usually prepared with a combination of chicken pieces, lemongrass, hot chili peppers, shallots, garlic, sugar, salt, oil, turmeric, and fish sauce.


The chicken pieces are first marinated in lemongrass, turmeric, salt, sugar, garlic, shallots, and fish sauce, then stir-fried in oil and simmered in liquid until tender. Once done, the dish is typically served with hot rice or noodles. If desired, coconut juice can be added to the pot as the chicken simmers.

08
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Canh chua is a popular Vietnamese soup originating from the Mekong Delta region. It's characterized by its contrasting flavors - sour, sweet, and savory. The soup incorporates ingredients such as seafood (eel, shrimp, snakehead, catfish), tomatoes, okra, pineapple, tamarind, bean sprouts, and fresh herbs with a tangy flavor.


Traditionally, canh chua is served either with rice vermicelli noodles or with a side of steamed jasmine rice. There are numerous versions of the soup depending on the ingredients used in it - besides fish, it can be made with water spinach, chicken, bamboo shoots, mustard greens, pork, or beef. 
VARIATIONS OF Canh chua

MOST ICONIC Canh chua

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09

Dessert

MEKONG DELTA, Vietnam
3.9
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Pop rice is a traditional puffed rice treat originating from the Mekong Delta area. This crispy puffed rice is made with a decades-old technique. Whole grains of rice with their husks intact are poured into a large pot that’s previously been filled with black sand from the Mekong River.


As the mixture is stirred over a fire, the rice begins to puff and pop, and it is later filtered twice through a mesh in order to remove the black sand and the remaining husks. The crispy rice is then placed into another wok-shaped pot and mixed with a syrup consisting of sugar and water. 
10
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Bún mắm is a traditional dish originating from the province of Soc Trang. The dish consists of bún rice vermicelli noodles, the murky, salty, and fermented fish-flavored mắm broth, squid, shrimp, catfish, eggplant (which soaks up the broth), fish cakes, and roasted pork belly.


Some of the most important ingredients include fresh herbs such as rau dang (bitter knotgrass), gia (bean sprouts), he (chives), bap chuoi (banana blossom), keo neo (yellow velvetleaf), rau nhut (water mimosa), and rau muong (morning glory). The aromas of bún mắm are very rich and often pungent. 
VARIATIONS OF Bún mắm

MOST ICONIC Bún mắm

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Stir-fry
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best Southern Vietnamese Food Products

01
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AWARDS

World Beer Cup - Gold

2016

02
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AWARDS

International Brewing Awards - Gold

2019

03
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AWARDS

World Gin Awards - Country Winner

2024

04
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The Tien Giang 80% special edition blue wrapper is a product made by Marou Chocolate Factory. This chocolate bar features cacao sourced from the Tien Giang province in Vietnam, known for its distinct and rich flavor profile. The 80% cacao content offers an intense, yet smooth, dark chocolate experience.


The blue wrapper signifies the special edition nature of this particular product, highlighting its unique origins and high-quality ingredients.
AWARDS

Academy of Chocolate - Gold

2013

05
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Marou Coconut Milk and Ben Tre is a chocolate product crafted by Marou Chocolate Factory. This artisanal chocolate is known for its use of high-quality ingredients sourced directly from Vietnam. The Ben Tre province is renowned for its premium cocoa beans, which form the base of this chocolate.


Additionally, Marou Chocolate Factory includes coconut milk in the recipe, adding a rich, creamy texture and unique flavor profile that complements the cocoa. This attention to local and high-grade ingredients highlights Marou's commitment to producing exceptional chocolate products.
AWARDS

Academy of Chocolate - Silver

2017

06
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The product Caramel Pumpkin Seeds 65% Dark Vietnam made by Marou Chocolate Factory is a premium chocolate bar that combines rich, dark chocolate with the unique addition of caramelized pumpkin seeds. Marou Chocolate Factory, renowned for its high-quality Vietnamese chocolate, carefully selects the cocoa beans from various provinces in Vietnam.


The chocolate has a 65% cocoa content, ensuring a deep and intense flavor profile that is both smooth and complex. This particular flavor blend offers a delightful crunch from the pumpkin seeds and a hint of sweetness from the caramelization process. 
AWARDS

International Chocolate Awards - Silver

2023

07
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The product #01 Tien Giang Special 75% is crafted by Marou Chocolate Factory, known for its high-quality Vietnamese chocolate. This bar features cacao sourced from the Tien Giang province in the Mekong Delta, renowned for its rich and fertile soil.


The 75% cacao content balances robust, earthy flavors with a subtle fruity tang, offering an intricate and satisfying tasting experience. Marou Chocolate Factory prides itself on direct relationships with local cacao farmers, ensuring sustainable and ethical sourcing practices.
AWARDS

International Chocolate Awards - Silver

2019

08
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Marou Chocolate Factory, a craft chocolate maker based in Vietnam, produces the Ti?n Giang 70% chocolate bar. This particular product consists of 70% dark chocolate, crafted from cacao sourced directly from the Ti?n Giang province in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.


The chocolate is known for its distinctive flavor profile, which includes notes of spice, fruit, and a slight hint of acidity, reflecting the unique terroir of the region. Marou emphasizes the use of local ingredients and traditional methods in their production process, enhancing the natural characteristics of the cacao.
AWARDS

International Chocolate Awards - Silver

2015

Academy of Chocolate - Silver

2013

09
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AWARDS

Academy of Chocolate - Bronze

2020

10
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Belvie Chocolate's Dark Milk Chocolate 70% is crafted with meticulous attention to detail, combining the richness of dark chocolate with the creamy texture of milk chocolate. This product is known for its balance of deep cocoa flavors and smooth, silky mouthfeel, providing a unique and luxurious experience.


Belvie Chocolate emphasizes the use of high-quality ingredients, ensuring that each bar is made with ethically sourced cocoa beans.
AWARDS

Academy of Chocolate - Bronze

2020

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Chocolate
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam
4.6
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TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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Southern Vietnamese Food