The Vietnamese version of hot pot is made by placing a large metal pot of simmering stock at the center of the table. Various ingredients are placed into the stock and cooked at the table, and the dish is especially popular after a night of heavy drinking.

Typical ingredients for this hot pot type include chicken or pork, seafood, thinly sliced beef, tofu skins, wontons, mushrooms, fish cakes, vegetables, or egg dumplings. The pot is usually filled with fried garlic cloves, chili peppers, fish sauce, sugar, ginger, lemongrass, and tamarind paste before the stock is added.

The more ingredients are placed in the pot, the more fragrant the hot pot will become. There are also vegetarian versions with ingredients such as herbs, rice, noodles, cabbage, bok choy, and mushrooms. After the food has been cooked in the pot, it’s usually eaten with a dipping sauce that consists of chili peppers, garlic, salt, and lime juice, or the one made with soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, chili peppers, and roasted sesame seeds.