10 DELICIOUS MUST–TRY VIETNAMESE BREAKFAST

Breakfast is often considered as the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast helps reduce calorie intake and bring many health benefits for your health, skipping breakfast might cause many side effects such as higher risk of obesity. If you are a foreigner who has just found an apartment in Ho Chi Minh and are wondering what are our traditional breakfast looks and tastes like, read this article. Or you can contact us - JRE Vietnam, one of the most trusted property agency in Ho Chi Minh City. We will be more than happy to assist you in finding a house or an apartment, we can also support to tackle any challenges that you are facing while adapting to your new life in Saigon. 

1. PHO

Pho – a highlight of Vietnam culinary. You can find Pho almost anywhere all around the world, whether it is a small town of or in a big city like London. However, the one and only place you can taste the yummiest Pho is in its original country, Vietnam. To make a genuine bowl of Pho, the chef had to prepare the beef bone stew to cook the broth the night before, seasoning it so that the broth has a sweet, a little bit of fat taste, but not too greasy. Pho is made of thick dried rice noodles, the protein such chicken, beef or tofu depending on the customers’ preference, and some toppings on top like bean sprouts, fresh cilantro and basil, etc. Just by the thought of it, I wanted to rush into a Pho stall to enjoy a hot bowl of Pho immediately. In Vietnam, you can find Pho pretty much everywhere, on the street or even in a high-end restaurant.

2. BANH MI (VIETNAMESE BAGUETTE)

If the award Miss of Vietnamese culinary belongs to Pho, then the 1st Runner-up of the contest should definitely be the Vietnamese Baguette. Being the most convenience and affordable price street food, Vietnamese Baguette has never shown a sign of cooling off. Admittedly, Hamburger is the most popular fast food around the world, but when it comes to Vietnam, nothing can win the Vietnamese Baguette. Even when McDonald’s first arrived in Vietnam, its hamburger could not fight against the Baguette due to its long history of existence and the familiar taste to the Vietnamese people. Freshly baked bread just came out of the oven with the golden colour and the crispy sound it makes together with the fluffy filling inside feels like cotton, just one bite of it could makes your day. If you wanted to explore all kinds of bread, I am sure it is going to take you a lifetime to experience it. 

3.    COM TAM (BROKEN RICE)

The 2nd Runner-up for the Vietnamese cuisine contest is Com Tam or Broken Rice. One of the most popular dishes of Vietnamese people, this particular rice is cooked from broken rice grains. This type of rice used to be a popular dish among the poor people, or only used for poultry feed as this rice is fragments of rice grains broken and only considered as inferior rice in the past. Now, Broken Rice has become a familiar dish so broken rice is also sold at a higher price. The determine factor of a delicious Broken Rice dish is not depending of the meat or the rice itself, but the fish sauce. The chef needs to be skilful when cooking the fish sauce as it should only have a mild sweet taste, not too salty and always have a consistency, so that it will taste just right when added to the rice. In fact, fish sauce is the ultimate link between the rice and the toppings on the plate. 

4.    XOI (STICKY RICE) 

Overall, this is one of the delicious breakfast dishes in Saigon that is loved by almost anyone including the vegetarians. Xoi is a popular food made from sticky rice, either steamed or cooked. Xoi is a common dish in Vietnam as it is very tasty, healthy and also incredibly filling at the same time. You can easily spot sticky rice on the sidewalk, in front of school and offices. There are 2 main types of sticky rice, sweet sticky rice and salty sticky rice, but people often referred to it as sticky rice. Usually, each region in Vietnam creates a unique type of sticky rice that represent its own taste. 

5. BUN BO HUE

Listening to the name alone, you can also guess the origin of this famous dish. Going from the north to the south of Vietnam, it is easy to notice that “Noodles” are a much-loved and used ingredient in the Vietnamese cuisine. Even though the originality of BUN BO HUE comes from Hue city but people can find it anywhere in the country, especially there are lots of place that serve this dish in Saigon. Unlike PHO BO, BUN BO is filled with a slightly richer broth, large round mud, served with different type of herbs on top, making it hard to resist by many travellers and expats. 

6. BANH CUON (STEAMED RICE ROLLS)

"Banh Cuon" of the South is different from "Banh Uot" in the North and "Banh Muot" of the Central. Stuffed pancake is usually coated with a thin, soft layer that is always hot. For the Southern version Banh Cuon, there is sprinkle ground meat and mushrooms, then roll up. Usually serve with a herbs, lettuces, harms and diluted fish sauce. While Steamed Rice Rolls in the North of Vietnam has absolutely no fillings, only scallions sprinkled on top and served with grilled meat, cinnamon rolls, silk rolls, herbs and also diluted fish sauce. In the region of Nghe An - Ha Tinh (Central Vietnam), Banh Cuon is a dish that loved by many people. It is often served with a cup of lemon juice and sliced fresh chilies. You can also use stuffed pancake to serve your guests, make it extra by adding in grilled pork or beef, fried spring rolls and even fish. Other ways to enjoy Banh Cuon is to eat it with steamed beef, beef dipped in vinegar sauce, then roll with rice paper, lettuce and herbs. 

7. BÚN THIT NUONG/BUN CHA (VERMICELLI WITH MARINATED CHARGRILLED PORK)

Bun Cha remains one of the oldest favourite dishes of the Northern Vietnamese cuisine. But when entering the South, there are adjustments has been made to suit the Southerners’ taste. If the Southerners often choose Bun Thit Nuong for breakfast, Bun Cha is usually considered as a meal for lunch in the North. The normal barbecue on a charcoal stove is served with rice vermicelli and some fresh vegetables, all served in a special fish sauce specially prepared for this dish. Depending on each region, the eating style will be different. 

8. BO KHO (VIETNAMESE BEEF STEW)

For a long time, Beef Stew has become a traditional dish in Vietnamese cuisine, it is a very common dish on the typical Vietnamese families’ meal. More than that, Vietnamese Beef Stew also becomes a dish that attracted many visitors who has visited Vietnam to try at least once in their life. As Beef Stew is a protein-rich dish with many other popular ingredients, it is very popular among our Vietnamese housewives. What makes this dish unique is that, the beef should be tender but also keep the tough of the tendon, at the same time taste the richness of the spices comes from the beef stock. Often, Vietnamese Beef Stew can be served with bread, rice noodle or rice.

9. BANH BEO 

Banh Beo is a very popular cake in the Central region of Vietnam, but also in the South of Vietnam. Banh Beo consists of three main parts: the cake made from rice flour, the filling to sprinkle on the cake made with pureed shrimp and the fish sauce which can be poured directly into the cake. The taste of the fish sauce also taste somewhat different depending on the region. 

10. BUN RIEU CUA (CRAB VERMICELLI NOODLES)

Bun Rieu Cua is one of the typical dishes in the South of Vietnam, especially in the Southwest. Anybody who has ever tried this particular dish would never forget the richness of the crab cakes and the typical strong aroma of cilantro. Southern Crab Vermicelli Noodles always come with cilantro, the broth tastes a bit sour and very refreshing, suitable to enjoy during the summertime. You can easily look out for it in many places in Vietnam, whether it is on the street or in a restaurant.

Those are the 10 must-try Vietnamese breakfast dishes that are highly recommended for you to give them a try. If you are an expats or foreigners who has just arrived in Vietnam and needed more assistance on renting a room, house or apartment or even helps with local information, then please do not hesitate to reach out to us JRE Vietnam. As one among the best Ho Chi Minh property agency, we promised to provide the best relocation services to our customers.