Food in Vietnam - 12 Worst Mistakes to Avoid

Summary

Vietnam offers abundant street food, cafés, and regional dishes, but visitors may encounter food-safety problems, tourist pricing, and scams. The presenter’s main advice is to choose carefully, check prices, and be more cautious when an upset stomach would be especially inconvenient.

Tips and mistakes to avoid

• Don’t assume expensive means better. In tourist areas, restaurants with modern interiors and broad menus may charge more while serving less-specialized food. Places focused on one or two dishes and frequented by locals may be a better bet.
• Treat online reviews with caution. The presenter says some businesses incentivize positive reviews or post fake ones. Local popularity can be a useful clue, but it isn’t a guarantee of safety or quality.
• Don’t follow crowds blindly. Very cheap stalls may cut costs in ways that affect hygiene, such as reusing oil, inadequately washing dishes, or operating beside dusty roads. Weigh those tradeoffs when choosing where to eat.
• Be wary of food that has been sitting out in the heat. When possible, choose food cooked to order and look for high turnover. This applies to street vendors and buffets alike.
• Pay attention to fresh produce, too. Herbs, bean sprouts, fruit, smoothies, ice, and water can be contamination risks. Check whether the stall and its utensils look clean, including cutting boards and knives.
• Time your food experiments around your itinerary. The presenter recommends being more cautious before an overnight bus, train, or other transit day, and taking more chances when you have time and bathroom access.
• Check for tourist pricing. Some places may have separate Vietnamese and English menus, with higher prices on the English one. Compare prices and be alert if a restaurant full of locals gives you an unusually expensive menu.
• Confirm the price before ordering or accepting food. Avoid vendors who don’t display prices, especially people offering fruit or samples in tourist areas; accepting something may lead to an unexpected bill.
• Choose restaurants yourself. A taxi driver, stranger, or date may steer you toward a restaurant or bar where they receive a commission. The presenter highlights dating-app restaurant recommendations as a possible scam involving very large bills.
• Try more than the best-known dishes. Pho, bánh mì, and fresh spring rolls are popular, but sampling other Vietnamese food can make the experience more rewarding.
• Check unfamiliar dishes before ordering. The presenter cautions that menus in northern Vietnam may include dog, cat, or other unfamiliar animals. He suggests using Google Translate’s camera feature to understand the menu.
• Don’t default to Western fast food. He recommends exploring Vietnam’s local bread, cheese, coffee, and café culture instead.
• Use delivery when you want to stay in. He suggests GrabFood for ordering from local restaurants to a hotel or other accommodation.

Food highlights

• Bún chả: Grilled pork served with a savory soup, herbs, and rice noodles.
• Kem: Vietnamese ice cream, often available at roadside shops.
• Vietnamese coffee: Described as sweet and aromatic, and especially enjoyable over ice.

The presenter also praises Vietnamese cafés and the country’s French, Chinese, and traditional culinary influences.

Health and insurance

The presenter emphasizes food hygiene and suggests checking your surroundings before eating. He also promotes SafetyWing’s Nomad Essential travel insurance, describing medical coverage and other travel benefits. This is his recommendation, not a substitute for checking the policy’s current terms.

Notable locations, products, and speaker

• Locations: Bùi Viện Walking Street in Ho Chi Minh City; Hanoi; Vietnam.
• Products and services mentioned: SafetyWing Nomad Essential, Google Translate camera feature, and GrabFood.
• Speaker: Cal, who says he has lived in Southeast Asia for over 11 years.