What are the Vietnamese Dishes in Winter?
Top Must-Try Vietnamese Dishes in Winter – Winter is approaching! The North of Vietnam, being the coldest region during winter, offers the most diverse cuisine for the season. Let’s explore the top must-try Vietnamese dishes in winter.
Winter in Vietnam lasts from November to early February, and for many people, November can feel like the most uncomfortable month. The weather can switch from hot to cold in a single day, making it hard for people to know what to wear—whether it’s a coat, sweater, or just a T-shirt. However, during this time, Vietnamese people know exactly what they should eat, not just in November but throughout the winter season. Check our Luxury Tours in Vietnam
Vietnamese Noodles
Many travelers have heard of Pho, this is the local beef or chicken noodle soup, however, most foreigners are familiar only with Southern Pho, while Pho in Northern Vietnam tastes completely different. The best Northern Pho can be found in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, where Pho became a specialty. In fact, many believe Pho originated in the North and became a traditional dish in Hanoi. If you visit the capital on a winter day, be sure to enjoy at least one bowl of Pho. The hot, rich, slightly salty broth and the unique aroma of Hanoi’s Pho are truly irresistible.
In addition, Vietnam offers many traditional noodle dishes, and Hanoi isn’t the only place to try a good one. Recently, Hai Phong, the largest port city in Northern Vietnam, has emerged as a new culinary hub in the region. Hai Phong boasts a wide variety of hot winter dishes. When it comes to noodles, one cannot overlook the city’s most famous creation: Bánh Da Cua, or red noodles with crab paste. The noodles are thicker and larger than Pho noodles, paired with crab paste made from field-crab meat and egg sautéed with Asian onion. The broth, cooked from pork bones, is flavored with annatto oil to give it a beautiful ruby-red color. A unique feature of this dish is that it stays hot longer than many other noodle types, making it even more suitable for the cold winter than traditional Pho.
Vietnamese rice dumpling
In Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, you’ll find a favorite traditional dish enjoyed by both locals and foreign tourists on winter days: the pyramidal rice dumpling, or “Bánh Giò Nóng” (or simply “Bánh Giò”). This dish is made from rice flour, minced pork, mushrooms, wood ear, and Asian onions, all wrapped in banana leaves and steamed until fully cooked. Typically, “Bánh Giò” is served with pickles and a little chili sauce. For those with a bigger appetite, they can ask the seller to add sausages and “giò lụa” (lean pork paste). “Bánh Giò” is perfect for any time of day, but people usually enjoy it for breakfast or as a late afternoon snack.
Grilled corn, sweet potato & egg
Let’s go up north, to Sapa, the city you’ve probably seen it with it’s famous rice terraces and ethnic tribe people. While in Sapa, you’ll find many vendors selling grilled meat and sausages. However, years ago, when Sapa was still a quiet mountain town in the North, the only street food tourists could find were grilled corn, sweet potatoes, and eggs.
Today, although these simple winter street foods appear in many parts of Northern Vietnam, many people still believe the best place to enjoy them is in Sapa, especially on a cold winter night. These street foods are simple: just corn, sweet potatoes, and eggs grilled over charcoal. Gathering around a small flame, eating something hot that’s easy to hold in your hands, chatting, and even sipping a little corn wine, can warm not only the body but also the heart. Check out Best Things to do in Sapa
Thang Co Hotpot
In the mountainous area, a famous traditional dish of the ethnic minorities is “Thắng Cổ.” This dish can be quite a challenge for both foreigners and domestic tourists due to its distinct smell. “Thắng Cổ” is a type of soup made from horseflesh, typically sold at weekly fairs in the Northern mountainous region. Cooking “Thắng Cổ” is simple: horseflesh is placed in a large pan with herbs, spices, and water, then boiled for hours until the meat becomes tender. While eating this dish, people (especially men) usually enjoy it with glasses of corn wine, the traditional wine made from corn by the locals.
“Thắng Cổ” may not suit everyone’s taste. However, for the locals, it’s not just a dish but also a part of their culture. They often gather around the hot “Thắng Cổ” pan, drink alcohol, and share stories about their daily life, work, and plans for the upcoming farming season.
Rice ball sweet soup
Craving something sweet after your main dish? Sweet soup is the perfect dessert to balance your meal. Sweet soup is a traditional part of Vietnamese cuisine, and people in the North especially enjoy hot sweet soup in winter. It makes a great snack in the late afternoon or at midnight, or a perfect dessert after a main meal. Among the many varieties, rice ball sweet soup is the most popular.
People love the chewy rice balls made from rice flour and green bean powder inside, but the most important aspect of the dish is the soup. It’s made from water, ginger, and brown sugar. In ancient Asian medicine, this sweet soup is believed to be very healthy, keeping the body warm and protecting the throat and lungs for thousands of years.
Banh Can
This dish is common in most provinces of South Central Vietnam. It combines rice flour with quail eggs and spring onions, and sometimes, instead of eggs, cooks add seafood, char siu, or sausages. Watching the process of making “Bánh Cân” is quite interesting, as it’s cooked over charcoal in small round terracotta pans. When nearly done, the cook quickly flips the cakes from one pan to another, making them double-layered since a single cake is too small.
People love this dish because it’s small, cute, and flavorful, with grilled rice flour and colorful ingredients in the center, dipped in a sweet, sour, and spicy sauce. “Bánh Cân” is often served as a snack in the morning or afternoon, and on winter days, it provides energy through protein and gluten with these little cakes.
Bun Bo Hue
“Bún Bò Huế” (beef with rice vermicelli) has become a trending dish throughout Vietnam this year. You can now find it in many cities, large and small. However, since “Bún Bò Huế” originated in Hue, people believe you can only find the best version of this dish there. As you travel through the country, the dish adapts to suit local tastes from North to South. The broth tends to be saltier in the North and sweeter in the South, and other ingredients change slightly as well. For example, in the North and Central regions, fully-boiled blood pudding is added to “Bún Bò Huế,” but it’s not included in the South’s version.
Banh Canh
Vietnam offers a wide variety of noodles, and “Bánh Canh” is especially popular in the Central and Southern regions. While people in the South love “Bánh Canh Cua” (noodles with crab meat), the Central region is known for “Bánh Canh Cá” (noodles with fish or fish cake). With Vietnam’s long coastline and the Central region’s rich sea resources, many types of fish are used to create unique flavors of “Bánh Canh,” showcasing the specialty of each province. Additionally, the noodle flour varies by region, using rice flour, starch, tapioca, or a mix, reflecting each destination’s distinct style.
Sweet soup
Sweet soups in Central Vietnam, especially Hue, are a highlight of the region’s cuisine. The Nguyen dynasty, which established Hue as the capital of Đại Việt (Vietnam’s former name), greatly influenced the rapid and refined development of its culinary traditions. To meet the royal family’s high standards, many dishes were enhanced, including desserts. Sweet soup, a traditional dessert, underwent creative transformations, leading to the creation of numerous unique versions in Hue’s ancient citadel. These recipes, deeply rooted in history, have been preserved in Hue and continue to charm visitors today.
Bún chả: grilled pork with rice noodles
Bún chả offers a delightful explosion of flavors and colors. This vibrant dish combines grilled fatty pork cooked over charcoal with rice noodles, fresh herbs, chili, and a tangy fish sauce mixed with vinegar that can win over even the pickiest eater. The dish’s magic lies in expertly grilling the pork over charcoal and skillfully blending the dipping sauce with traditional Vietnamese condiments.