7 Southern Vietnamese Dishes You Have To Try

Southern Vietnamese dishes are different to the cooking in Northern Vietnam, and offer up a huge range of flavours. They are combination of street foods with noodles and broths being at the fore. The sort of food that you could quickly fall in love with.

You might not be able to travel there right now, but we wanted to highlight some of the best recipes from the region. These recipes come from the very best food bloggers in the world, so make sure to bookmark their sites.

Once you learn these Southern Vietnamese recipes you will be cooking them on a regular basis. The beauty is that you can tinker with them and add any additional fresh produce you have. Time to get cooking.

The Best Southern Vietnamese Dishes

1. Beef Pho

This Southern-style pho is the ultimate Vietnamese noodle soup. Although pho originally comes from Hanoi in the north, it’s popular all across the country. Southern Vietnam makes pho a little ‘punchier’, with more herbs, spices and star anise. This recipe is gluten-free, except for the hoisin sauce which you can easily serve on the side.

Recipe created by Stacy.

2. Com tam (Broken Rice)

Com Tam is also known as Vietnamese broken rice which usually comes with grilled meats, egg meatloaf, salad and pickles. Broken rice is actually broken grains of rice left over from the traditional drying and milling process. Now, it’s a popular street food in Saigon.

Recipe by D’Open Kitchen.

3. Canh Chua (Southern Vietnamese Sour Soup)

Sour soup in Vietnam is a particular soup made with fish and herbs and a sour agent, be it herb, fruit or legume. Sour soup’s ingredients vary from North to South however: from the amount of the ingredients to the herbs and the sour agent, they are as different as day and night.

Recipe created by Nomades Gourmandes.

4. Thịt Kho Tàu (Caramelized Braised Pork & Eggs)

Vietnamese people prepare a wide variety of food for Tet (the Vietnamese Lunar New Year). This dish, called Thịt Kho Tàu (caramelized pork and eggs braised in coconut juice), is one of the most popular traditional food served during Tet in southern Vietnam.

Recipe created by Van’s Kitchen.

5. Bún Mắm

This incredibly deep and complex broth is infused with fermented fish then loaded with seafood, crispy pork belly and stuffed chilis. You haven’t truly tried Vietnamese food until you’ve had this noodle soup! It packs a real flavour punch and is actually quite easy to make.

Recipe created by Jeannette.

6. Bò Kho (Southern Vietnamese-Style Stew)

This recipes calls for cooking the beef, low and slow, and the end result is a rich stew with the meet falling off the fork it is so tender. It’s the perfect comfort food dish for a grey day. An absolute delight of a recipe.

Recipe created by Mattou & Tutu.

7. Banh Mi

Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich. You’ll see banh mi stalls over the country, serving this simple-yet-delicious sandwich. This is where the French influence comes into play: it’s a soft, fresh baguette, with pate, pork, fresh herbs, pickle carrots and chilli.

Recipe created by Nagi.