Before Japanese sushi or Korean kimbap made their way to Vietnam, these dishes coming from the neighboring countries of Cambodia, Thailand and China had long been introduced to locals and still remain their favorites with flavors adapted to the Vietnamese palates. A dish that is commonly mistaken as Vietnamese is Hu tiu Nam Vang, or Phnom Penh noodle soup. In Vietnamese, Nam Vang is an old name for the capital of Cambodia, where the dish originated. Upon the chewy tapioca noodle is a variety of toppings including shrimp, pork, squid, fried spring onions and shallot. In the original version, a bowl of bouillon containing prahoc, or fermented fish paste, minced meat and pig tripe was served with a separate dish of varied herbs like bean sprouts, chives and lettuce. A proper way to eat is to drink the soup, then mix the vegetable with the noodles and meat in the bowl, and sprinkle a little soy sauce on top.

The wet (R) and right versions of the Phnom Penh noodle soup. Photo: Phuong Thuy

But when kyteow-- the Khmer word for this dish, came to Vietnam, many locals found it “heavily flavored” and decided to add the soup into the noodles to produce a milder taste. Nowadays in many Hu tiu Nam Vang shops or stalls in Ho Chi Minh City, you can order the uot (wet) version with the noodles, meat and soup in a bowl or the kho (dry) version with the soup served separately. After making its way to southern Vietnamese cuisine decades ago, this Cambodian- Chinese concoction remains a delicious yet cheap delicacy. If you want to enjoy the authentic Pnom Penh noodle soup, head to “Kim Van” noodle stall on District 5’s Le Hong Phong street, a shop that is run by a Vietnamese Cambodian woman. Other popular shops include Hu Tiu Hong Phat on District 3’s Vo Van Tan street, and Hu Tiu Nam Vang Quynh on Nguyen Trai street in District 1. Another exotic yet familiar dish is lau Thai, or Thai hotpot, which is often enjoyed by Vietnamese of any social class. Indeed, the hotpot can be found anywhere from a five star hotel, a wedding banquet, a steamboat restaurant to a side-street stall where drinkers fill up their stomach before going for another beer round. The Vietnamese version of Thai hotpot is an adaption of the famous tom yum and the local canh chua, or sour soup. The stock often includes tomatoes, pineapples and sliced mushrooms. Lime leaves and tamarind powder are added and shimmered in the soup in the end to produce the unique hot and sour flavor. A dinner with Thai hot pot may look like a big feast as several ingredients are laid upon the table. They include shrimps, mussels, fish slices and different kinds of meatballs, together with a variety of veggies like spinach, lettuce, mint, cilantro, and Thai basil. The broth should always keep warm as the hotpot is placed upon a mini stove on the table center. Meat and vegetables have to be added into the soup at different times to assure they are all cooked at the same time and ready to serve with vermicelli or noodle. This hot and sour soup is totally fit for the winter in Hanoi or rainy season in Saigon. It is also a perfect choice for a family get-together, as everyone sits around the hotpot and takes part in the cooking process and communicates while waiting for all ingredients to be cooked. Last but not least, a dish that shows the influences of Chinese culture upon Vietnamese cuisine is the Cantonese dimsum. Not just served in small baskets or small plates in high-profile Chinese restaurants early in the morning, the Vietnamese version of dimsum can be found at street-side stalls and eaten at any time of the day.

Steamed and fried dumplings. Photo: Phuong Thuy

As a popular breakfast treat banh bao, or big bun, is smaller than the Chinese baozi. Banh bao has soft bread and juicy fillings, consisting of less complicated ingredients than the neighbor’s version, including ground pork, quail eggs, wood ear mushrooms and onions. For around 50 US cents, you can grab a banh bao packed in a Styrofoam box as takeaway. For nimble-sized dimsum, go for ha cao or small and sweet steamed dumplings filled with seasoned minced pork or seafood. They are often served with rau ram or Vietnamese coriander and a dash of fried shallots. Ha cao is eaten with soy sauce while the fried version -- hoanh thanh chien is served with sweet and sour sauce. These yummy and cheap snacks can be found in a small area in District 3, bounded by Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Cao Thang, Dien Bien Phu and Nguyen Thien Thuat streets for less than a dollar.