Vietnamese people generally eat out regularly for breakfast, due to the variety of food choices, the amount of time and effort saved, and the sense of community in the act.

It is easy to be up and running early in the morning in any corner of the Southeast Asian country and find people eagerly having their first meal of the day.

Whether they choose a nice restaurant for a relaxing beginning to the day, or an average roadside food vendor, the Vietnamese do eat out for breakfast on a frequent basis.

A makeshift breakfast area offering three different dishes on Phan Dang Luu Street, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tien Bui

Food for all types of taste buds

Vietnamese housewives may hit the roof if their husbands say breakfast outside of their home kitchen is more delicious than something they would make. 

Yet, there is undeniably a much more varied range out there.

Standing on the Nguyen Van Dau-Hoang Hoa Tham corner in Ward 6, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, a breakfast seeker can easily see a sticky rice peddler seated calmly on her tiny stool two meters from the main road.

She offers four varieties of sticky rice, each made from a specific material: green beans, red beans, black beans, and corn.

If this hungry soul does not like the somewhat dry feel of rice, they can move forward several steps and drop by for pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup), bun bo Hue (Hue-style beef noodle soup), and bun rieu cua (crab-based vermicelli noodle soup).

If they still are already fed up with these soup dishes, they might well cross the street and go for com tam suon (broken rice with grilled pork) instead.

However, they may be too busy and do not have 15 minutes to sit back and enjoy a hearty morning energy boost.

In this case, they might grab a banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) or banh bao (steamed pork bun) and eat on the drive, with the right hand accelerating the bike and the left serving his mouth.

This one junction alone exemplifies the variety of dishes available in the street for locals yearning to fill their stomach in the morning hours.

“I always eat out in the morning,” Nguyen Dinh Tuan, a university student in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, comments on his breakfast habit.

“I will never get bored, as there is a different thing to eat each day.”

Out of the 40 dishes listed as Vietnamese must-tries by CNN’s Helen Clark and Karryn Miller in late 2017, nearly 20 are commonly found as breakfast options.

Couples and families have pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) for breakfast on Lam Son Street, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on February 3, 2018. Photo: Tien Bui

An economical morning routine

Nguyen Thi Thanh Nguyet, a middle-aged office worker based in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, tells the story of her breakfast routine.

“Every day we [her aunt and her] have to wake up at 5:00 am. One of us will shoot to the market for ingredients, and the other will make minor preparations.”

“Then we are rushed off our feet, as the kids need their plates ready at 6:00 am, so they can get school on time with adequate energy,” she added.

Commenting on the workload, she sighs: “We can save money, of course, but it is so tiring. One day is fine, but years is a different ball game.”

If her family choose to eat out for breakfast, she and her 61-year-old aunt will get to sleep for another hour every morning.

Tran Thi Tuong Vy, a third-year student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, elaborates on her morning movements.

“I really do not have the time to cook, as classes start at 6:30 am. I have just too much school work to do.”

“Going to the market, making the food, cleaning up afterwards, is just too much effort,” Vy said.

She further noted that having ready-made foods for breakfast has given her much more time to focus on her academic performance and other tasks.

A woman buys banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) from a street vendor on Phan Dang Luu Street, Ho Chi Minh City, on February 3, 2018. Photo: Tien Bui

It is not solo work; it is community

Professor Tran Ngoc Them, a leading researcher in the Vietnamese way of life, once wrote in his publication, A Basic Understanding of Vietnamese Culture: “The Vietnamese people thrive in the community.”

“They have a strong sense of sharing and getting to know about each other. This can mean quality socializing, but sometimes can escalate to nosying around.”

Breakfast places are ideal for a get-together with family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and even strangers.

Here, stories are told and heard with eagerness. In other words, the Vietnamese like to gossip over their meals.

Duong Quang, a 54-year-old security guard in Tan Binh District, usually takes his whole extended family to have pho in the morning.

“My mother, wife and the kids all love to come, as we can talk so much. We don’t really mind the cost, as we need more time together rather than just getting stuck in the kitchen,” Quang said.

Le Quang Dinh, an unemployed migrant living in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, says he drops by his favorite bun rieu place near his flat every single morning.

“The taste of bun rieu here is just perfect, but what matters more to me is the people. I get to listen to others’ stories, and get to know more about what’s going on around.”

Some have voiced their opinions against this habit, saying it is such unreasonable expenditure.

However, the foods are there for those who seek, and going out for breakfast is the way the Vietnamese will choose.

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