One Soup, Two Soup, Three....

If you've read anything about Vietnamese cuisine, you've certainly heard of Pho and Spring Rolls. These two foods are romanticised in every guidebook and travel web site. You might begin to think that Vietnamese survive on these two dishes alone. Not so. Yes, pho shops are everywhere, but so are shops serving the famous dish's brothy kin. All of the soups listed below are available in any large city in Vietnam, and also in any small town in its region of origin.

The speciality from Vietnam's Mekong Delta is Hu Tieu. It is similar to Chinese egg noodle soup, but made with rice noodles. It contains poached pork and sports a saltier flavor than Pho. Other meats are added depending on where you eat it. The places I frequented in Sai Gon added shrimp and balls of fish meat. One particularly adventurous soup kitchen cook threw in whatever part of a crab was lying around, usually the claw, but a couple times I found other parts looking up from my bowl.

Pho, by the way, is eaten all over Vietnam, but originated in Ha Noi. It is always served with bean sprouts, basil, lemon, and chili on the side. One is expected to season their soup to taste. I tend to do so heavily, especially with Pho, because I usually find it to be rather bland. Adding Hoisin sauce, fish sauce (Nuoc Mam), pepper, and salt can help. The other soups are also eaten in a similar way, with the condiments varying slightly. Many busy shops will simply have a plate of fresh herbs and mung bean sprouts at each table, with a waitress circulating to replenish the plates when they fall empty.

Bun Bo Hue is a meaty dish with thicker rice noodles (bun) and beef hock simmered for hours in the broth. I have always found this dish to be extremely hearty. The dark colored broth will stain your mouth, and any other part of your body it comes in contact with. However, the thin slices of beef have a wonderful taste. Their texture is similar to roast beef, with the flavors of the broth infused into them. Bun Bo Hue bears the name of its place of origin. Hue, the ancient Vietnamese capital, is located on the central coast. The soup is served with thinly sliced salad, cabbage, or any other vegetables of a similar consistency and bitterness to cabbage. (I believe that the blossoms of a banana tree are the most authentic of these ingredients).

Mi is the Vietnamese version of Chinese egg noodles. This soup is available countrywide and could mean anything from instant noodles ala Ramen to deliciously thin egg noodles. Several varieties of meat could be added, such as Beef (Mi Bo), Chicken (Mi Ga), fish or shrimp (Mi Ca or Mi Tom), and so on. Many visitors have told me that they are most comfortable with this type of soup because of a familiarity with egg noodles and the general lack of "funky" ingredients.
For those who prefer the "funky", there are versions out there especially for you. In particular, one soup kitchen which pops up on a sidewalk near Sai Gon's downtown late in the evening serves an oily broth with egg noodles and coagulated pig's blood. The blood has a consistency of steamed tofu. I believe that a similar version utilizes chicken blood. Both varieties of "blood cubes" turn out to be quite tasteless. If one can stomach dishes like tofu, the texture is not at all unpleasant.

As a general rule, you can judge a soup kitchen's quality by its popularity. If it is full of local people, the food is probably very good and everything is suitably sanitary. Some of the smaller kitchens only have 2 or 3 tables, some only one. I have found some of the best soups at places like this. It may be the case that people stop by to get the soup to go, or that someone is delivering fresh bowls on foot to people around the neighborhood. You'll have to judge the sanitary conditions by looking at the cooking area, which is generally an large aluminum box with a gas range or charcoal underneath the counter. In more than three years in Vietnam, and five years in the region, I have never gotten sick from eating food from these types of stalls.

This is only a cursory look at the soup based dishes available in Vietnam. I will try to touch on some of the more unique dishes in subsequent posts.