Bun Cha

Allergens at a glance

• UsuallyFishFish sauce in the dipping broth and the pork marinade.
• OftenEggsEgg binds the filling of the fried spring rolls (nem) served alongside.
• SometimesCrustaceansCrab spring rolls (nem cua bể) or prawn in the nem filling.
• SometimesGlutenWheat spring roll wrappers outside Vietnam; soy or oyster sauce in some marinades.
• SometimesSoySoy sauce in some marinades.
• SometimesMolluscsOyster sauce in some marinades.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Not vegetarian: pork and fish sauce are the whole dish.
• Not halal: the meat is pork.
• The grilled pork and rice noodles are usually wheat-free, but coeliac (celiac) diners should ask about the marinade and skip the spring rolls.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is bun cha?

Bun cha is Hanoi's lunchtime grilled pork: small patties and slices of pork belly, charred over charcoal and served in a bowl of warm, sweet-sour dipping broth, with rice noodles and herbs on the side. You dip, or tip, the noodles and herbs into the bowl as you eat. In Hanoi it's mostly a lunch dish, grilled on the pavement outside small specialist shops.

What's in it

• Chả viên: seasoned minced pork patties
• Chả miếng: thin slices of marinated pork belly
• Marinade: fish sauce, sugar, shallot, garlic, pepper and caramel
• Dipping broth (nước chấm): fish sauce, water, sugar, vinegar or lime, garlic and chilli, with slices of green papaya or kohlrabi
• Bún: cold, thin rice vermicelli
• Lettuce, perilla, Vietnamese balm, coriander and other herbs

Most people order fried spring rolls (nem rán) with it. In Hanoi these are rolled in rice paper and filled with pork, glass noodles, mushroom and egg; crab versions (nem cua bể) are a common upgrade.

Allergens and diets

Fish is the constant: fish sauce is in both the marinade and the broth. The pork and noodles are otherwise simple, and the traditional marinade has no soy or wheat, though some cooks add soy sauce or oyster sauce. Ask if you avoid soy, wheat or molluscs.

The side dishes carry the rest. Nem fillings are usually bound with egg, and crab or prawn versions add crustaceans. In Vietnam the wrapper is rice paper, but restaurants abroad often use wheat spring roll pastry, so coeliac (celiac) diners should ask. Nem are deep-fried, and the oil is usually shared with anything else the kitchen fries.

On the menu

In Hanoi you order by the portion, and the price of a suất usually includes noodles and herbs. Nem are counted per roll or per plate.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.