How to read a Vietnamese menu

How a Vietnamese menu is laid out

The trick to how to read a Vietnamese menu is that many places serve one dish, and the sign above the door is the menu. A shop called "Phở Bò" sells beef phở; "Bún Chả" sells bún chả. Larger restaurants group dishes by the base (rice, noodles, hot pot) or by the main ingredient (beef, chicken, seafood), with starters (khai vị) first.

What you'll usually see:

• Dish names as recipes. The base comes first, then the meat, then the method: cơm gà nướng is rice, chicken, grilled.
• "Đặc biệt". Special means the works: every topping the shop offers, at a higher price.
• Prices with k. 50k means 50,000 đồng. Seafood is often priced per kilo or per 100 g, so confirm the weight before it's cooked.
• Hot pot for the table. Lẩu (hot pot) is priced per pot and meant for sharing.
• Free extras. A plate of fresh herbs (rau sống) and lime and chilli usually come free with noodle soups and grilled dishes.
• Tax lines. Mid-range and upscale restaurants may add VAT and a service charge to the bill. Menus usually say so, for example "giá chưa bao gồm VAT" (prices exclude VAT).

Words you'll see on every menu

Vietnamese is written in the Latin alphabet with accent marks, and the marks matter. Six tones and extra vowels change the meaning of a word, so gà (chicken) and ga (station) are different words. Two letters trip up English speakers: đ is a hard "d", while plain d sounds like "z" in the North and "y" in the South. Most words are a single syllable, and the North and South use different everyday words for some foods.

Cooking methods

The method usually comes after the main ingredient: gà nướng is chicken, grilled.

Meat, seafood and key ingredients

Where North and South differ, both words are given.

Allergy and diet watch-outs

Fish sauce (nước mắm) is the backbone of Vietnamese cooking: it seasons marinades, broths, stir-fries and the dipping sauce on almost every table, so fish is in most savoury dishes, including many that look vegetable-only. Fermented shrimp paste (crustaceans) is served with bún đậu mắm tôm, goes into bún bò Huế and bún riêu, and dried shrimp turn up in salads and snacks.

Other ingredients to ask about:

• Peanuts. Peanuts are scattered over bún thịt nướng, salads and sticky rice (xôi), and in the South gỏi cuốn is served with a hoisin and peanut dipping sauce. Packets of peanuts are often left on tables.
• Wheat. Bánh mì is wheat bread, and mì noodles are wheat. Soy sauce, hoisin and the soy-based seasoning sauce used on bánh mì and fried eggs usually contain wheat, so gluten reaches dishes built on rice. Soy is in those same sauces and in tofu.
• Shellfish and molluscs. Oyster sauce (molluscs) goes into stir-fries, and clams, snails and squid are popular street food.
• Sesame. Sesame coats rice crackers (bánh đa mè) and sweets, and appears in some sauces.
• Egg and milk. Bánh mì usually has mayonnaise (eggs) and often pâté. Vietnamese iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá) is made with sweetened condensed milk.
• Pork and pork fat. Spring onion oil (mỡ hành) is often made with pork fat, pork goes into many "mixed" dishes, and bún bò Huế often contains pork knuckle and pork blood. Halal restaurants exist in Ho Chi Minh City and Cham communities in the Mekong Delta, but are rare elsewhere.

For vegetarians, Buddhist chay restaurants cook without meat or fish sauce, using soy sauce instead. They're easiest to find around pagodas and busiest on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month. In ordinary restaurants, "chay" alone may not exclude fish sauce, so say it too. Carry a written card in Vietnamese, and carry any medication you have been prescribed, following your doctor's plan.

Useful phrases

Tôi (I) is the neutral, polite word for yourself, and adding "nhé" softens a request. Add "ạ" at the end when speaking to someone older. Vietnamese has no gendered forms, but you address staff by age (em for younger, anh or chị for an older man or woman). The pronunciation hints are rough; Northern and Southern accents differ.

Ordering and paying

Vietnamese meals are shared and casual, tipping is optional, and you pay either at the table or at the counter as you leave. The details:

• Calling staff. Call out "em ơi" (or "anh ơi", "chị ơi" for older staff) and wave. It's normal and not rude.
• Sharing. Order several dishes for the table. Dishes arrive as they're cooked, not in courses. Noodle soups are one bowl each.
• Table extras. Wet towels and snacks on the table are often charged if you open them. Iced tea (trà đá) is often free or very cheap at local places.
• Service and VAT. Street food and local eateries charge the price on the menu. Mid-range and upscale places may add VAT and a service charge (phí phục vụ), which should be stated on the menu.
• Tipping. Not expected at local places. Small tips are appreciated at tourist-focused and upscale restaurants, but skip them if service is already on the bill.
• Paying. Ask for the bill with "tính tiền" or "thanh toán". Cash in đồng is standard at small places, local bank QR transfers are everywhere, and cards are accepted at most mid-range and upscale restaurants. Check the zeros on big notes: the blue 20,000 and 500,000 đồng notes are easy to mix up.

Dishes to know

• Phở: rice noodle soup, usually beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà), in a spiced broth seasoned with fish sauce.
• Bánh mì: baguette with pâté, mayonnaise, cold cuts or grilled meat, pickles and herbs.
• Bún chả: Hanoi grilled pork patties and belly with rice vermicelli and a fish sauce dip.
• Gỏi cuốn: fresh rice paper rolls with prawns, pork, herbs and vermicelli.
• Bánh xèo: crispy rice flour and turmeric crepe filled with prawns, pork and bean sprouts.
• Bún bò Huế: spicy beef and pork noodle soup with lemongrass and shrimp paste.
• Cơm tấm: broken rice with grilled pork chop, often with a steamed egg and pork cake, Saigon style.
• Bánh cuốn: steamed rice sheets rolled around minced pork and wood ear mushroom.
• Bún riêu: crab and tomato noodle soup, often served with shrimp paste.

Questions

Do you tip in Vietnam?

Tipping isn't expected at local restaurants and street stalls, though small tips are appreciated at tourist-focused and upscale places. Check the bill first, because some restaurants add a service charge (phí phục vụ) or VAT. If service is already included, there's no need to add more.

Why are words for pork and peanut different in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City?

Northern and Southern Vietnamese use different everyday words for some foods. Pork is lợn in the North and heo in the South, peanut is lạc in the North and đậu phộng in the South, and sesame is vừng or mè. Both are understood nationwide, but menus use the local word.

Is Vietnamese food gluten free?

Much of it is built on rice (rice noodles, rice paper, steamed rice), but that doesn't make a dish wheat-free. Soy sauce, hoisin sauce, seasoning sauce and bánh mì bread all usually contain wheat. Ask about every sauce and dip, especially for coeliac (celiac) disease.

Do Vietnamese restaurants charge for wet towels and peanuts on the table?

Often, yes. Packaged wet towels (khăn lạnh) and packets of peanuts or snacks left on the table are frequently charged if you open them, usually a few thousand đồng. Leave them sealed if you don't want them.

Sources

1. Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia: Translated chef cards for travelling
2. ASCIA: Travel checklist for people at risk of anaphylaxis
3. Allergy UK: Travelling with allergies

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