Hanoi – Best Food Destinations in The World 2024
Culinary is a staple for a city, which is also a special element that brings globetrotters coming from all around the world to savor its sense of distinctive taste. Regardless of the amount of tourist attractions or historic landmarks you could visit, the must-not-missed-out feature of a vacation is the FOOD.
Vietnam has been making some reputation right on the threshold of 2024 in the tourism industry. Recently, Hanoi has just been named The Safest Destination to Travel in the World 2024. In addition, the capital city also earned itself the popular title Best Food Destinations in The World 2024 just a few weeks apart.
South East Asia is not only famous for its diversity in culture but also a fantastic place for someone who enjoys earthy flavor at local vendors. Rising from the peak of popularity, the national dish of Vietnam – pho – has claimed its name among the most influential edibles in the world.
In the time of the advancement of tourism, Hanoi reached a certain level of recognition of nourishment and showed the world how appetizing it is that the cuisine of Vietnam reached such a top-tier status.
According to TripAdvisor – Seasia Stats, amongst 24 other countries, Hanoi holds the top spot on the chart. The insider said that “Vietnam’s charming capital has aged well, preserving the old quarter, monuments, and colonial architecture while making room for modern developments.”.
The biggest turning point was the Michelin Guide launched last 2023, with support from Sun Group, starting to evaluate the quality of dining establishments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This shows positive signs for the tourism industry respectively in terms of recognition from prestigious world awards that motivate travelers to come to Vietnam. 
Dine in with Lua Viet Tours as here are some dishes that are staples to Hanoi cookery!
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Phở
There is no dish like Pho – as it is the soul food for Vietnamese and what makes the world turn their eyes around the country’s delicacy. Steaming hot soup with tender beef brisket, mixed with a crunchy flavor of onion, scallions, and rice noodles is what makes the dish heavenly. If you want to experience the same texture with a bit of a different broth, try chicken Pho for instance.
Remember to choose what cut of meat you prefer when asking the seller, there are options such as well-done brisket or rare steak that is easy to eat and quickly cooked by the boiling broth. Feel a bit adventurous? Try out fatty brisket (gầu), tendon (gân), and encrusted meat (nạm) for a more complete combination.
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Chả Cá Lã Vọng – Fish with dill & turmeric
Grilled fish marinated in turmeric, sugar, and other seasonings are what you should hope for when choosing this dish for your next dinner. It is usually served with rice noodles, herbs, peanuts, and fermented shrimp sauce.
The unique food comes from the street where it was first sold, which was named after a hero who fought against the Chinese invaders in the 18th century. Any family-owned restaurants or fine dining institutes in Hanoi have this signature one, so be sure to experience this one-of-a-kind meal!
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Bún Ốc & Bún Riêu – Snail Vermicelli Soup & Crab Vermicelli soup
As you may know, there are variations of noodle soup across the S-shaped country. If Central Vietnam has Bún Bò Huế or Mì Quảng, then the North has Bún Ốc and Bún Riêu. Farmers in the past worked in the rice field and found ingredients from the rear river, canals, or ditches to use for a meal. Therefore, these two are the signature dishes of the North.
– Bún Ốc is a simple dish that uses freshwater snails as the main ingredient. The snails are boiled and shelled, then added to the broth along with fried tofu, green bananas, and tamarind paste.
– A more elaborate dish is Bún Riêu which uses minced freshwater crabs as the main ingredient. The crabs are pounded with the shell on, then strained to separate the liquid and the solids. The liquid is used to make the broth, while the solids are formed into crab cakes and added to the soup.
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Bún Thang – Noodle soup with chicken, pork and egg
Another unique dish of the Northern is the clear yet flavorful broth with extensive ingredients. In which its making process is indeed a sophisticated endurance.
The indispensable ingredients in a bowl of vermicelli noodles are Laksa leaves, Chinese coriander, thin fried eggs, shredded chicken breast, and shredded pork sausage spread evenly on a white vermicelli base. The vermicelli must be small noodles and on top will be sprinkled with shrimp floss to increase the flavor of the dish.
The broth must be clear, and hot enough to fit the bowl. Eating bun thang can be served with spices such as vinegar, chili, garlic, pepper, or a little shrimp paste. To have a delicious pot of broth is also a selective synthesis of chicken bones and dried squid (to sweeten the water).
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Bún Chả – Grilled pork with vermicelli
Easy to eat, quick to finish yet the smoky aroma will insist you have another one right after. The iconic Bun Cha is one of the most popular go-to dishes that anyone would want to try at least once coming to Hanoi. Grilled and savory fatty pork bites with meatballs are flavorful when dipped in sweet fish sauce mixed with garlic, chili, sugar, and lime juice.
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Bánh Tôm Hồ Tây – West Lake Shrimp Cake
Biting on that crunchy texture at the restaurant is a wonderful experience to have when visiting Hanoi. The view overlooking the West Lake (Hồ Tây) is a great dining spot to sipping a cup of beer and munching on a scrumptious shrimp cake with your loved ones. That hot, cracker cake dipped in salty, sweet, sour sauce is truly exciting for you to get that authentic taste of Vietnamese cuisine.
There are many diverse and interesting dishes on this S-shaped strip of land, with variations of dishes in each region that will bring many surprises and satisfaction to you. Don’t hesitate any longer and come to Lua Viet Tours to immediately explore interesting Culinary Tours in Vietnam!
