Vietnamese cuisine

regional differences

Key culinary
differences
in brief

Northern region

Seasoning

The cooks season their foods more mildly than their central and southern counterparts. For example, northerners like black pepper and soy sauce while central and southerners favor chili peppers and nuoc nam (fermented fish sauce).

Geography

Hanoi is the principal city in this area of Vietnam.

Central region

Royal cuisine

The Central region has absorbed the culinary style of the royal cuisine of the ancient Kingdom that once ruled from Hue.

Seasoning

Dishes are spicier and more complex than in the south and particularly in the north.

Dish variety

Tables bear many small rather than large dishes. This gives the diner a greater variety of dishes to eat during a meal than one would experience in the other regions.

Geogaphy

Hue and Hoi An are the principal cities in central Vietnam.

Southern region

Seafood

Diners in the south eat more seafood, less beef than northerners.

Produce

They also eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Geography

Ho Chi Min City (formally Saigon) is the major city.

Culinary legacies

The Chinese culinary influence is more apparent in the north while the French colonial heritage has left a stronger imprint in central region and especially in the southern region.

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