Among all the cities I visited in Vietnam, Hanoi had the most historic cafes, Saigon the coolest, and Hoi An some of the prettiest, which in hindsight I guess was pretty much consistent with the nature of each city.
I’ll give you three reasons to visit Hoi An – banh mi, com ga, and cao lau. They’re three of the best things you can eat in this central Vietnamese town, which is saying a lot because there’s plenty of good food to be had here.
Together with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Hue is definitely one of my favorite food cities in Vietnam and a place we’ll be looking to visit again and again. It’s home to interesting and delicious food like bun bo, com hen, nem lui, and banh hue.
We first visited northern Kyushu in 2017 and got to enjoy regional specialties like champon, basashi, and everyone’s favorite Hakata ramen. Everything we had made an impression and got us excited to come back and explore more of the island and its myriad delicacies.
Like ca phe trung in Hanoi, Hue is home to a unique blend of coffee as well – ca phe muoi or salt coffee. As its name suggests, it’s made with salt and fermented milk and served with ice.
This Hanoi Street Food Tour by Backstreet Academy is a 2.5-hour eating binge that takes you to some of the best local spots in Vietnam’s capital. It costs just USD 19 per person and gives you a taste of about a dozen Vietnamese street food dishes.
I had the most fun coffee hunting in Hanoi but Saigon held its own. They don’t have homegrown creations like egg coffee or salty coffee, but what they lacked in unique recipes and history they more than made up for with their plethora of Instagram-worthy cafes.
Vietnamese cuisine has won me over completely. It was the main reason why I did this month-long trip, to really delve into the cuisine and come up with the best and most insightful food guides, starting with Hanoi.
I went on a few organized tours in Vietnam, including a motorbike tour in Saigon which I thought was pretty different from anything I had done to that point, until this shiny red Citroen 2CV pulled up in front of our hotel.
You can have great coffee anywhere in the country, but for me, the most enjoyable was in Hanoi, largely because of its plethora of interesting and quirky cafes. If you’re planning a trip to Vietnam’s capital, then here are thirteen coffeehouses to perk up your palate and your Instagram feed.