Three Must-haves Before Embarking On Best Food In Hanoi

Another solid bun cha can be found at Nha Hang Thanh Hop (12 Dinh Liet), just a block north of Hoan Kiem Lake. Pho is arguably the best-known Vietnamese dish, and it comes in two main varieties: pho bo, or beef pho; and pho ga, or chicken pho. For first-time visitors it can be daunting to figure out where to go and what to eat, so we're here to help with an insider's guide to the best food in Hanoi (including street food), divided into different dishes.

Here, single-dish food stalls, run mostly by women, offer finely crafted dishes passed from mother to daughter for generations. The cheapest and one of the most delicious places to find Vietnamese cuisine is in a traditional open-air market. Eat them with fresh herbs and lettuce, which ably cut through the greasiness.

What's inside is equally surprising: ground crab, pork, mushrooms and more. Instead of a tube, these flaky, deep-fried spring rolls are shaped like a square. You can cut the fire with some fresh herbs or a squirt of citrus.

Get your sinuses running with a bowl of this spicy beef-noodle soup that hails from Huế, Vietnam's last imperial capital. It's also served with a garden's worth of herbs. Made with turmeric and plenty of coconut milk, the crispy rice-flour crepe classically encases shrimp, pork, onions and perhaps sprouts too.

60k is at the more expensive end of street food, especially just for a plate of beef, noodles and spinach but this one is most definitely worth it. The three ladies that run the stall churn out huge portions consistently throughout the night and don't stop until all of the food is gone! Some good, some bad, and as street food goes, some just plain awful! There wont be a day that goes by in hanoi tourist attraction (https://www.hanoitourist.org) where you aren't accosted by the smell of sizzling beef noodles.

The real mccoy is the one with the old lady sitting on the street making pork and crab spring roles! Don't get confused by the 3 restaurants either side and opposite all with the same name, claiming they are the same place…they aren't. In Vietnam, banh mi is typically sold at roadside stalls or push carts, making it the perfect choice for those who want something tasty and easy to eat on the go.

Often fondly described as a Subway sandwich with a Vietnamese twist, the banh mi consists of a baguette - crispy on the outside, soft on the inside - stuffed full with a variety of meat, usually pork, and pickled vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers. Another place for bun cha is Uncle Ho Tuckshop (100 Pasir Panjang Road 01-04), which serves this scrumptious dish, a house special, at $12.90. This one is also easier to find as well as it's just next to Gia Truyen Pho so you get to eat two types of soup noodles in one street!

It can rival the previous one. The soup for this Bun Rieu was quite good!