Vietnamese Menu Cheat Sheet: Pho, Banh Mi, and Bun
Vietnamese menus look long, but they're built from a small number of building blocks: noodle type, broth, protein, herbs, sauce. Learn the blocks and the menu shrinks to something you can scan in a minute.
Quick Answer
A practical guide to Vietnamese menus: pho variants, banh mi options, bun (vermicelli bowls), banh xeo, com tam, and what to order beyond pho.
The Pho Section
Pho (pronounced roughly "fuh") is a noodle soup with flat rice noodles in a slow-simmered broth, garnished with herbs, lime, bean sprouts, and chilies at the table. Two main families:
- Pho bo — beef pho. The classic. Broth simmered with charred onion, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and oxtail or marrow bones for 8-24 hours.
- Pho ga — chicken pho. Cleaner, lighter broth. Underrated.
Within pho bo, the menu codes can read like a software changelog. Here's the cheat sheet:
- Tai — rare beef (cooked by the hot broth)
- Chin — well-done brisket
- Nam — flank
- Gau — fatty brisket
- Gan — tendon
- Sach — tripe
- Bo vien — beef meatballs
- Dac biet — "special," usually meaning everything on top
If you've never had pho before, pho tai chin (rare and well-done beef) is the standard friendly starter. Order pho dac biet if you want the full tour and don't mind tripe and tendon.
How to Eat It
Taste the broth plain first; that's where the long cooking shows up. Then squeeze in lime, add basil and sprouts to taste, and decide whether to add hoisin and sriracha. Some regulars never put hoisin in the bowl — they pour it into a side dish for dipping the meat. Either is fine. The broth is the point.
The Banh Mi Section
Banh mi is the Vietnamese baguette sandwich. The bread is crustier and lighter than a French baguette; the filling combines pate or mayo, meat, pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and chili. The contrast of textures and tastes is what makes it work.
Common varieties:
- Banh mi thit — cold-cut classic with pate, head cheese, and Vietnamese ham. The original.
- Banh mi xa xiu — Chinese-influenced barbecued pork.
- Banh mi ga — grilled or lemongrass chicken.
- Banh mi bo — grilled beef.
- Banh mi cha lua — Vietnamese pork sausage (mild, smooth).
- Banh mi chay — vegetarian, often with marinated tofu.
- Banh mi op la — fried egg, sometimes alongside other fillings.
If the menu lets you customize, the default ask is "everything but no jalapeños" or "everything, extra cilantro." Most shops will warn you if it'll be spicy.
The Bun Section
Bun means round rice vermicelli noodles. Bun dishes come hot in broth, or cold in a bowl topped with grilled meat. Both are great.
Bun Bo Hue
A bolder, spicier beef noodle soup from central Vietnam. Lemongrass-forward, with thicker round noodles, beef shank, pork knuckle, and sometimes congealed blood and Vietnamese ham. More aggressive than pho. If you like pho but want bigger flavors, this is the next step.
Bun Cha
Hanoi-style grilled pork patties and pork belly served in a small bowl of warm sweet-savory fish sauce broth, with vermicelli, herbs, and pickles served on the side. You build each bite. Obama and Anthony Bourdain ate this in Hanoi in 2016, which made it semi-famous abroad.
Bun Thit Nuong
A cold vermicelli bowl topped with grilled pork, crushed peanuts, pickled vegetables, herbs, and fish sauce dressing poured over before mixing. Refreshing, balanced, very weekday-lunch friendly.
Bun Cha Gio
Same cold-bowl format but topped with crispy fried spring rolls. Often combined with grilled meat: bun thit nuong cha gio.
The Rice and Plate Section
Com Tam
"Broken rice." Originally a way for farmers to use rice grains that broke during milling, now a celebrated southern Vietnamese dish. A plate of slightly chewier rice topped with grilled pork chop (suon nuong), a steamed egg-pork loaf (cha trung), and a layer of shredded pork skin (bi), served with pickles and sweet fish sauce.
Com Ga
Chicken rice, usually poached or roasted, sometimes with turmeric-yellow rice. A simple, comforting plate.
Banh Xeo
A crispy, savory rice-flour crepe colored yellow with turmeric, folded over shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. You break off pieces, wrap them with herbs and lettuce, and dip in fish sauce. Communal and very fun to eat.
Goi Cuon
Fresh spring rolls. Soft rice paper wrapped around shrimp, pork, vermicelli, lettuce, and herbs. Served with peanut sauce. Lighter than the fried version (cha gio).
Sauces and Garnishes to Know
- Nuoc cham — the universal Vietnamese dipping sauce: fish sauce, lime, sugar, water, garlic, chili.
- Hoisin — sweet, thick, fermented bean sauce. Common with pho (with debate).
- Sriracha — chili-garlic sauce. The famous green-cap bottle was inspired by southern Vietnamese American food.
- Mam tom — fermented shrimp paste. Pungent, polarizing, traditional with bun dau mam tom.
- Rau song — the herb plate: Thai basil, mint, cilantro, sawtooth coriander, sometimes perilla.
A Three-Move Ordering Plan
Solo and hungry: pho tai chin, or a banh mi with a side of spring rolls.
Two people sharing: one pho, one bun bowl, and an order of fresh spring rolls or banh xeo to split.
Group of four: get one of everything — pho, a bun bowl, com tam, and a banh xeo to share. Pass plates around.
If you're staring at a menu with thirty-plus dishes and only know two of them, MenuPics generates a picture for each one so you can scroll a visual menu instead of squinting at "bun bo Hue dac biet" and hoping for the best.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the different types of pho?
Pho bo is beef pho, pho ga is chicken. Within pho bo, you'll see codes like pho tai (rare beef), pho chin (well-done brisket), pho gan (tendon), pho sach (tripe), and combo bowls like pho dac biet (special, with everything). Most newcomers like pho tai chin: rare and well-done beef in one bowl.
How do you eat pho properly?
Taste the broth plain first. Then squeeze in lime, add bean sprouts and fresh herbs (Thai basil, sawtooth coriander), and dose hoisin and sriracha to taste — many regulars add them to a side dish for dipping meat, not into the broth. Use chopsticks for noodles and a spoon for broth, often together.
What's the difference between bun and pho?
Both use rice noodles. Pho is a soup with flat rice noodles in broth. Bun (in dishes like bun cha or bun bo Hue) usually means round vermicelli rice noodles. Bun can be served in a fragrant soup (bun bo Hue) or as a cold vermicelli bowl topped with grilled meat and herbs (bun thit nuong).
What's in a traditional banh mi?
A crusty Vietnamese baguette (lighter and crispier than French), pate or mayo, a layer of cold cuts or grilled meat, pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and jalapeño. The classic is banh mi thit, but you'll see grilled pork (xa xiu), lemongrass chicken, and meatball versions. Spicy is usually optional.
What is com tam?
Com tam means "broken rice." It's a southern Vietnamese plate of broken rice grains topped with grilled pork chop, a savory egg-pork loaf (cha trung), shredded pork skin (bi), and a fried egg, served with pickled vegetables and a sweet-savory fish sauce on the side. Comfort food, very filling, very popular for breakfast or lunch.