Ordering food in Vietnamese: a phrasebook

You can eat well in Vietnam without speaking any Vietnamese, but a handful of phrases changes the experience. At a street stall, where there's no menu and no English, knowing how to say "one of this" and "no chilli, please" is the difference between guessing and ordering.

This page is the working phrasebook. For pronunciation, see alphabet and tones and pronouncing Vietnamese place names.

The core ordering phrases

Customisations that street stalls understand

How to order specific dishes

Most street stalls specialise. The simplest order is just "one + dish name":

Common dish names that confuse foreigners:

• Phở (fuh) — noodle soup; not "foh" (the ơ is "uh")
• Bún (boon) — rice vermicelli (different noodle from phở)
• Bánh mì (banh mee) — baguette sandwich; banh not "bang"
• Bún chả (boon cha) — grilled pork with noodles
• Cao lầu (cao lao) — Hội An specialty noodle
• Cơm tấm (com tum) — broken-rice plate
• Gỏi cuốn (goy gwon) — fresh spring rolls (cold)
• Chả giò / nem rán (cha zo / nem zan) — fried spring rolls
• Mì xào (mee sao) — fried noodles
• Bún bò Huế (boon boh hway) — Huế-style spicy beef noodle

Drinks

At a bia hơi (street beer)

Bia hơi is the open-air street beer phenomenon — small plastic stools, cheap fresh lager, snacks. The phrases:

• "Một cốc bia hơi" (mot kok bee-uh hoy) — one glass of draft beer
• "Mỗi người một cốc" (moy ngoo-ee mot kok) — one glass each
• "Cho tôi một đĩa lạc rang" (cho toy mot dee-uh lak rang) — a plate of roasted peanuts
• "Tính tiền" (ting tee-en) — the bill, please

Tip: bia hơi is paid at the end. Just count your glasses and pay the round-number total.

At a casual restaurant

If there's a menu, point. If there isn't, ask:

• "Có gì ngon?" (co zee non) — what's good?
• "Hôm nay có gì?" (home nai co zee) — what's available today?
• "Tôi ăn được không cay" (toy un duhk khong kai) — I can eat without chilli
• "Tôi không ăn được thịt" (toy khong un duhk tit) — I can't eat meat

Allergies and dietary

Vietnamese "vegetarian" usually means Buddhist-style — no meat, no fish, no fish sauce, no eggs (depending on observance). Be specific if you eat fish but not meat.

Paying

Cash is the default at street and bia hơi. Mid-range and up accept card.

Numbers 1 to 10 (essential for ordering)

For prices in the thousands and beyond, see numbers and money.

What if they don't understand?

Two strategies that almost always work:

1. Point at the dish on someone else's table or in the cabinet.
2. Show Google Translate — the camera mode reads Vietnamese menus; the typed translation usually gets through clearly.

A friendly xin chào and a smile compensates for most mispronunciation.

Related

• Essential phrases
• Pronouncing Vietnamese place names
• Numbers and money
• Bargaining phrases
• Vietnamese phrase flashcards tool