21/05/2025
I am so proud of Vietnamese Cuisine
How Many Dishes Are There?
Vietnam is home to an incredibly rich and diverse culinary culture, shaped by geography, history, and tradition. While there's no official, fixed number of Vietnamese dishes, various sources and projects offer impressive estimates:
Key Statistics on Vietnamese Dishes
Over 3,000 traditional dishes:
According to Tuổi Trẻ newspaper, Vietnam has more than 3,000 traditional dishes across the North, Central, and South regions, making it one of Southeast Asia’s culinary powerhouses.
(tuoitre.vn)
126 signature dishes from 63 provinces:
The Vietnam Records Organization (VietKings) created a food map featuring 126 specialty dishes, with each province represented by two iconic dishes.
(thanhnien.vn)
Over 9,400 dishes digitized:
A digital platform under the initiative “Transforming Ingredients into Thousands of Vietnamese Dishes” recorded 9,422 dishes shared by users across the country.
(kyluc.vn)
Goal to identify 1,000 iconic dishes:
The Vietnam Culinary Culture Association (VCCA) is working to identify 1,000 representative dishes of Vietnamese cuisine, with 121 dishes already announced as of 2022.
(vietnamplus.vn)
---
Main Categories of Vietnamese Dishes
Vietnamese cuisine can be grouped into several major categories:
Noodle dishes: Phở, bún, hủ tiếu, mì Quảng, miến
Rice dishes: Cơm tấm, cơm gà (chicken rice), cơm lam (bamboo sticky rice)
Soups and stews: Cháo (porridge), súp (soup), lẩu (hotpot)
Rolls and wraps: Gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls), bánh cuốn, nem cuốn
Traditional cakes: Bánh chưng, bánh tét, bánh xèo, bánh bèo
Snacks and desserts: Chè (sweet soup), bánh rán (fried pastry), bánh trôi
Regional specialties: Each province has its own unique traditional dishes
