By Jayden Nguyen
Vietnam is a country rich with history and even richer soups. With many Vietnamese immigrants bringing culture as well as food to America, there are many different types of dishes. Of these, many have two things in common — noodles and soup.
Phở
Phở, the noodle soup that has come to represent the Vietnamese American heritage of approximately 200,000 people in Orange County. With its flavorful broth, delectable meat and fresh herb toppings, no wonder it’s a fan favorite of the Vietnamese and American communities. However, its popularity comes to overshadow the other great dishes of the Vietnamese American community — noodle soups such as bún chả Hà Nội, mì quảng, bánh canh, hủ tiếu, bún bo Huế and bún riêu. With all these noodle soups, is there one to rule them all?
Bún chả Hà Nội
Starting strong with something that isn’t a soup, but it’s served with a hot savory fish sauce and it’s delicious — so I’m making an exception here! Bún chả Hà Nội is a dish from the capital of Vietnam post-1975. This dish is known to be served with fresh bouncy rice noodles, hot fish sauce, delectable grilled meats and a plate of fresh herbs. Honestly, this dish is probably the most well-known, because during a trip to Vietnam former president Barack Obama tried this dish. All in all, it’s a relatively well-known, (although technically not a noodle soup) and is a very good and balanced dish, with the fresh herbs balancing out the fatty grilled meats.
Mì Quảng
Coming out from the center of Vietnam is Mì Quảng, a dish some of you guys may have not heard of before. Known for its savory broth and yellow-colored noodles from the turmeric powder, it’s definitely something you should try. Topped with shrimp, chicken, pork, or even frog! In all its iterations I love it all the same, the fresh bouncy noodles with the amazing broth, I’m surprised it’s not more popular.
Bánh Canh
If you mistook this I wouldn’t blame you, with its starched thickened broth. The noodles are knife-cut and are typically thicker than what you’d expect. Traditionally made with tapioca starch (yes just like boba for you milk tea fiends), this gives a nice chewy texture to the noodles. The dish is topped off with sliced pork, shrimp, and Vietnamese ham or Chả. Personally, this is one of my top picks on a cold day, the saucy broth with the chewy noodles is a combination that has to be tried at least once.
Hủ tiếu
No frills are anything, just a good noodle soup done right. This noodle dish is served with a clear chicken or pork broth, similar to the other dishes, topped with shrimp, different cuts of pork, and quail eggs. Typical condiments that are served with the dish are pickled garlic (my love), and pickled peppers. These condiments elevate the dish to bring a nice fresh zing to another “boring” meal. However, that’s not to say that it’s bad, because I would absolutely demolish an order of this on any given day.
Bún riêu
Something new! A pork broth simmered down with tomatoes giving a distinct red color to the broth. This dish stays close in my heart as my mom would always make this growing up. Eaten for breakfast lunch or dinner, you’ll have a great time and a full stomach. Topped off with pork and shrimp meatballs, chả and fried tofu to name a few toppings. This soup with the tang from the tomatoes is amazing to awaken your taste buds no matter the time of day.
Bún bo Huế
Just like how some people have a bias towards Chaewon, I have a bias towards Bún bo Huế (BBH). What do you know about that BBH? My Mom is from the namesake of this dish Huế, in the center of Vietnam. This noodle soup was made for a king, as Huế was the ancient capital of Vietnam. This dish is known for its wide variety of meat toppings, from pork hock, beef shank and even pork’s blood cake. The broth is much different from the rest although, from a base of beef and pork bones, the special seasoning adds a spicy, aromatic taste.
Although it may sound intimidating, this dish is one of the best heartwarming meals on any given day. I have eaten this during the hottest summer day. Topped off with aromatic chili oil and served with a spicy fish sauce for dipping, this is one of the best meals ever. If you are looking for a nice change in pace from the typical Phở, BBH is the way to go for that nice spicy flare, it will send a shock through your system, in the best way possible.
I’m not sure if there is a best noodle soup, but I definitely have my biases. Whether you decide to stay basic with your only repertoire of noodles being Phở, or you open your horizons to trying the pig’s blood cake, of Bún bo Huế. You can’t go wrong with the many amazing noodle soups of Vietnam.
