Vietnamese usually have breakfast, lunch and dinner without tea or coffee break in between. Because most Vietnamese are early risers, breakfast is eaten before 9, though many restaurants serve breakfasts until much later. Foods for breakfasts are as diverse as you can imagine. Some of the most popular are the “notorious” pho-noodle soup; baguette stuffed with pate, ppq porked and veggies; rice congee with minced pork; banh cuon (rice crepes), xoi (sticky rice). Contrary to the Western diet, breakfasts in Vietnam involves more salt than sugar.  

Bowl of fish sauce is an indispensable element

Lunch is served from 12-1 p.m. Most office workers have lunch at one of street stores where they can choose a main dish-fish, beef, pork, chicken or tofu with side vegetables and steamed rice. Some others order lunch box from a nearby restaurant if they want to avoid the heat and traffic. Lunch in Vietnam is quick yet does not lack any nutrients.

Dinner is the main meal where family gathers and report back their day. Women are usually responsible for preparing the meal, with or without the help of their mother or daughters. Some better-off families have a dining table while the rest, though you may find it bizarre, have dinner on the ground floor. It is Vietnamese tradition to share food while eating.

As a result, the whole family circumvents a tray of food, each with a bowl of rice and taking food from the common dish. Dinner foods usually include one or two main dishes such as stewed pork, steamed chicken or fried fish; one dish of boiled or stir-fried vegetable and one bowl of broth. Steamed rice is considered as inevitable in most meals.

Time for gathering and sharing

  Eating out is not a habit of Vietnamese until recently and nowadays, it is popular in cities ad better off family only. Eating out used to take place on the occasion of daddy receiving salary, or family celebrating an achievement or weekend gateway. However, as modern life leads to lesser time and interest for cooking, eating out is also in the sharp increase.

Vietnamese also have the habit of organizing meals together; members in families gather in time and have close depend on others, which is totally different from Westerners because they ignore to talk during the meals. In the contrary, Vietnamese really like talking during the meal and talking during the meals is the crucial need of Vietnamese because it is also the time for them to gather, express their interests about health, life and share experience of working together or freely discuss about some of their favorite problems.

Foods are delicious while the weather is not good that the meals aren’t delicious. Good places for having meals without good friends make them feel that the meals aren’t delicious.

Vietnamese are both simple and casual. Normal etiquette apply in dining time and fewer expectations are placed on foreigners. If you are invited into a family dinner, make yourself at home and open your eyes, ears and mind to learn about this special aspect of Vietnamese culture.