Vietnamese Food Words: A Menu Survival Guide for Travelers
Read any Vietnamese menu: phở, bún, cơm, gà, bò, and the words for ordering. A practical food-vocabulary guide for travelers and food lovers.
Key menu words: phở (noodle soup), bún (rice vermicelli), cơm (rice), bánh (bread/cake), gà (chicken), bò (beef), chay (vegetarian). To order, say "Cho tôi…" ("I'll have…") plus the dish. "How much?" is "Bao nhiêu?"
A handful of food words turns any Vietnamese menu from a mystery into a map. Here's the practical vocabulary travelers and food lovers actually use.
Menu building blocks
Most dishes are combinations of a base + a protein. Learn the blocks and you can decode almost anything.
| Base | Vietnamese | Protein | Vietnamese |
|---|---|---|---|
| noodle soup | phở | chicken | gà |
| rice vermicelli | bún | beef | bò |
| rice | cơm | pork | heo / lợn |
| bread/cake | bánh | shrimp | tôm |
| egg noodles | mì | fish | cá |
| vegetarian | chay | tofu | đậu hũ |
Dishes you'll see
- phở bò, beef noodle soup
- bún chả, grilled pork with vermicelli
- bánh mì, Vietnamese baguette sandwich
- cơm tấm, broken-rice plate
- gỏi cuốn, fresh spring rolls
Ordering phrases
| Vietnamese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cho tôi… | I'll have… |
| Bao nhiêu? | How much? |
| Không cay | Not spicy |
| Ngon quá! | So delicious! |
| Tính tiền | The bill, please |
These build on your basic phrases and numbers for prices.
Dietary words
| Vietnamese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| chay | vegetarian |
| Tôi ăn chay | I'm vegetarian |
| dị ứng | allergy |
| không đường | no sugar |
More words worth knowing
| Vietnamese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| rau | vegetables |
| nước mắm | fish sauce |
| nước | water |
| trà | tea |
| cà phê | coffee |
| đá | ice |
| nóng | hot |
How to pronounce phở
The famous one: phở is "fuh", the ph is an "f," and ơ is an unrounded "ur," all in one short syllable with a dipping tone. It's not "foh" or "pho." For more, see how to pronounce Vietnamese words.
Sources
- Vietnamese food vocabulary verified against standard references (Wiktionary) for spelling and meaning of the menu words, dishes, and ordering phrases.
Interactive lessons with listening, typing and speaking exercises. Free, no account.
Common questions
Key menu words include phở (noodle soup), bún (rice vermicelli), cơm (rice), bánh (bread or cake), gà (chicken), bò (beef), and chay (vegetarian). 'Cho tôi…' means 'I'll have…'
Start with 'Cho tôi…' (I'll have…) plus the dish, ask 'Bao nhiêu?' (how much?), and say 'Tính tiền' for the bill. Add 'không cay' for not spicy.
'Chay' means vegetarian. 'Tôi ăn chay' means 'I'm vegetarian,' and 'đồ chay' means vegetarian food.
Phở is said like 'fuh' with a rising-then-questioning tone, the 'ph' is an 'f' sound and 'ơ' is an unrounded 'ur.' It's one short syllable, not 'foh.'