Food Stall with mini plastic chairs in Hanoi In Hanoi it is very good and very cheap to go out for a meal. Just around Hoan Kiem Lake there are many small air-conditioned restaurants that offer Vietnamese cuisine – mostly with an English menu as well. But even if you are not in the mood for Vietnamese food, you can also find a wide range of “Western food”. In addition to the countless restaurants so-called food stalls can be found on every street corner. Here one must be content with less comfort: dishes will be ordered without a menu (arrange price in advance!!!) and will be cooked in front of your eyes. During the meal you are sitting on tiny plastic chairs that back down easily to speak from our own experience. There are numerous Vietnamese dishes that you should have tried at least once! Below, we have made a small selection of dishes that we liked best: Pho Bo First of all, Phở, a rice noodle soup, needs to be mentioned. It is usually offered for breakfast, but often as lunch or dinner as well. In most cases it is served with different types of beef (Phở Bò) or chicken (Phở Gà). Pho 24 am Hoan Kim See Besides numerous restaurants and food stalls you can also enjoy this dish in the so-called Phở 24 a kind of Vietnamese fast-food chain that offers the famous soup very tasty and fast, but at slightly higher prices. Cha Gio / Nem Ran with Nuoc Mam You should also try Vietnamese spring rolls at least once. Compared to the spring rolls in other Asian countries they are rolled with rice paper. The non-fried type is called Gỏi cuốn, the fried one Nem Rán (North Vietnam) or Chả Giò (South Vietnam). They are eaten with a dip (Nước Mắm Pha) made of the typical Vietnamese fish sauce (Nước Mắm). Bun Bo A large number of dishes are simply called the Vietnamese Bún (rice noodles). In addition to these rice noodles the dish consists of peanuts, bean sprouts, some herbs and, of course, fish sauce, as well as a usually non-vegetarian side dish and is served in a large bowl. Popular examples are Bún Bò with beef, Bún Gà with chicken or Bún Nem with chopped spring rolls. Very typical for the north of Vietnam is the so-called “Mushroom Hot Pot”. Here, a variety of different kinds of mushrooms is prepared in hot water directly at the table. After a certain time the mushrooms are put together with some of the stock in small bowls. In addition, the fungi can be enjoyed with a dip. A very popular, but accordingly expensive restaurant is the Ashima that is specialized in these kinds of dishes and has branches in all major cities of Vietnam. Mushroom lovers should not miss that! Translated by Caterina