With just $2, what specialties can you enjoy in Vietnam? Lots! Vietnam’s cuisine is very diverse and cheap. Even with some dishes or some places, $2 is big monney and you can eat comfortably. Following, i will list the specialties that you can enjoy with just $2 in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh city – 3 of 5 biggest cities of Vietnam.
In Hanoi
There’re many dishes in Hanoi are under $2, even under $1, which i eat them everyday.
1. Pho Hanoi (Phở Hà Nội). If you’re leaning about Vietnam, maybe you heard about Pho Hanoi. This’s a famous specialties of Hanoi that’s known by all of tourists who visited Hanoi. The most of Pho restaurants in Hanoi are under $2 / bowl, except few very famous restaurants.
2. Bun Cha (Bún Chả), another specialty of Hanoi. This dish is very simple, just include few pieces of baked pork, noodle (bún), special sauce (the most important) and vegetables. I eat Bun Cha regularly, few times / month, and most of them are under $1.5 / plate.
3. Banh Cuon (Bánh cuốn – rolled rice paper) is a unique dish and easy to eat for everyone. It’s big rolled rice paper eaten with special sauce and sausage. Everage price of this dish is from $1 – $1.5 / plate.
4. Banh Mi. There’re many types of Banh Minh in Hanoi as: Pâté Banh Mi, baked pork Banh Mi, sausage (like hot dog),… Price of a Banh Mi is usually not over $1.5.
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Baked pork Banh mi
5. Rice (cơm) is most popular dish in Vietnam. Vietnamese eat rice everyday and nearly no one can fasts rice in 1 week. You can try eating rice at anywhere in Hanoi with popular price from $1 – $2 / plate.
6. Sticky rice (xôi) is also a kind of rice, but other than rice, sticky rice is less important. Normally, Vietnamese just eat sticky rice in special festival, or use it for snacks. There’re many kinds of sticky rice: corn sticky rice (xôi ngô), xeo (xôi xéo), bean (xôi đỗ),… and be sold in everywhere in Hanoi. $2 is too enough to buy sticky rice for 2 people.
7. Trang Tien ice cream (on Trang Tien street) has been famous brand from half a century ago. The store is opened all days in week and always crowed (even in winter), and price is 0.6/one. You can also enjoy Thuy Ta ice cream (be also a famous brand) near there (on Hoan Kiem lakeshore) with many prices, from $0,4.
In Da Nang
Da Nang really is culinary paradise, the foods are very much and cheap. I visited this place 2 times and sure i will return.
8. Mi Quang (Mì Quảng – Quang noodle), the dish is very tasty and popular in Da Nang (also like Pho in Hanoi). A bowl of Mi Quang has noodles (look like Pho), eggs, pork, vegetable and a bit of broth. There’re many Mi Quang restaurants in Da Nang with prices under $1.5.
9. Banh Xeo (Bánh xèo – Pan cake) is famous specialty of Da Nang. Many others also have Banh Xeo but i think Da Nang’s banh xeo is best. A banh xeo is made from egg, pork, bean sprouts and wrapped by rice flour, then fried in hot oil pan. A Banh Xeo is from $0.4 – $0.7 and normally, everyone will eat 2 to 3.
>> Check hotels in Da Nang at Agoda.com
10. Bun Cha Ca (Bún chả cá – rolled fish noodle) includes few pieces of rolled fish, noodle (bún), sausage, vegetables and broth (sweet and sour). Normally, a bowl of Bun Cha Ca is from $0.8 – $1.5.
11. Bun Thi Nuong (Bún thịt nướng – Baked pork noodle) is nearly like Bun Cha in Hanoi, but other than Da Nang’s Bun Thit Nuong doesn’t use sauce to dip, but use soy sauce to sprinkle directly onto. Like Bun Cha Ca, each bowl of Bun Thit Nuong is about $0.8 – $1.5
12. Bun Mam (Bún mắm – Sauce noodle), other kind of Bun in Da Nang, is a very typical dish of Central Vietnam. Way to cook Bun Mam is more complex than others, including roast, pork, sausage,… and the most important: a special sauce. Price of Bun Mam also from $0.8 – $1.5 / bowl.
13. Banh Beo (Bánh bèo – Duckweed cake) is a snack that’s very popular and easy to eat in Da Nang. Da Nang people can eat Banh Beo at anytime in all day. In addition Banh Beo, there’re also Banh Nam (bánh Nậm) and Banh Loc (bánh Lọc), 2 traditional cakes of Da Nang. With under $2, you can enjoy all of these dishes for 2 people.
In Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh city)
14. Bot Chien (Bột Chiên – Fried flour). This’s a dish from China but Saigoners invented a new recipe and unique to create a dish only in Sai Gon. Saigoners, especilly teenage, love this dish because it’s tasty and cheap, price for a full Bot Chien plate is about $1.
15. Pha Lau (Phá Lấu) is a very popular dish in Sai Gon and seem only in Sai Gon. Pha Lau is cooked from organs of pig or cow. I was heard that Westerner do not eat organs but believe me, this’s a very tasty dish and you should not miss when visit Sai Gon. There’re many kinds of Pha Lau with price is under $1/bowl.
16. Com Tam (Cơm tấm – Broken rice) is quite similar Com in Hanoi, just 1 difference: in Com Tam, the grain is broken into smaller grains. This’s daily dish of Sai Gon people, be sold from sidewalks to the luxurious restaurants. Average price for a Com tam plate is from $0.8 to $1.5 and rarely over $2.
>> Near 1000 hotels in Ho Chi Minh at Agoda.com
17. Sui Cao (Sủi cảo), other dish from China, is made from shrimp, pork,… and wrapped by rice flour. There’re 2 kinds of Sui Cao: the dried and wet. The dried Sui cao is eaten with sauce, and the wet is eaten with broth. Price for a bowl (or plate) of Sui Cao is from $1.5 to $2 (maybe over depending on each restaurants).
18. Banh Trang Tron (Bánh tráng trộn – mixed rice paper) is the most favorite snack of Sai Gon youth. Banh trang tron includes rice paper, egg, dried beef, peanut,… Price is from $0.5 for a bag.
19. Hu Tieu (Hủ Tiếu), a kind of noodle look like Bun in Hanoi. Hu Tieu is very popular dish in Southern Vietnam. It’s quite complex to cook, a bowl includes dried Hu Tieu, minced pork, few pieces of pork (or fish), shrimp, vegetable, special broth and many others. Price of a Hu Tieu bowl is about $2.
20. Bun Dau (Bún đậu – Bean noodle) is popular dish of Saigoner, like Bun Cha of Hanoian. Bun Dau is quite simple, just includes fried bean, noodle (bún) and the most important is sauce. There’re 2 kinds of sauce: Fish sauce and shrimp sauce. I like shrimp sauce but it’s seem more difficult to eat for foreign tourists. Usually, price for a Bun Dau plate is not over $1.5.
The most of above dishes, you can enjoy in all of 3 regions but they’re just tastiest when enjoying in their right place.
