Vietnam food is always famous for its richness, reasonable price and extremely delicious. Of course, this is also a topic that you will often need to use when talking to native speakers. In today’s article by Jellyfish, you will find a lot of useful Vietnamese food vocabulary. Let’s explore together!
I. 50+ Vietnamese food vocabulary
The cuisine world is exceptionally rich, especially for a Southeast Asian country where street food is thriving. In the table below, Jellyfish has compiled Vietnam food vocabulary that you will undoubtedly encounter while living or traveling in Vietnam:
| English | Vietnamese |
| Pork | Thịt lợn |
| Chicken | Thịt gà |
| Beef | Thịt bò |
| Duck | Thịt vịt |
| Seafoods | Hải sản |
| Vegetable | Rau |
| Cabbage | Rau cải |
| Chinese cabbage | Rau cải thảo |
| Katuk | Rau ngót |
| Malabar spinach | Rau mồng tơi |
| Water morning glory | Rau muống |
| Potato | Khoai tây |
| Sweet potato | Khoai lang |
| Tomato | Cà chua |
| Cucumber | Dưa chuột |
| Onion | Củ hành |
| Garlic | Củ tỏi |
| Mushroom | Nấm |
| Polygonum | Rau răm |
| Carrot | Cà rốt |
| Apple | Quả táo |
| Mango | Quả xoài |
| Watermelon | Quả dưa hấu |
| Banana | Quả chuối |
| Avocado | Quả bơ |
| Coconut | Quả dừa |
| Grape | Quả nho |
| Grapefruit | Quả bưởi |
| Lime | Quả chanh xanh |
| Lychee | Quả vải |
| Orange | Quả cam |
| Papaya | Quả đu đủ |
| Peach | Quả đào |
| Pineapple | Quả dứa |
| Plum | Quả mận |
| Strawberry | Quả dâu |
| Black bean | Đậu đen |
| Kidney bean | Đậu đỏ |
| Okra | Đậu bắp |
| Green bean/ String bean | Đậu cô-ve |
| Mineral water | Nước lọc |
| Beer | Bia |
| Wine | Rượu nho |
| Coffee | Cà phê |
| Tea | Trà |
| Milk | Sữa |
| Yogurt | Sữa chua |
| Steamed Meat Buns | Bánh bao |
| Goby | Cá bống |
| Herring | Cá trích |
| Eel | Lươn |
| Carp | Cá chép |
| Anchovy | Cá cơm |
| Snake-head | Cá quả |
| Codfish | Cá thu |
| Steamed sticky rice | Xôi |
| Fried rice | Cơm rang |
See more: Explore: 49+ Flowers in Vietnamese
II. Some adjectives to describe Vietnamese food – Vietnamese food vocabulary
Do you know how to describe the food you enjoy in Vietnamese? Vietnamese people often use adjectives to describe dishes, and of course they are as rich as Vietnamese food vocabulary. Let’s take a look at some adjectives with Jellyfish in the table below:
| English | Vietnamese | Example |
| Tasty, Yummy, Luscious, Delectable, Delicious | Ngon miệng | Món này được nêm nếm rất ngon miệng (The soup that my mother cooked is tasty) |
| Savory | Ngon tuyệt | Pizza ở quán này ngon tuyệt (Pizza at this restaurant is savory) |
| Flavorsome | Đậm đà | Món xào này được sử dụng nước mắm nên rất đậm đà (This stir-fry dish uses fish sauce so it is extremely flavorsome) |
| Fresh | Tươi ngon | Mẹ tôi thường xuyên mua nguyên liệu nấu ăn ở siêu thị vì chúng rất tươi ngon (My mother often buys cooking ingredients at the supermarket because they are so fresh) |
| Bland | Nhạt nhẽo | Tôi không thích ăn trứng luộc vì chúng khá nhạt nhẽo (I don’t like to eat boiled eggs because they are quite bland) |
| Overcooked | Nấu quá chín | Miếng bít tết này bị nấu quá chín nên không còn ngon như ban đầu (This steak is overcooked so it’s not as good as it was originally) |
| Tender | Mềm | Trẻ em trong giai đoạn tập ăn nên ăn các món mềm, dễ nuốt (Children in the period of learning to eat should eat tender, easy-to-swallow foods) |
| Mild sweet | Ngọt thanh | Mẹ tôi rất thích ăn chè ở đây vì chúng ngọt thanh và dễ ăn (My mother loves to eat tea here because they are mild sweet and easy to eat) |
| Bitter | Đắng | Em trai tôi không thích ăn socola đen vì chúng rất đắng (My brother doesn’t like to eat dark chocolate because they are very bitter) |
III. Some typical Vietnamese dishes – Vietnamese food vocabulary
The food culture of Vietnam is not only familiar to locals, but it is also a mandatory “procedure” for foreign tourists when visiting Vietnam. Let’s explore typical dishes with Jellyfish that you must try when coming to Vietnam!
1. Bún bò Huế
Huế style (hot and spicy) served with beef, broth, blood and pork.
2. Phở
Noodle soup served with various cuts of beef and onions. Often eaten with basil, mint, lime, and bean sprouts.
3. Bún chả
Vermicelli noodles with grilled pork meatballs served over salad, herbs, bean sprouts, and sliced cucumbers.
4. Cơm tấm
Warm broken rice often served with a slab of grilled pork chop marinated in sugar and fish sauce (sườn), a slice of steamed pork loaf topped with egg yolks (chả trứng hấp), and a mixture of pork skin and thinly shredded pork (bì).
This is a typical Southern dish, sold in many restaurants from sidewalks to spacious restaurants.
5. Bánh chưng
‘Bánh chưng’ is an indispensable part of Vietnamese New Year’s Day, used to express the gratitude of descendants to ancestors, to heaven and earth. Ingredients for making banh chung include: glutinous rice, pork, beans, dong leaves.
In addition, there are many other very unique dishes such as: Bánh xèo (Xeo Cake), Bún riêu, Bánh mì,… You should definitely try it if you have a chance!
IV. Some conversation using Vietnam food vocabulary
Here are some dialogues you can use to say when you want to buy food, order food using the Vietnamese food vocabulary above. Please try to refer to:
a. Buying foods
- Người bán hàng: Chào chị, chị muốn mua gì ạ? (Hi. What do you want to buy?)
- Người mua: Tôi muốn mua một ít rau. (I want to buy vegetables)
- Người bán: Chị muốn mua rau gì ạ? (Which one?)
- Người mua: Tôi muốn mua rau muống, rau cải và 1kg khoai tây (I want water morning glory, cabbage and 1 kilogram of potato)
- Người bán: Chị còn muốn thêm gì nữa không? (Anything else?)
- Người mua: Cho tôi thêm 2 quả dừa và 1kg mận (Two coconuts and 1 kilogram of plums please)
b. In the restaurants
- Nhân viên: Chào anh, anh muốn order món gì ạ? (Hi guys, what would you like to order?)
- Nam: Cho em 1 suất cơm rang (Give me 1 serving of fried rice please)
- Vũ: Cho mình 1 tô Bún Bò (One bowl of ‘Bún bò’ please)
- Nhân viên: Dạ, đồ ăn sẽ có sau 5 phút nữa ạ. (Yes sir. Wait me for 5 more minutes)
When food is ready:
- Nam: Wow… Trông thật ngon mắt! (Wow…This dish looks so delicious)
- Vũ (Try 1 spoon of broth): Ngon thật đấy! (Extremely yummy!)
c. Inviting friends to eat
- Nhung: Đi ăn phở không? (Do you want to eat ‘phở’?)
- Hoa: Mình vừa ăn hôm qua rồi (I just ate yesterday).
- Nhung: Vậy ăn Bún chả không? (What’s about ‘Bún chả’?)
- Hoa: Ừ, được đấy! mình biết một quán rất ngon (Yeah, it’s OK! I know a very good restaurant).
On arrival at the restaurant:
- Hoa (Talking to waiter): Cho chị 2 suất Bún chả nhé! (Give me two servings of ‘Bún chả’ please!)
- Waiter: Dạ vâng ạ, chị chờ quán một chút nhé! (Yes, please wait for a while!)
After meal:
- Hoa: Bạn thấy ngon không? (Did you find this dish delicious?)
- Nhung: Khá ngon! Nước chấm rất đậm đà nhưng hơi ngọt (Pretty delicious! The dipping sauce is very flavorsome but a bit sweet)
Above are some Vietnamese food vocabulary about the most common food that surely foreign tourists will have to use when talking with native speakers. Because incorrectly read words cause misunderstandings for listeners, you must practice speaking regularly to be able to use them fluently and avoid confusion when speaking.
If you are looking for a comprehensive Vietnamese course that will help you communicate with native speakers naturally and understand more about Vietnamese culture. Please refer to the special courses at Jellyfish Viet Nam.
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Source: Learning Vietnamese Education
