Vietnamese food is famous all around the world for its diversity in tastes and the flexibility in the way of cooking it. It doesn't make people bored and because of the low fat in the ingredients, you cannot easily gain extra weight.

Owning to the geographic stretch from the north to the south of Vietnam, the climate changes a great deal from tip to toe of the country, therefore, each region has its own special eating and drinking culture. Traveling from the north to the south to taste the food in every region is a special type of tourism in Vietnam and attracts millions of visitors each year. Everyone coming back from this type of eating-and-drinking trip claims that it is one of the best experiences in their lives and they look forward to visiting Vietnam again.

The featured characteristic of Vietnamese food is the use of spices. By mixing many kinds of spices, Vietnamese food is tasty, unique and irreplaceable. Beside the use of some common spices like salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, chilli, lemon, onion, etc, Vietnam also has its unique spices. They are a selection of sauces, which vary from region to region and are made from many kinds of fish, shrimps, squid, etc. In addition, hundreds of vegetables, nuts and bulbs are also used as spices for kinds of traditional food, which creates a typical and unique taste and smell.

Vietnamese food often requires much time and effort in preparation. A good Vietnamese cook has to have a good memory as well because every dish requires different types of sauces and spices. Ingredients for each dish are often complicated and it's hard to remember all of them, especially for traditional dishes. Every dish has its own complementary sauce and a Vietnamese cook has to remember all of those, which is sometimes not an easy task.

Nowadays, Vietnamese people have busier and busier lives so they simplify the process of cooking to save time and effort. Ingredients for Vietnamese food are now simpler and easier to find. However, there's always something unique and typical in every Vietnamese dish, which remains in your memory for a long time and reminds you to come back to Vietnam.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Food