A Guide to Vietnamese Noodles – Educate Yourself on one of the Most Popular Dishes of the Country

This type of noodles is made using rice and is thin and white in colour. Rice vermicelli noodles are quite popular anywhere in the country and one can find them at a good luxury resort in Hoi An with examples like Anantara Hoi An Resort or restaurants by the roadside. They are generally served with meat such as grilled pork or beef, tomatoes or with tofu soups. The thickness of the noodles may vary but the differences are usually small and hard to identify. They come in two varieties, both fresh and dried. For the best taste, it is recommended that you go for the fresh rice vermicelli noodles.

These noodles are also made with rice and are quite thick, unlike the Rice Vermicelli Noodles. They are primarily used to make soup but are sometimes stirred and fried for use in dishes such as phở xào. Not limited to just that, rice sticks are sometimes made into noodles rolls which are filled with beef. Rice Sticks are also available in both a fresh form and a dried form. What you go for depends on your taste. Dry noodle can also be used to make soups but first soak them in lukewarm water for around twenty minutes.

Again, as the name implies, these are yellow egg noodles and the most common use of these are in stirred and fried dishes such as fried noodles where the meat is either squid, beef or prawns. They are also one of the most easily obtained noodles varieties on this list due to the fact that they are used in a range of Asian dishes. Because the primary use is for stir frying, it is best that you buy them in the dried form.

Made of mung beans, Glass noodles are thin and around. They are referred to with a lot of names such as cellophane noodles or vermicelli. They should not be mistaken with rice vermicelli noodles which are completely different. The most common use for them is in chicken soups but they are also used when preparing fried or fresh spring rolls. These noodles generally look grey when they are being cooked but gradually shift colours and shape to turn into a clear, pliable albeit slithery type of noodles after they have been prepared.

Made out of tapioca flour and in some cases blended with the flour and rice, these are very thick and white in colour. Looks wise, Tapioco and Rice Flour Noodles are quite similar to Japanese udon noodle. Much like glass noodles, the most common use for them is in soups. The use of Tapioco and Rice Flour Noodles is concentrated around South Vietnam and Central Vietnam.