(VOVworld) – Each ethnic group in Vietnam has its own distinctive features. The Viet food is diverse and reflects each region’s natural characteristics, production, customs and habits. VOV reporter Bui Hang looks at the Viet delicacies.

Rice and sauce are indispensable in a meal of the Viet people. Each meal consists of several dishes. Food differs by regions. Researcher of history and culture Dao Hung says: “The food of each region has its own identity, but they all share the common features of Viet food, which is distinctive and loved around the world”.

In the northern delta, including Hanoi and neighboring areas, the food is less spicy and oily than in other regions, consisting of thin sauce, various kinds of vegetables, freshwater prawn, fish, oysters and mussels. Researcher Hung says: “Hanoians eat rice with pork. Freshwater fish is preferred to saltwater fish, unlike in Hue and Saigon. The Viet people in Hanoi eat mostly meat”.

In the north, dining etiquette is important. The arrangement of a food tray, the position of eaters and the division of portions is ceremonious. The cooking process is sophisticated, from the selection of ingredients to the mixing of ingredients. Pho Hanoi (rice noodle soup) is known throughout the world.

Rice noodle with beef

A delicious bowl of Pho should have soft slices of meat and noodle and a sweet, aromatic broth.

The food of the central region is spicier and more colorful than in the north or south. As the region is located on the central coast, sauce made of seafood is very popular. Tran Thi Nga is the owner of a shop selling Hue delicacies 36C Mai Hac De, Hanoi. She says: “The people in the central region prefer pure fish sauce without adding any ingredients. The most typical sauce is shrimp paste, which is served with rice noodles and braised pork or fish as a daily meal”.

Hue cuisine, which is influenced by royal cuisine, is complicated in cooking and display. The favorite dishes are rice with oysters, fern-shaped cake, and meat rolls. Tran Thi Nga says: “Hue food is a blend of northern and southern food. Hue people prefer spicy and sweet dishes. Their main courses include rice noodles or rice like in other regions. There are many kinds of cakes: steamed rice cake filled with shrimp, fern-shaped cake, steamed thin rice pancake, and others. Hue people also prefer wraps and rolled dishes”.

Steamed rice cake filled with shrimp

Food of the southern region is sweeter than in other regions. Phan Cao Quoc Duy, the chef at a restaurant at 42 Tang Bat Ho street in Hanoi, says:“The food of the south is diverse, sweeter and less spicy. The most typical dish is hotpot with fermented fish. The typical dish of the southwestern region is a paste of fish sauce, sugar, oil, pepper and chilies served with rice crust from the bottom of the pot”.

Hotpot with fermented fish (Photo: vnexpress.net)