CNN suggests street dishes visitors should try in HCM City

CNN gives a hint about street dishes that every visitor should not miss when they come to Ho Chi Minh City, including banh cuon, banh xeo, be thui, goi cuon and bun bo Hue.

Originally from the north of the country, banh cuon is as fun to eat as it is to watch being made.

Turmeric powder, not eggs, lend this iconic southern dish its yellow color. Banh xeo is named for the sizzling sound its batter makes on the skillet.

Cut into thin slices, be thui can be eaten with Vietnamese coriander, sliced starfruit and green banana, all wrapped in rice paper and dipped in fermented shrimp paste.

Goi cuon-Vietnamese spring roll, not to be confused with its fried cousin, is a popular appetizer commonly made with slices of pork belly, shrimp, cold vermicelli noodles, and veggies like lettuce, mint and chives.

Bun bo Hue is made of vermicelli, generous slices of beef shank and a broth in which lemongrass and shrimp paste are the star players.

The rice noodles in Hu tieu Nam Vang are thinner and more delicate than pho noodles, the broth is made with pork bone, and all of that is dressed with shrimp, pork liver, quail egg and green onion.

Steamed or sautéed in tamarind sauce, fried or boiled in coconut milk, snails are an especially loved after-hours snack in Saigon.

A recent street food invention from Ho Chi Minh City, banh trang tron, literally "rice paper mixture," is basically strips of rice paper served salad-style with ingredients like quail eggs, julienned green mango and calamansi juice.

VOV/ Photos (CNN)