Alan Davidson

Vietnam

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

Vietnam has a cuisine which is delicate, complex, and sophisticated, combining the techniques of Chinese cooking with the indigenous ingredients, the light accents of French finesse, and, in the south, some of the herbs and spices of India.

Culturally and geographically, the country divides into three areas: the fertile Red River delta to the north; the long, mountainous, and rather barren highlands; and the lush Mekong River delta to the south. This tripartite division has also applied to the regional cuisines, with Hanoi, Hue, and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) being the culinary capitals.