There is an unwritten rule in Vietnam: if the place looks too clean and too expensive, you're probably in the wrong spot. The best things are eaten on plastic stools, in the steam of a pot simmering since 5 a.m., for the equivalent of €1.50.

This guide does not claim to be exhaustive — Vietnamese cuisine is one of the most complex and regionalized in Asia. It aims to make you want to eat, and perhaps, incidentally, to understand why Vietnamese do business the way they eat.

The essentials, in order of urgency

Bánh mì — the baguette that traveled and no longer looks like anything

The bánh mì is a Vietnamese baguette inherited from French colonization, lighter and crispier than the original. Filled with pork pâté, slices of homemade cold cuts, marinated vegetables (sweet and sour carrot and daikon), cilantro, chili and a mysterious sauce according to the vendors.

It is one of the best sandwiches in the world. This is not an opinion, it is a widely accepted fact.

The best bánh mì is found from vendors on bicycles or mopeds, often posted in the same spot for 20 years. In Hội An, the queues in front of Bánh Mì Phương (2B Phan Châu Trinh) testify to the sandwich's worldwide reputation. In Hanoi, look for small kiosks in the alleys of the old town around 11:30 a.m.

Variation not to be missed: bánh mì trứng — with a fried egg cooked in a pan, all assembled before your eyes. Average price: 15,000 to 25,000 dongs (€0.60 to €1).

Bún bò Huế — phở has a rival, and it comes from the Center

If phở is the ambassador of Vietnamese cuisine abroad, bún bò Huế is what Vietnamese eat when they really want to treat themselves.

A soup of thick rice vermicelli, in an intense beef and lemongrass broth, with slices of shank, pork meatballs and — for the adventurous — a piece of blood pork mortadella specific to Huế. Spicy, fragrant, complex.

Born in Huế, the former imperial capital of Vietnam, this soup carries all the culinary sophistication of a city accustomed to cooking for emperors. It has spread throughout the country but remains incomparable in its city of origin.

Practical tip: ask for the bún bò Huế "đặc biệt" (special) to have all the toppings. And get ready — it's spicy.

Bánh xèo — the crêpe that crackles

Bánh xèo means "crêpe that hisses" — it's the sound it makes when the batter touches the very hot oiled pan. A thin and crispy crêpe made from rice flour and turmeric, filled with shrimp, pork, soy sprouts and green onions.

The technique for eating it: you place a piece of crêpe on a lettuce or mustard leaf, add fresh herbs (mint, perilla, dill depending on the region), roll, dip in the sweet-sour fish sauce.

It is one of the most interactive and convivial culinary experiences in Vietnam. Perfectly suited to a meal shared between strangers, which is often the best way to eat in Vietnam.

Chè — the dessert category that defies Western understanding

The word chè covers an entire family of Vietnamese desserts made from legumes, jellies, fruits, tapioca pearls, coconut cream and shaved ice. A chè shop menu can have 30 items.

A few recommended starting points:

Chè ba màu (three colors): mung beans, red beans and gelatinous pandan on shaved ice with coconut milk. Fresh, sweet, very photogenic.
Chè chuối: banana and tapioca in warm coconut milk. Simple and comforting.
Chè thái: rich version with lychees, jelly, corn, durian and coconut cream. For dessert adventurers.

Chè is eaten in the street, in plastic bowls, often late in the afternoon when the heat subsides a bit. It is a social ritual.

What street food teaches about Vietnamese business

That's where I was getting at.

Vietnamese street food operates on a simple principle: specialization and reputation. A bánh mì vendor sells only bánh mì. A phở restaurant only makes phở. Sometimes for two or three generations. Quality is maintained because reputation is the only advertising that matters in a country where word of mouth travels fast.

The suppliers that CNL Sourcing works with often operate the same way. A workshop that has been making bamboo for 30 years knows how to make bamboo. It doesn't diversify, doesn't overpromise, doesn't sell you what it can't make. Business relationships in Vietnam are built on this kind of honesty — and they take time to establish, because they require that you really know each other.

Maybe that's why having someone on the ground — someone who speaks the language, who eats in the same restaurants, who understands the codes — changes everything.

Heading to Vietnam soon? Anna Nguyen can give you her personal recommendations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. And if your trip becomes a professional one too, she can arrange meetings with producers or artisans in your field. Contact us.