A bright, room-temperature noodle bowl: cold rice vermicelli topped with charcoal-grilled lemongrass pork, fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, cucumber, crushed peanuts and often a crisp fried spring roll, all dressed with sweet-and-sour nuoc cham poured over and tossed.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Bun thit nuong is a Southern Vietnamese staple and a Saigon lunchtime workhorse, a dish built to be light and cooling in the heat. Cold noodles carry the smoke of grilled pork marinated in lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce and sugar, and the whole bowl is unified by nuoc cham rather than a hot broth. Sidewalk specialists like the Chi Tuyen stall on Co Giang have run for decades on this one dish, grilling pork over charcoal through the lunch rush. Add a fried cha gio spring roll and it becomes bun thit nuong cha gio.
Common allergens: Fish, Peanuts, Soy
Tip from the editors. Grill the pork hot and fast for char without drying it out; a ridged pan or barbecue beats a low flame.
Chi Tuyen is a Co Giang sidewalk stall known for bun thit nuong, cold rice vermicelli piled with charcoal-grilled pork, herbs and a crisp fried spring roll.
Try: Bun thit nuong
Order: Bun thit nuong with an extra grilled spring roll.
Tip: Pour the whole cup of fish-sauce dressing over the noodles and toss before eating.
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