VietFace is an English-language guide to Vietnamese food, culture and travel, written for people in Australia. We cover where to buy Vietnamese ingredients and gear here, where to eat specific dishes, how to plan a trip to Vietnam from Australia, and what the major festivals are about.
We focus on facts rather than opinions: what a dish is, where it comes from, what it costs, and where you can get it. Every data point links back to its source.
What you’ll find on VietFace
- Shop: Vietnamese pantry staples and kitchen gear (rice paper, fish sauce, phở spices, phin coffee filters). What each one is, which brands are sold in Australia, typical prices and where to buy them.
- Eat in Australia: Vietnamese restaurants organised by suburb and by dish, including regional specialties that are hard to find. We start with Cabramatta in Sydney’s south-west.
- Travel: Practical Vietnam planning for Australians: entry requirements, when to go by region, money, mobile data and getting around.
- Culture: Tết (Lunar New Year), the Mid-Autumn Festival and the food traditions behind them, plus where they’re celebrated in Australia.
Vietnamese dishes to know
Vietnamese cooking varies a lot between the north, the centre and the south. These are the dishes you’ll see most often on menus in Australia, with where each one comes from.
| Dish | What it is | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Phở | Rice noodle soup, usually beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). Northern phở has a clearer broth and few garnishes; southern phở is sweeter and served with herbs, bean sprouts, lime and sauces on the side. | North, now nationwide |
| Bánh mì | Vietnamese baguette roll filled with pâté, cold cuts or grilled meat, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, coriander and chilli. | South (Saigon) |
| Bún bò Huế | Spicy beef and pork noodle soup flavoured with lemongrass and fermented shrimp paste, served with thick round rice noodles. | Centre (Huế) |
| Bún chả | Grilled pork patties and pork belly in a sweet-sour dipping broth, eaten with rice vermicelli and fresh herbs. | North (Hanoi) |
| Cơm tấm | “Broken rice” served with grilled pork chop, shredded pork skin, steamed egg meatloaf and fish-sauce dressing. | South (Saigon) |
| Bánh cuốn | Thin steamed rice-flour sheets rolled around minced pork and wood ear mushroom, topped with fried shallots. | North |
| Gỏi cuốn | Fresh rice-paper rolls with prawn, pork, vermicelli and herbs, served with peanut-hoisin or fish-sauce dip. | South |
| Bánh xèo | Crisp rice-flour and turmeric pancake filled with pork, prawn and bean sprouts, wrapped in lettuce and herbs. | South and centre |
| Bún thịt nướng | Rice vermicelli bowl with grilled lemongrass pork, herbs, pickles, peanuts and fish-sauce dressing. | South |
| Hủ tiếu | Noodle soup with a clear pork broth, often with prawn and pork, showing Chinese (Teochew) influence. Also served “dry” with the broth on the side. | South |
| Cà phê sữa đá | Strong coffee dripped through a phin filter over sweetened condensed milk and ice. | Nationwide |
| Chè | A family of sweet dessert soups and drinks made with beans, jellies, coconut milk and fruit. | Nationwide |
Key Vietnamese words on a menu
- Bò beef · Gà chicken · Heo / Lợn pork (south / north) · Tôm prawn · Chay vegetarian
- Bún round rice vermicelli · Bánh phở flat rice noodles · Mì egg noodles · Cơm rice
- Nướng grilled · Chiên fried · Kho braised/caramelised · Canh soup · Đá ice
How we collect our information
Restaurant and product details come from restaurants’ and retailers’ own websites and menus, public data sources and linked public social media posts. Each listing shows where the information came from and when we last checked it. We don’t accept payment for listings. Spotted something out of date? Let us know and we’ll check and correct it.