According to Helen Clark and Karryn Miller of CNN: “Vietnamese cuisine doesn't win any points for complexity. Many of the most popular dishes can be made just as well on the side of the road as in a top-end restaurant.But it's precisely this simplicity, the subtle variations by region and the fresh ingredients that keep us pulling up a plastic stool for more”.

On top of the list is Pho, one Vietnamese traditional noodle, which is described as: “This simple staple consisting of a salty broth, fresh rice noodles, a sprinkling of herbs and chicken or beef, features predominately in the local diet -- and understandably so. It's cheap, tasty, and widely available at all hours”.
Following Pho in the list are other Vietnamese unique dishes such as Cha ca (Fish Meat Ball), Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pan Cake), nem ran/cha gio (Spring Roll), Pho cuon (rolled Pho), Ca phe trung (Egg coffee), Xoi (Sticky rice)… Besides, the CNN correspondents also mention hardly-known or rare dishes from Vietnam for foreigners.

Banh xeo - one dish named in the list

For example, hardly foreigner know about Rau muong or some might call it river weed. As in the article, “that doesn't stop the masses from scarfing down platefuls of morning glory, usually stir-fried and seasoned with slithers of potent garlic”. Another stark example is Ga tan, a common dish with Vietnamese but a hidden gems with traveler to Vietnam, a kind of chicken soup “with its greenish tinge from the herbs and hunks of chicken parts, but it's worth a try if you're needing a Vietnamese tonic.” The Nom hoa chuoi (Vietnam’s banana flower salad) may also impress culinary-aholic of the unique feature.