When you come to different countries in the world, you will have the opportunity to experience many unique cultures and novelties. One of the most enjoyable experiences is to taste everyone on the list of Vietnamese food prepared on stalls and trolleys in the streets. However, the problem of unsafe food hygiene sometimes makes us afraid, worrying about whether these foods threaten our health. And of course, none of us want to encounter the “toilet hug” situation during the trip. Here are some basic guidelines to help you enjoy street food during Vietnam vacation.
Vietnam Street Foods Tip #1: Learn about the Popular Street Foods at the Tourist Destinations before the Trip
Before each trip, you will need to find out about the specialties of the region where you will visit. Then, use the famous tourist sites to find addresses of favorite street food quarters. If you are worried that you will not be familiar with spices and the preparation of the foods there, just try dining at regional specialty restaurants in your hometown before your trip. In addition, if you are allergic to certain foods, it is important to find out what local foods are most likely to be in your destinations.
Vietnam Street Foods Tip #2: Eat When Seeing Indigenous People Eat
In every part of the world, people will eat at different times. So, besides learning about regional specialties, you also need to pay attention to the time of eating in each locality. Americans usually eat lunch at around 12 noon. But in some countries, people will not eat lunch until the next day. For example, in Spain, people usually eat lunch at 2.00 pm, while Asians will have lunch at 11.00 am. So, pay attention to outline a time frame for your daily diet. Thus, you will have the opportunity to enjoy those dishes the freshest.
Vietnam Street Foods Tip #3: Look for Food Stalls Packed with People Waiting to Buy
Asking local people is the best way to help you find good and standard foods. However, language barriers can make you have trouble communicating with local people. Therefore, you should pay close attention to looking around and look for the most queued food stalls. If there are many elderly people, women, and children in the long line is a good sign.
Vietnam Street Foods Tip #4: Look around the Counters
Sellers often process foods at stalls and trolleys. The smell of foods spreads across the streets attracted countless diners to enjoy the foods. This is also an opportunity to get a closer look at the chef’s cooking process. Pay attention to cases where merchants collect money and then use their hands to process foods, or use the knife without cleaning. Besides, you should not go to overly dishes stalls because the ingredients may not be fresh.
Vietnam Street Foods Tip #5: Be Careful when Using Knives & Spoons
Some stalls have disposable knives and disposable dishes for sale. While in other places, other sellers often put plastic pipes and cutlery that has been washed several times for use by guests. To avoid knives, spoons and unhygienic cleaning, you will need to bring disposable tissues or even carry knives, forks, and spoons with you to enjoy foods more comfortable.
Vietnam Street Foods Tip #6: Queue in Crowded Stalls
The street food stalls are always crowded so that the foods they sell will not be left many opportunities for bacteria to grow. Maybe with a hungry stomach after a day of wandering, you will not be afraid to go to a deserted stall next to a crowded stall, but be patient so you can get the best foods.
Vietnam Street Foods Tip #7: If the Water Source is not Clean, Avoid the Salad
If you go to some restaurants and see the water is not clean, you will not drink the water or pick out all the ice out for your health, but then again still enjoy delicious fresh strawberries or salad as a solution instead of drinking water? Do you think that water is also used to wash vegetables to make your salad? So, to be safe, ignore all the raw vegetables when you find out there is no clean water to wash, eat only cooked vegetables or thick peeled fruit and peel before eating it.
Vietnam Street Foods Tip #8: Trust in Intuition
Not sure if this dish is safe, or see, smell that it cannot eat, it is best not to eat when in doubt. Of course this is not entirely true, but nonetheless, it is more comfortable than to “close your eyes” and have diarrhea on your trip, or worse, end your trip just because of some street foods. In addition, different countries have different ways of food processing, do not need to completely ignore everything, then trust your intuition!
Enjoying street foods is an indispensable activity on any trip, as food is also a cultural expression of customs, traditions of the land, the country where you come. Just know these tips above, you will definitely dare to try all delicious foods around the world.
