And the best thing I ate in Vietnam was...
An overnight train carried us from Hanoi to Huế, home to my favorite Vietnamese noodles ever. Bún bò Huế, or spicy beef noodle soup, showcases the wonderful parts of phở, like toothsome noodles, fresh herbs, and an addictive, savory broth. What differentiates it from phở and makes it special, are the meatballs and deeply flavorful spicy beef broth.
As a lover of all things spicy, beefy, and noodly, it just doesn’t get better than this.
Right after boarding the train to Huế, I overheard familiar American accents. “Murica!” I thought excitedly. Realizing they were in the cabin right next-door, I popped over and said “Hi!” The couple was from Georgia and in their early thirties, and the first thing I noticed was their HUGE case of beer. Definitely more than two people could reasonably consume in 12 hours. They weren’t just prepared for an overnight rain; they were prepared to paar-taay🍻They kindly offered me a beer as we chatted about local brews and what it’s like to be an American traveling through Vietnam.
One of the English men on my tour noticed my brewski and decided to join our conversation. He immediately started asking the American guy pointed political questions... In my experience, English people are generally reserved and polite. I’d been in close quarters with my tour group for several days and no one had asked me anything about current politics. Frankly, it surprised me. For the first time in four days, I heard people debate American politics.
The train was no frills but that’s part of the excitement. I listened to a podcast as the swaying train rocked me to sleep. It was an amazing way to travel across Vietnam.
Upon arriving in Huế I practically leapt off the train. I was ready for noods. Lots of them. That’s when we finally got to sample what became my favorite dish in Vietnam. Our guide led us to an open-air restaurant that specialized in one thing: a big bowl of steaming noodles. Perfect.
This dish was hands down one of the best things I ate in Vietnam. Just look at the succulent slivers of beef. The bright green chives, like a cheerful sprinkling of onion-flavored funfetti. The soft noodles cooked to perfection. And the orange-colored chili oil floating on top always signals flavor. Finish it off with a plate of fresh herbs, lettuce, crunchy mung beans, and a squeeze of lime and that, my friends, is perfection in a bowl. Heaven.
I also loved the two meatballs, both completely different from one another. It’s hard to pick a favorite. On the one hand, the spicy crab meatball offered a welcome bite of seafood in an otherwise beef-heavy broth. But the ground beef meatball was equally good. Soft and tender.
And, in case the broth wasn’t spicy enough, we had not one but TWO chili condiments to choose from 🌶🌶 Ugh, so good.
After spending twelve hours on a train, this was exactly what I needed. The bún bò Huế revived me. Might as well rename it the elixir of life.
Surprisingly, the other people on the tour were not into it. They complained the dish was too spicy, too hot, too everything. They sat, annoyed, and stared at their noodles as the guide and I gulped ours down. Honestly, I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t appreciate this dish. This intriguing, balanced, and comforting bowl of noodles was a perfect end to a long cross-country train ride. Their reactions are a good reminder that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And that it’s ok to not like something when you travel. Maybe a dish is not your cup of tea, and that’s totally fine. More noodles for me!!
