A lot of the food of Vietnam is consumed in the most public of public spheres, the street pavement. Vietnamese street food is good, and cheap. Food vendors open early for breakfast and often close by mid-morning. Others work only at lunchtime and some open later in the day, for dinner.

Most businesses are tiny: a mother with a small cart, a grandmother operating from her garage, a family with a business on the pavement, where customers sit on miniature plastic chairs that are easy to stack and move.

On the pavements of Vietnam we sit on tiny stools around small tables, and eat in the company of strangers. It’s an aspect of everyday life that is shared and experienced in public. We see and we are seen. It’s a convenient moment of rest for the busy, and makes for good people-watching for those who are not in a rush.

The plastic furniture is small and light and easy to move. Cutlery and crockery are often mismatched. But table settings are complex. There are bottles and pots of sauces and liquids. Tiny bowls filled with powders, baskets with spotted eggs, small parcels of bamboo leaves. Miniature plates full of green leaves and fragrant herbs. Thin squares of rice paper. A small bucket by the table to throw the debris in.

It is puzzling for the uninitiated. Insider knowledge is required, to know how to behave correctly. What goes where, the function of each element, in what sequence. The complexity of the table settings signify elaborate rules and rituals. Nonchalance at the table distinguishes the outsiders from the habitués and the connoisseurs.

There are different categories of street food vendors. Fixed vendors who operate from – and also, often, live in – a physical store. Sellers who work every day from the same spot on the pavement. Mobile street sellers who move around, carrying their wares on scooters or carts or on their backs. They are mostly run by women. Different vendors may occupy the same stretch of pavement at different times of the day.

It is normal to take away food and eat it elsewhere, maybe sitting in a café. Some street foods are soup-like, and are served in bowls. Too difficult to take away, they are best eaten at the table. It’s comfort food. They smell wonderful and taste good. On a chilly morning, they warm you up. And they look beautiful.

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

My Thanks To…

Thank you Greg and Keina for teaching me the what and how of Vietnamese food