Resembling the Japanese udon noodle, banh canh, literally translated as “cake soup”, is either made with pure rice flour or rice flour mixed with tapioca, giving it a thick appearance and chewy texture. Typical topping options include pork, chicken, and seafood.

“Giant” crab banh canh in District 5

A pot of banh canh at Ba Ba comes with a ladle so customers can split the soup into smaller bowls for individual servings. Photo by VnExpress/Cao Ly.

Ba Ba (Madam Ba) eatery in Alley 84 on Nguyen Bieu Street in District 5 is known for serving their crab noodle soup banh canh in large ceramic cooking pots suitable for two to three people.

Aside from the big serving, the banh canh at Ba Ba lures patrons with its viscous orange broth enriched with crab meat, pork bones, and dried shrimp. Cashew oil and tapioca starch are added to achieve the color and viscosity.

Toppings consist of two to three slices of shrimp and fish cake, quail eggs, blood pudding, and pig skin. A portion costs VND92,000 ($4). The eatery opens from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Phu Yen garlic chive banh canh in District 10

Customers can request to have less chives in their bowl. Photo by VnExpress/Cao Ly.

A specialty of central Phu Yen Province, a bowl of banh canh covered in garlic chives at 111 Cao Thang Street in District 10 might turn some away because of its strong smell. However, garlic chives are tactfully used here to dilute the fishy flavor of the soup.

In central Vietnam cuisine, the broth for soups is usually made with seafood for a sweeter taste than regular pork bone varieties. Simple yet delicious, toppings include thick cut noodles, fish cakes, a piece of mackerel accompanied by a sweet and sour sauce on the side.

A bowl costs VND40,000 ($1.7) and VND50,000 with mackerel. The eatery also serves other Phu Yen delicacies like chicken rice, basil chicken hotpot, and tuna salad. The restaurant opens from 7 a.m. until 9.30 p.m.

“Two bowl” banh canh in District 1

A portion includes a bowl containing the noodle soup and another with the meat, giving the eatery its “two bowl” nickname. Photo by VnExpress/Cao Ly.

Every noon, the eatery at 10 Pho Duc Chinh Street in District 1 teems with customers. Even though the sign only advertises squid porridge, the joint attracts customers for its delicious rendition of banh canh.

Each serving features two bowls, one containing the soup and noodles, the other, meat. A lime, pepper, and salt dip is served on the side. Here, the soup is topped with a chicken drumstick, wing, or pig’s trotters.

Recipe for making porridge is also used for the soup and sweetened with shreds of dried octopus, pork bones, and dried shrimp.

The eatery opens from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Aside from porridge and banh canh, it also offers Vietnamese macaroni (nui), wonton, and side dishes like century egg and boiled chicken feet.

The price for a bowl ranges from VND50,000 to VND55,000, depending on additional extras.

The dish costs VND15,000 ($0.65) on average. Photo by Moon Le.

While the noodles in Saigon are thick and chewy and appear white to almost transparent, the noodles in Phan Rang Town are thinner and have a milky white color. They are made from rice powder and boiled in hot water.

The attractiveness of the dish lies in the broth, for which most restaurants seem to have the same recipe. The fish, mainly silver fish, are carefully selected from the market in the morning, and the chef separates the flesh from the bones. The flesh is used to make cakes while the bones are stewed along with pork bones to make the broth flavorful.

To make the fish cakes, the chef seasons the fish and kneads until smooth. Many restaurants have switched to machines to save time. The fish cakes are fried until golden and put on top of the noodles followed by the broth.

Chili fish sauce, which is usually pre-made, is an indispensable addition to the dish. Photo by Moon Le.

To keep the noodles from sticking to each other, the chef puts them in hot water for a few seconds before serving. A bowl consists of noodles, fish cakes, cilantro, green onion, and black pepper. The dish is served hot and presented in an eye-catching manner.

To enjoy, don’t forget to add some chili sauce and lemon slices. The softness and chewiness of the noodles is like no other.

You can also order extra fish cakes. Photo by Moon Le.

The restaurant on Ngo Gia Tu Street is one of the most famous for fish cake noodles. It is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

It is not difficult to find the eatery: Once you reach the corner of Luong Ngoc Quyen and Dao Duy Tu streets, you can hear cries of “green bean porridge” and “black bean porridge with eggplants.” Just follow the sounds.

The shop consists of just two pots of porridge and a few plastic chairs and tables. But despite the humble appearance, it’s always filled with customers who come to eat or take away.

It was opened by Ms. Oanh’s family 10 years ago. The main dish is bean porridge, a simple common dish in Hanoi, especially for the generation born between the 1980s and 1990s.

Bean porridge used to be sold commonly on the streets. Older people liked to eat porridge for breakfast after some morning exercise while young people preferred it as a light snack before dinner. Nowadays only a few places still sell this rustic dish.

A bowl of bean porridge with tofu, pickled eggplants and pickled radish costs VND24,000 ($1).

As the name suggests, the dish comprises porridge, tofu and pickled eggplants. Diners can choose between green bean and black bean porridge and can also add salted eggs and pickled radish. A regular bowl costs VND13,000 ($0.56), while one with all the extras costs VND24,000 ($1).

In the heat of the Hanoi summer, a bowl of green bean porridge is a good way to cool down. Each grain of rice is cooked until smooth and soft. Despite being on the stove all the time, the porridge is not too hot or smells burned. Since it has no seasoning, it is better to eat it with savory toppings.

The most delicious topping is fried tofu. After being fried, the tofu is marinated with fish sauce and spring onions. When serving, the chef cuts large pieces of tofu and puts them on top of the cool bean porridge.

The pickled eggplant is also a highlight of the dish. The eggplant is salted and moderately pungent. Customers can also ask for salted eggs and pickled radish. The salted egg is cut in half and placed on top of the porridge.

Crispy fried tofu marinated with onion sauce is a typical feature of the dish.

Open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, the shop is most crowded in the morning, at noon and in the late afternoon. Guests can either sit on the sidewalk and enjoy the bustle around them or take away.

The most popular combos are “green bean porridge with tofu, eggplants and egg” and “black bean porridge with tofu, eggplants and egg”.