Vietnam and the Plant-Forward Kitchen: Introduction

The plant-rich cooking of Vietnam emerged as a result of a unique combination of geographical, climatic, cultural and religious influences evolving over many centuries. This traditional cuisine stands as a cultural model for healthy, sustainable eating that very closely reflects the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) guidance of the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission.

Situated in the tropics, Vietnam has a monsoon climate with high annual rainfall and hot temperatures. Much of the country is mountainous, which together with run-off from the distant Tibetan plateau created a land of rivers. While the Red River in the north and the Mekong in the south (both with enormous, fertile deltas) are well-known vital waterways, a drive from north to south makes evident that Vietnam has one of the highest river network densities of any country in the world.

All of this makes for a rich and productive agricultural environment. Rice production yields two crops per year in the North and, commonly, three in the South. Small-holder farms throughout the country produce an enormous bounty of vegetables, herbs and tropical fruits. The rivers, along with a 2,000-mile coastline, and a robust aquaculture sector make for a substantial annual catch of fish and shellfish. Seafood is ever-present in the Vietnamese diet, though portions are typically small. Traditionally, vegetables, rice, fish, tofu and fruit constituted the typical rural Vietnamese diet with meat (principally pork) playing a more minor role. Other plant protein sources besides tofu—including peanuts and cashews; black, red and mung beans; and soy milk—are ubiquitous in the diet. This aligns with the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) imperative to move contemporary global dietary patterns towards greater reliance on plant protein.

Situated on a peninsula between China and India, Vietnam and its cuisine have long been shaped by those influential civilizations. China ruled Vietnam for roughly 1,000 years until 905 CE. Cooking methods such as steaming, frying and stir frying, and frequent use of soy milk, tofu, noodles and eating with chopsticks are just a few examples of Chinese influence. Curries, coconut milk and spices are legacies left from thousands of years of trade between the Mediterranean, Africa and South and Southeast Asia.

Buddhism, brought to the country by both Indians and later by Chinese, calls for a vegetarian or vegan diet. Today, only a small minority of people in Vietnam identify as being Buddhist, but the religion remains a strong influence on the culture and cuisine. The French colonial period, which lasted only 100 years until the mid-1950s, left important marks including the iconic banh mi bread and ca phe or coffee.

“Traditionally, fruits and vegetables were at the very core of the Vietnamese kitchen,” says Vietnamese food expert, chef and author Mai Pham. “Vegetables would typically make an appearance in several dishes at the family table—including, for instance, a brothy soup (sometimes with a small amount of minced shrimp or a single thick slice of fish), stir-fried greens with garlic, a pomelo (or other fruit) salad, and a platter piled high with mustard greens and four or five herbs for wrapping pieces of Vietnamese crepes, spring rolls, or other savory bites. If chicken, pork or beef were to be on the family meal menu, they would always be in small portions and usually never the centerpiece of the meal. Watermelon, mango, dragon fruit, papaya or longans are among the preferred fruits to round out the meal.”

Fermentation plays a key role in making plant-rich Vietnamese cooking savory and craveable. Fermented fish sauce is essential in the cuisine for enhancing flavors both during cooking and at the table. When blended with lime, chilies, garlic and a little sugar, nouc cham—a thin dipping sauce resembling a very light dressing—flavors and balances the entire meal. It would not be an exaggeration to say that nuoc mam, the undiluted fish sauce, and nuoc cham, the diluted and blended dipping sauce, are what define Vietnamese cuisine.

In contemporary Vietnamese food culture, as is the case in many countries around the world, sodium consumption can be a concern. In Vietnam, a principal source of sodium is dipping sauces that are always served on the side making it easy for diners to customize (and reduce) their usage. It is also important to note that many vegetables—boiled or raw as in “table salads”—always come to the table without any added sodium. Finally, rice in Vietnam is typically served completely unsalted.  

While plant-rich cooking is at the heart of Vietnamese home cooking, fruits and vegetables also play an integral part of urban Vietnamese street food. “Even truck-stops along the nation’s highways boast abundant vegetable options,” commented chef Mai Pham. “One wouldn’t be surprised to find, in such a place, a choice of five or six different Asian greens prepared several different ways.”

Today, as with many traditional cuisines around the world, increased consumption of meat, processed foods and sugary drinks together with a surge in urban, sedentary lifestyles has led to rising rates of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases. But the traditional, plant-rich dietary pattern and the availability and abundance of plant-sourced foods are still a defining characteristic of Vietnamese food culture.  

The cooking and photography for this Vietnamese edition of Our Cultures, Our Meals: Cooking for Planetary Health took place in and around Ho Chi Minh City. All of the menus for the featured meals are designed for a gathering of six (6) friends and family members. A few photographs of Vietnamese street food round out the story of the traditional food culture and dietary pattern.

The Plant-Forward Vietnamese Table

Plant-Forward Vietnamese Dishes

Vietnamese Markets, Street Food and Restaurants

Vietnam Edition Credits

Project producer and editorial director:  Jessie Price, consulting editor and former editor-in-chief, Eating Well magazine

Culinary director:  Mai Pham, Vietnamese food expert; chef/owner of Lemon Grass and Star Ginger; author of Pleasures of the Vietnamese Kitchen, The Best of Vietnamese & Thai Cooking and Flavors of Asia

Photography:  Penny De Los Santos

In-Country Production Management:  Quynh Nguyen, Vietnam Now Travel; Secretary General of the Vietnamese Chefs Federation

Photographed on location in Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding areas in Vietnam

Made possible by a grant from EAT and The Rockefeller Foundation

Special thanks to the talented cooks, chefs and other food professionals in Ho Chi Minh City for their time and project participation.

© 2025 The Culinary Institute of America. All rights reserved.