Vietnam is a real playground for adventurous foodies. Choices range from high-class hotel restaurants and power-lunch joints to street-side stalls with local specialties. If you find yourself playing charades to get your food, laughing, smiling, and squatting on a tiny plastic stool while talking to locals and eating a meal that costs pennies, you're in the right place. Wherever possible, ask locals what's good and you're in store for a fun, cultural adventure.
We list a real range in this guide, from the elegant to the funky. All but the fanciest restaurants are open early until late. Tipping is not expected but always appreciated -- just rounding up the bill to the next dollar amount is often more than enough.
Sample local rice wines and whiskeys, or Vietnam's 1,500 VND (10¢/£0.05) per glass bia hoi, a flat chilled lager beer usually served at street-side beer joints.
Fresh fruit is falling off the trees in Vietnam and good fresh-fruit juices are available everywhere. Coffee is grown throughout the region, and though local roasting processes are a bit different, local brews are delicious. Tap water is not potable in most regions, but bottled water is available everywhere; and perhaps the best advice for travel in the region is to stay hydrated. If you're thirsty, it's too late. Drink lots.
