Hu Tieu Nam Vang

Author : Efrain S.

The ‘street food’ type of lunch known only as Hu tieu nam vang is one you can certainly not call yourself a true Vietnamese citizen ( if you so happen to be one or descend of Vietnamese folks ) without having tried….much less a visitor to the area. Yup, as a matter of fact, you can not say you have been to Saigon, Vietnam, if you have not tried this yummy food at least one time ( and you will have many opportunities to do so while you are there in the main streets, believe me when I say it ) .

And one of the best parts of the whole thing, I might just now add, by the way, is that it is super cheap to get ( at least when you are there in the city limits ) . This is known as a ‘budget food’ out there, and it is one of the sole reasons that customers literally line up across the streets and keep the traffic blocked as it goes in and out. This food is so economically – priced and tasty that few out there can resist, and they can easily get it from a local food truck or cart out there on their way to or from work, for instance ( or, heck, even when on lunch break, he he he heh ) .

It will cost you about 22,000 Vietnamese dollars ( or VND, in technical terms ) to get a bowl, usually. And this, in our United States dollars, is about equal to only one dollar one two cents ( or $1.02, in other words ) . Now you see what all the hype is about? That’s freakin cheap, man! And sooo good in its taste….it looks and tastes like pipping hot noodles in a dish or bowl ( and you can get it mild, medium, spicy, super spicy, etc….many choices to choose from in that sense, too…the intensity you want and when you want it, ha ha ha hah ) .

Pork bones, 9 times out of 10, are used to make this soup and give it its literal ‘backbone’ ( Get it? Back bone ) of flavor and taste, not to mention a leaf known only as the kuy teav, a popular and abundant one in that country. What’s great about this soup, as well, is that you can serve it in so many different kinds of noodles that they have out there…you can really choose which noodles you’d like it with, and even mix up 2 – 3 different kinds with….super easy to make, and super flexible, all in all! No issues there.

Since this meal is cheap street food, you get what you pay for, on the other hand. There is not much protein in the bowl. That will cost extra. YET NONETHELESS, it’s still rich and tasty and can keep you going when you need a quick meal to get you through! So try it out.