Grilled pork noodles and grilled spring rolls: the two easiest dishes for first-time visitors to Vietnam

There are some Vietnamese dishes you need to get used to (mắm nêm fermented fish sauce, mắm ruốc shrimp paste, blood pudding, balut). And there are dishes that almost no one dislikes from the very first try. The two dishes below belong to the second group.

Bún thịt nướng is a mixed bowl with no broth: fresh noodles on the bottom, fresh vegetables and sliced cucumber, charcoal-grilled pork on top, sprinkled with roasted crushed peanuts and fried shallots. Pour the sweet and sour fish sauce over and mix everything together well.

Why it's easy to eat: there's no strong fish sauce smell, grilled meat is something everyone is already used to, and the dipping fish sauce here leans sweet rather than sharply salty. The temperature is pleasant too — the dish is served cool, not something you have to slurp while piping hot.

Grilled nem takes things a step further: tender pork, grilled on charcoal sticks, eaten by wrapping it yourself. The table will be set with thin rice paper, fresh vegetables, cucumber, green banana, sour star fruit, and a bowl of rich brown-orange dipping sauce.

How to roll for beginners: spread out the rice paper, add the vegetables, place one or two spring rolls, add a slice of sour banana or star fruit if you like it tangy, roll it up snugly, then dip. Roll too loose and it falls apart; roll too tight and the paper tears — a few ruined ones at the start are normal, no one's going to notice anyway.

Price: grilled pork vermicelli 30–45 thousand per bowl; grilled spring rolls usually charged per portion, 50–90 thousand for two people.

Restaurant selection tip: stand outside and if you smell charcoal grilling, go in. Meat grilled with charcoal has a completely different aroma than meat cooked on an electric stovetop, and that's the entire difference between a decent bowl and a memorable one.