The world-renowned food website TasteAtlas recently updated its list of Vietnam's best snacks on 15/7. The rankings are based on 1,241 user ratings, of which 889 were validated by the system. Each featured dish scored at least 3.4/5 and represents popular appetizers and street food.

Spring rolls are a popular dish across Vietnam. Photo: Bui Thuy

Spring rolls are a popular dish across Vietnam. Photo: Bui Thuy

Spring rolls topped the list with a score of 4.3/5. TasteAtlas describes them as crispy fried rolls filled with pork, shrimp, and vegetables, a beloved dish found throughout the country.

Coming in second is grilled shrimp paste, originating from Hue. This dish consists of minced shrimp molded around sugarcane stalks and then steamed, grilled, or fried. Once reserved for special occasions, it has become a common appetizer and snack. Diners can enjoy the entire shrimp paste skewer or remove the shrimp, wrap it in lettuce, and dip it in sweet and sour fish sauce.

Grilled shrimp paste originates from Hue. Photo: Bui Thuy

Grilled shrimp paste originates from Hue. Photo: Bui Thuy

Among the top contenders is banh xeo (4.2/5), a savory crepe made with rice flour, turmeric, and coconut milk, filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts, fried until golden, and folded in half. Other favorites like fresh spring rolls, steamed buns, fried bananas, donuts, banh khot (mini savory pancakes), and banh tom (shrimp fritters) also scored 4.0 and above.

Some dishes previously featured on TasteAtlas's "39 worst-rated Vietnamese dishes" list in June, such as nem chua (fermented pork roll) (3.4/5), pho cuon (rolled pho noodles) (3.4/5), and banh can (mini savory pancakes) (3.5/5), made a comeback on the popular snacks list with improved scores.

TasteAtlas also showcased traditional sweet treats like banh cam (sesame balls), banh tieu (hollow donuts), banh it (sticky rice cakes), che ba mau (three-color dessert), and regional specialties like banh uot (steamed rice rolls), banh cong (crispy rice flour cakes), and banh hat de (water chestnut cakes).

While TasteAtlas doesn't disclose its specific rating criteria, it states that the results are compiled from verified user reviews, with mechanisms to eliminate fake or biased ratings, prioritizing feedback from users deemed knowledgeable about food.

TasteAtlas is a platform dedicated to traditional cuisine, based in Zagreb, Croatia. The website regularly updates food rankings by country and region, aiming to promote local dishes on the global culinary map.

Tuan Anh (TasteAtlas)