Which foods to avoid in Vietnam?

Are you going to travel to Vietnam and worried about the food in this country? Vietnamese cuisine is diverse and has been influenced by many cultures, especially French culture. There are hundreds of delicious local dishes to sample and you will experience the unique food culture when travelling. However, there are some weird and dangerous foods and we would like to share with you useful information as well as excellent pieces of advice. You might think that one of the most dangerous foods in Vietnam is balut. In my opinion, it is weird and looks terrible, balut is healthy and gets addicted. I would like to advise you that dog meat, raw blood pudding, globe fish, raw vegetables, fruits with edible skin,… if eaten will be more dangerous.

Which foods to avoid in Vietnam?

Raw blood pudding

Tiết canh is a popular and favorite Vietnamese dish of raw blood pudding, usually served with cooked meat, peanuts, herbs, and known as a great dish to eat while drinking wine. Although they can use blood from any animal to make raw blood pudding, the most common ones are made from the blood of pigs, chickens, and ducks. Uncooked animal blood contains a large number of lethally dangerous bacteria and the life of eaters could be in danger. A large number of Vietnamese people who have eaten Tiết canh, become sick and been hospitalized at hospitals in many regions of Vietnam. Some of them even die from eating raw blood pudding infected with bacteria.

Which foods to avoid in Vietnam? Raw blood pudding

Dog meat

In my opinion, dog meat has become one of the most favorite foods of Vietnamese people thanks to its special and unique taste. If you know how to cook it in the right way, dog meat dishes are great and addictive. Some of the most popular dishes of dog meat include steamed dog meat, stir-fried dog meat, grilled dog meat, dog meat sausage, dog meat raw blood pudding, and stewed dog meat with bamboo shoots. However, there is a significant threat to human health, the dog meat trade in Vietnam has been known as being linked to outbreaks of trichinellosis, rabies, and cholera. When you are not on a tour, and not at restaurants in the city, but at local houses in the countryside or visit your friends, you should ask them if a dish is cooked from dog meat.

Which foods to avoid in Vietnam? Dog meat

Globefish

Globefish has more than 100 different types, and most of them are highly poisonous. Globefishes are known as dangerous to humans, but you can enjoy their great taste. Pufferfish meat is tough, sweet, and extremely delicious. The inhabitants of Japan have eaten the meat of the dangerous fishes for centuries. However, it is not safe to eat globefishes in Vietnam. It is very hard to process and cook, nothing is ensured that a dish prepared from pufferfish is deathless in our country. Coming to a seafood restaurant in Vietnam, please check with them if it is a pufferfish dish. It is better to go with a local friend or your tour guide.

Fruits with edible skin

Although the current Government of Vietnam is improving food safety in fruit and vegetable value, a large number of these products are produced with high usage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides not safe to eat. Certainly, some of them meet the national and global standards. I would like to recommend you eat fruits with inedible skin: watermelon, avocado, pineapple, lychee, rambutan, dragon fruit, jackfruit, durian, sapodilla, custard apple, papaya, pomelo, orange, star apple, banana, grapefruit, pear,… You should peel fruits with edible skin (plum, guava, strawberry, persimmon,…) before eating.

Which foods to avoid in Vietnam? Fruits with edible skin

Raw vegetable

Raw vegetables are very popular in Vietnam, they are usually served with noodle soup dishes and wrap dishes. Many samples of raw vegetables in Vietnam were found to have a high number of pesticide residues. You should be careful when eating at street food stalls because the vegetables are not safe enough. It is recommended to tell them to blanch vegetables before eating. Fruits and raw vegetables play an important role in transmitting parasites to humans.

Which foods to avoid in Vietnam? Raw vegetable

Toad

Vietnamese people eat frog and toad meat because they are great sources of protein and zinc and are good for revitalizing the sick. However, similar to pufferfish, toad meat that is not processed properly can contain bufotoxin in the toad’s eggs and liver and cause cardiac dysfunction and even death. You might not recognize toad dishes such as toad congee, roasted toad, fried toad with lemon leaves,… If someone asks you to eat dishes cooked from toad, you should reject that offer for your safety.

Which foods to avoid in Vietnam? Toad

Uncooked seafood dishes

Raw fish or shellfish dishes are popular in Vietnam because of their great taste. Raw oyster is usually served with pieces of lemon and mustard. Salmon, scallops, mackerel, herring, shrimp, squid, and octopus are also served raw or used to cook salad dishes at seafood restaurants in the country. If you eat uncooked seafood at a qualified restaurant, it is great and safe. I would like to recommend you not try uncooked seafood dishes at the restaurants and food stalls which are untested.

Which foods to avoid in Vietnam? Uncooked seafood dishes

Tap water, block ice, side street coffee and drinks

Tap water is not safe to drink directly in Vietnam. Bottled water from well-known manufacturers and suppliers is a great choice for foreigners in the country. Dirty block ice is popular in many regions so you should avoid consuming any drink with block ice.

Battery-powered coffee mixture (low-quality coffee mixed with battery powder) causes harm to the nervous system, bones, teeth, and liver,… You should try Vietnamese coffee at coffee shops operated by well-known coffee chains and trusted coffee shops instead of sidewalk drink stalls or beverage trucks. Similarly, drinks such as tea, bubble tea, lemon tea, and juices at these places are made from cheap and substandard ingredients.

Which foods to avoid in Vietnam? Low-quality coffee mixed with battery powder on the street

Pre-peeled coconut at coconut truck (or three-wheel vehicle selling coconut)

Bad sellers usually peel coconuts or slice coconuts around their heads, then soak them in specialized liquids to prevent the husks from turning brown, and keep the husks white and good-looking. The liquids are usually cleaning agents and highly toxic. Although the price of a fresh coconut sold on the street is cheap, do not bet on your health.

Which foods to avoid in Vietnam? Very white peeled coconut

Pho noodle soup with rare beef at untrusted restaurants and food stalls

Raw beef is popular in the country and it is one of the most favorite toppings of the famous Vietnamese traditional Pho beef noodle soup. It is very dangerous because it can contain disease-causing bacteria, including salmonella and also beef tapeworm eggs.

Which foods to avoid in Vietnam? Pho noodle soup with rare beef

Summary of Which foods to avoid in Vietnam

Although the medical system in Vietnam has gone through several development stages, you can find a good place to treat you. Sickness can ruin your trip to the country and you can easily protect yourself and other members of your group from disease and death by avoiding eating dangerous foods. We recommend that you always consider the dishes served to you. Except for the listed foods and drinks, you should be careful before eating snails which may contain worm eggs. Cold foods including Vietnamese sausage (giò), and sauces used to fill Banh Mi can be infected with salmonella. Meat can be marinated with substandard sauces before grilling. Like in many other countries in the world, food hygiene and safety in Vietnam is a “long story”, you should learn about eating places before choosing to have meals or go to eat with local people. If you go on a tour, it is rather safe. In case you would like to join a Vietnam street food tour, you should book with a reliable tour agency.

Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information about the packaged tour options, day trips in Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City food motorbike tours at the best prices for your group