← Guides · By Ray Lei · Published 2026-11-14

How do you read a Vietnamese menu (bò, gà, bún, cơm, nướng, chiên)?

Q: What is the difference between bún and phở?

Both are Vietnamese rice noodles, but different types. Bún are round, thin rice noodles — white, slightly chewy, used in bún bò Huế, bún chả, bún bò nam bộ, and salads. Phở (or bánh phở) are flat, wide rice noodles — silkier, broader, used specifically in phở soup. When a Vietnamese dish begins with bún, it uses round noodles. When it uses phở, it uses flat noodles in a broth soup.

Q: What does cơm mean on a Vietnamese menu?

Cơm means rice (specifically cooked rice). It appears in many Vietnamese dish names: cơm tấm (broken rice, a popular Vietnamese rice dish with grilled meat), cơm sườn (rice with pork ribs), cơm gà (chicken rice), cơm chiên (fried rice). Dishes beginning with cơm are rice dishes — the cơm tells you the starch base. Cơm trắng means plain steamed rice (white rice).

Q: What does nướng mean on a Vietnamese menu?

Nướng means grilled — cooked over direct heat (charcoal grill, gas grill, or griddle). It appears in dish names like bún chả (grilled pork with rice noodles — chả means grilled pork patties), tôm nướng (grilled shrimp), sườn nướng (grilled pork ribs), cá nướng (grilled fish). Dishes with nướng in the name involve charcoal or grill-cooked protein, often with a sweet-savory marinade.

Q: What is the difference between chiên and xào?

Both are cooking methods involving heat and oil, but different techniques. Chiên means fried — submerged in oil (deep-fried) or pan-fried with a significant amount of oil. Cơm chiên = fried rice. Đậu hũ chiên = fried tofu. Xào means stir-fried — cooked quickly in a hot wok with a small amount of oil. Rau muống xào tỏi = morning glory stir-fried with garlic. The main difference is oil volume and cooking speed: chiên uses more oil; xào uses less.

Q: What does chay mean on a Vietnamese menu?

Chay means vegetarian in Vietnamese. Dishes or restaurants labeled chay serve vegetarian or vegan food. A section of a menu labeled 'món chay' (vegetarian dishes) or a restaurant advertised as 'cơm chay' (vegetarian rice restaurant) will offer plant-based options. Vietnamese Buddhist vegetarian cooking is well-developed and widespread, particularly in central Vietnam. Chay dishes typically omit meat, fish sauce (nước mắm), and sometimes strong aromatics.

Vietnamese dish names follow a pattern: starch base + protein + cooking method. Cơm = rice. Bún = round noodles. Bò = beef. Gà = chicken. Nướng = grilled. Chiên = fried. Once you recognize the component words, most Vietnamese menu names become decodable. This is a focused vocabulary reference — for the full guide see the Vietnamese menu reading guide.

Vietnamese menus are more systematic than they first appear. A dish like cơm sườn nướng (grilled pork ribs with rice) is exactly what the words say: cơm (rice) + sườn (pork ribs) + nướng (grilled). Once you know the building blocks, you can decode most Vietnamese dish names from the words alone.

The vocabulary falls into three main categories: proteins (what the dish contains), starches (the base — rice, noodles, bread), and cooking methods (how it is prepared). This guide organizes 25 key terms into these three categories, plus a small additional set of common menu labels.

Vietnamese menu vocabulary: 25 key terms

Proteins

Vietnamese	Meaning	Example dish
Bò	Beef	Phở bò (beef pho), bún bò Huế (spicy beef noodle soup)
Gà	Chicken	Phở gà (chicken pho), cơm gà (chicken rice)
Heo / Thịt lợn	Pork (heo = Southern Vietnamese; thịt lợn = Northern)	Sườn heo nướng (grilled pork ribs)
Tôm	Shrimp / prawn	Tôm nướng (grilled shrimp), bánh tôm (shrimp fritter)
Cá	Fish	Cá kho tộ (caramelized fish in clay pot)
Mực	Squid	Mực chiên giòn (crispy fried squid)
Bò viên	Beef meatballs	Phở bò viên (pho with beef meatballs)

Starches

Vietnamese	Meaning	Notes
Cơm	Rice (cooked)	Dishes beginning with cơm are rice dishes: cơm tấm, cơm chiên
Bún	Round rice noodles	Thinner, round; used in bún chả, bún bò Huế, bún đậu
Phở (bánh phở)	Flat rice noodles	Wide, flat; used specifically in phở soup
Bánh	Bread / cake / pastry / flatbread	Bánh mì (baguette sandwich), bánh xèo (sizzling crepe), bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls)
Miến	Glass noodles (mung bean or sweet potato)	Clear, slippery noodles; miến gà = glass noodle chicken soup
Mì	Egg noodles (yellow noodles)	Wheat-based; different from rice noodles; mì xào = stir-fried egg noodles

Cooking methods

Vietnamese	Meaning	Example
Nướng	Grilled	Thịt nướng (grilled meat), tôm nướng (grilled shrimp)
Chiên	Fried (pan-fried or deep-fried)	Cơm chiên (fried rice), cá chiên (fried fish)
Xào	Stir-fried	Rau muống xào tỏi (morning glory stir-fried with garlic)
Hấp	Steamed	Bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls), cá hấp (steamed fish)
Luộc	Boiled	Thịt luộc (boiled pork), rau luộc (boiled vegetables)
Kho	Braised / caramelized	Cá kho tộ (caramelized fish in clay pot), thịt kho trứng (pork braised with eggs)

Common menu labels

Vietnamese	Meaning	Notes
Đặc biệt	Special	House special or combination; ordering đặc biệt usually gets you the full combination of toppings
Hôm nay	Today	Mon hôm nay = today's dishes; seasonal or daily specials
Chay	Vegetarian	Món chay = vegetarian dishes; cơm chay = vegetarian rice restaurant
Gỏi	Salad / fresh rolls	Gỏi cuốn = fresh spring rolls (not fried); gỏi gà = chicken salad
Lẩu	Hot pot	Vietnamese hot pot; lẩu bò = beef hot pot; lẩu hải sản = seafood hot pot
Cuốn	Rolled / wrapped	Gỏi cuốn = fresh spring rolls; bò cuốn lá lốt = beef wrapped in wild betel leaf

Practical notes

Cơm tấm is a southern Vietnamese specialty worth knowing. Cơm tấm (broken rice) is a popular Vietnamese dish: steamed broken rice served with grilled pork chop (sườn), shredded pork skin (bì), steamed egg meatloaf (chả trứng), and cucumbers. The word tấm means broken — cơm tấm originally used imperfect grains of rice and became a beloved southern Vietnamese staple.
Bánh mì is a category, not just one sandwich. Bánh mì literally means bread (from the French baguette). Bánh mì thịt = pork sandwich. Bánh mì chả cá = fish cake sandwich. Bánh mì chay = vegetarian sandwich. The word bánh mì followed by an ingredient word describes which filling is in the baguette.
Nướng vs. chiên vs. kho are the key cooking method distinctions. Nướng = grilled (dry heat, charcoal), chiên = fried (oil), kho = braised in a sweet-savory sauce. These three produce very different results and are worth knowing when choosing a dish.
Mì (egg noodles) contains wheat. Unlike bún, phở, and miến, mì noodles are made from wheat flour and eggs. If you are managing a gluten sensitivity, avoid dishes with mì and confirm the noodle type.
To scan a Vietnamese menu and see what each dish contains before ordering, ChefBear can help translate Vietnamese menus and explain each dish.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between bún and phở?

Bún are round, thin rice noodles used in bún chả, bún bò Huế, and noodle salads. Phở (bánh phở) are flat, wide rice noodles used specifically in phở soup. When a dish begins with bún, it uses round noodles; phở indicates flat noodles in broth.

What does cơm mean on a Vietnamese menu?

Cơm means cooked rice. Dishes beginning with cơm are rice dishes: cơm tấm (broken rice), cơm chiên (fried rice), cơm gà (chicken rice). Cơm trắng means plain steamed white rice.

What does nướng mean on a Vietnamese menu?

Nướng means grilled — cooked over direct heat. It appears in dish names like bún chả (grilled pork with noodles), tôm nướng (grilled shrimp), and cá nướng (grilled fish). Nướng dishes often have a sweet-savory marinade with charcoal smokiness.

What is the difference between chiên and xào?

Chiên means fried (deep-fried or pan-fried with significant oil). Xào means stir-fried (quick, high-heat wok cooking with minimal oil). Cơm chiên = fried rice; rau muống xào tỏi = morning glory stir-fried with garlic.

What does chay mean on a Vietnamese menu?

Chay means vegetarian. Món chay = vegetarian dishes; cơm chay = vegetarian rice restaurant. Vietnamese Buddhist vegetarian cooking is well-developed. Chay dishes typically omit meat and fish sauce.