Vietnam table manners and traditions - Cultural tips for travelers at the table
If you have a chance to be invited by a Vietnamese person to have a meal with their family and you don't know what Vietnamese table manners are like, here are a few tips for you.
Normally, Vietnamese people have 3 meals in a day, but dinner is the most important meal for every family member to gather together and share about their day.
If you come to your friend's house for the first time, you should prepare a small gift like some cakes, some fruit or anything from your country. That's not important but it helps you break the ice in communication.
What is a Typical Vietnamese Meal Included?
Many Westerners are surprised that rice or dishes cooked from rice are included in every meal when traveling to Vietnam.
Back to many years ago, most Vietnamese people were farmers since our country relied on wet rice cultivation, rice is our staple food. Besides, they needed food containing carbohydrates to provide enough energy for a working day. Rice was commonly cooked using an iron pot placed atop a wood-fueled fire. Additionally, dried rice leaves were often utilized during the cooking process.
Nowadays, despite the development of modernization and industrialization, traditional dishes from ancient times are still passed down from one generation to another generation. Rice is often cooked in the electronic rice cooker and eaten with meat, fish, and vegetables daily. Dinner food usually has one or two main courses like stewed pork ( thịt lợn kho), boiled chicken ( gà luộc), or braised fish (cá kho); one dish of boiled vegetables (rau luộc) or stir-fried vegetables (rau xào) and one bowl of soup.
In Vietnam, having a meal is known as “ăn cơm”, or “eating rice,”. Rice is also used to cook many special dishes, and processed into rice paper, rice noodles, or fermented into rice wine. You will try all dishes from rice such as Phở (the symbol of Vietnamese food), Bánh Mì ( Vietnamese baguette), Xôi ( sticky rice), Bún ( a kind of rice vermicelli), Phở cuốn ( Spring rool)... when you have a trip in Vietnam.
Dishes are placed on a round tray
All dishes will be placed on a round tray. So, family members can sit in a circle and easily exchange information with each other. Each person has a small bowl which is filled with rice and we eat rice together with other food. When you finish one bowl of rice, ask the person who sits near the rice steamer to fill another bowl for you. Food is eaten with chopsticks, so you can have a chance to learn to use this eating utensil when coming to Vietnam. Large spoons are used to transfer the soup to your bowl. Fruits (watermelons, oranges, dragon fruits, and so on) and green tea are included as desserts after the meal.
Some Important Vietnam Table Manners to Note
1. Wait for the table arrangement before sitting down
2. Wait until everyone is ready to sit on the tray before you start eating
3. Should say " Mời cả nhà ăn cơm" (Have a nice meal)
4. Pass your bowl with both hands
5. Do not stick the chopstick against the bowl
6. Do not point the chopsticks to anyone
7. Do not dig into the dish
8. Stay until other people finish
9. Help them to prepare the meal and wash the dishes (but they never let you do it)
10. Say Thanks to the host after the meal
Please take note to have a wonderful dining experience with Vietnamese families.
