Banh canh, the thick noodle nobody warns you about
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Every Vietnamese noodle a visitor meets first is thin. Banh canh is the exception: a thick, slippery, chewy noodle in a broth that thickens while you eat it, sold in four or five versions that have almost nothing else in common.
What makes banh canh different?
The dish is built on a thick noodle of tapioca starch, rice flour or both, cut short and closer in bite to udon than to anything else in Vietnamese cooking. The noodles shed starch into the broth, so the soup thickens as it stands.
The thickness of the noodle is the whole dish. A bowl eaten slowly is a different, heavier thing by the end, which is either the appeal or the objection depending on the eater.
The name describes the noodle rather than the soup, which is why the versions vary so widely. The noodle soup guide maps the wider family.
| Version | Where | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Banh canh cua | The south, especially Saigon | Crab, quail eggs, a thick orange broth |
| Banh canh gio heo | Everywhere | Pork hock in a clearer broth |
| Banh canh ca loc | Hue and central Vietnam | Snakehead fish, turmeric, chilli |
| Banh canh Trang Bang | Tay Ninh | Boiled pork, clear broth, a plate of leaves |
| Price | Street kitchens | 35,000–60,000 dong |
Which version should you order first?
Order the crab version, banh canh cua, if you are in the south. It is the richest and the most distinctive: a thick orange broth with crab meat, quail eggs and often a whole claw on top.
In Hue order banh canh ca loc instead, made with snakehead fish and coloured with turmeric, which is the version the central coast keeps to itself.
The pork hock version, gio heo, is the one sold everywhere and the safest first bowl if the others are not on the board.
Where does the Trang Bang version come from?
Trang Bang, a town in Tay Ninh province northwest of Saigon, sells its own version: a clear broth, boiled pork and a large plate of fresh leaves to wrap it with. The town is known for the noodle and for the rice paper made alongside it.
Banh canh Trang Bang is the only version where the leaves matter as much as the soup. Diners build wraps between mouthfuls, which is closer to how banh xeo is eaten than to how a soup usually works.
The road to Tay Ninh also leads to the Cao Dai Holy See, which the religions guide covers, and the two make one day out of Saigon.
What does a bowl of banh canh cost?
A street bowl of banh canh runs 35,000 to 60,000 dong, or one to two dollars at about 26,000 dong to the US dollar. The crab version sits at the top of that range and can reach 100,000 with a whole claw.
Night stalls charge less than daytime shopfronts, and a market kitchen less again. The cheap eating guide covers the gap between a stall and a restaurant serving the same bowl.
Nothing here needs booking, and almost nothing takes a card. Carry small notes, as the money guide explains.
At what hours do kitchens sell it?
Banh canh trades at both ends of the day, which few Vietnamese specialities do. Morning kitchens sell it beside pho and bun, and night stalls in Saigon and Hue keep selling it well after midnight.
The late-night bowl is the better one in hot weather, when a thick soup at eight in the morning is a commitment.
Most kitchens sell one version only, so the choice is made by which stall you walk into rather than from a menu.
Who does it suit?
Anybody who likes a chewy noodle and a thicker broth. Anybody who wants the clean, light bowls that pho and hu tieu deliver should start there instead.
Banh canh is also the easiest Vietnamese soup to eat with a spoon alone, which makes it a reasonable first bowl for children — the with kids guide covers what else travels well.
Order it once in the south and once in Hue before deciding what you think. The two bowls share a noodle and nothing else.
FAQ
What is banh canh?
A Vietnamese soup built on thick, chewy noodles made from tapioca starch, rice flour or a mix of both. The noodles release starch into the broth as they cook, so the soup thickens as it stands, which is the texture that separates it from every other Vietnamese noodle bowl.
What are the main kinds of banh canh?
Banh canh cua with crab, banh canh gio heo with pork hock, banh canh ca loc with snakehead fish from Hue, and banh canh Trang Bang from Tay Ninh, which is served with boiled pork and a plate of leaves. Each belongs to a region and none of them tastes like the others.
What is the noodle made of?
Tapioca starch, rice flour, or the two combined, depending on the region. Tapioca gives the slippery, chewy noodle most people picture; rice flour gives a softer one. Both are cut thick, closer to udon than to the vermicelli used in bun.
What does banh canh cost?
About 35,000 to 60,000 dong at a street kitchen, which at roughly 26,000 dong to the US dollar is one to two dollars. The crab version costs more than the pork one, and a bowl with extra crab claw can reach 100,000.
Is banh canh a breakfast dish?
It is eaten at breakfast and again at night, which is unusual. Morning kitchens sell it beside the other soups, and the late-night stalls in Saigon and Hue keep selling it long after the breakfast trade has closed.
How is banh canh different from pho?
The noodle and the broth. Pho uses thin flat rice noodles in a clear broth; banh canh uses thick chewy noodles in a broth that thickens from their starch. Pho is northern and singular, while banh canh is a family of regional bowls.