Five Vietnamese noodle dishes in TasteAtlas's Asia Meat Soups Top 66—regional gaps from Pho bo at No. 6 to Sapa black-chicken hotpot at No. 53

The food-culture rating siteTasteAtlasupdated on April 28, 2026, its"Top 66 meat soups in Asia,"in which Vietnamese noodle and soup disheslandedfive entries. Amid Sinophone beef noodles and ramen dominating the upper ranks, the Vietnamese contingent, led byPho bo (beef pho) at No. 6,spans the northern-stylePho bo tai chin at No. 11,、Pho ga (chicken pho) at No. 15,、Mien ga (chicken with glass noodles) at No. 32,and Sapa'sLau ga den (black-chicken hotpot) at No. 53,reflecting regional differences across the north, south, and mountainous areas directly in the ranking.VnExpress InternationalandVietnam+Based on local reporting, we lay out the features and regional character of the five dishes.

Pho bo at No. 6—the world standard of "beef pho," differing between north and south

Though not No. 1, coming in high at No. 6,Pho bo (beef pho)is a symbol of Vietnamese cuisine. TasteAtlas introduces it as"a beef-bone broth accented with cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and coriander seed,"noting clearly that toppings differ greatly between the Hanoi northern style and the Saigon southern style.

In the south,bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime, hoisin, and srirachaare served on the side, and it's standard for the diner to adjust to taste. In the north, the custom is to keep toppings to a minimum and enjoy the delicacy of the broth.From family-run shops like Pho Ly Quoc Su, visited by South Korea's president,to Saigon's large chains,Phở 24the diversity by region and by venue is also an evaluation point.

Pho bo tai chin at No. 11—the Hanoi-style "rare + well-done" two-sword approach

At No. 11,Pho bo tai chinis Hanoi's signature style. Two kinds of beef—"tai" (thinly sliced rare meat)andand "chin" (well-simmered well-done meat)—are heaped into one bowl, and hot broth is poured in front of the diner to cook the rare meat to medium-rare.

At Hanoi's pho shops, it's standard to servequay (fried dough)on a separate plate. The culture of dipping it in the broth is unique to the north and isn't common in the south. TasteAtlas highly rates"the cooking experience completed tableside,"ranking it in its own category as a class apart even among all pho.

Pho ga at No. 15—"chicken pho," born on 1930s market closing days

At No. 15,Pho ga (chicken pho)is characterized by"a light, mild chicken broth"accented with ginger, shallots, and fish sauce. According to TasteAtlas's explanation, it's said that in the 1930s, because"there were days of the week when beef couldn't be bought at market,"chicken pho spread as a substitute.

In Hanoi,『Phở Gà Lâm』『Phở Gà Mai Anh』and others are known as traditional shops, with toppings of sliced boiled chicken, lime leaves, and fried shallots. Compared with beef pho, the broth is clear, and it's loved by locals as a breakfast dish. Among Japanese tourists too, it's winning support as"gentle on the next morning's hangover,"and its support is spreading.

Mien ga at No. 32—a northern winter dish of chicken x glass noodles x shiitake

At No. 32,Mien gais a soup dish starringglass noodles (mung-bean vermicelli) and chicken.The soup addslemongrass, onion, ginger, and fish sauce,topped with chicken, shiitake, and bamboo shoots. It's often made at home as a northern winter breakfast dish.

The noodles are not rice-flour butglass noodles made from mung beans,with a slippery texture as their hallmark. At Hanoi's markets and eateries, a bowl is cheap at40,000–60,000 dong (about 235–353 yen),and you'll come closer to the authentic taste at a local breakfast shop than at a tourist-oriented venue.

Lau ga den Sa Pa at No. 53—the mountains' "black-chicken hotpot" enters the Asia ranking

At No. 53,Lau ga den Sa Pais a hotpot dish using the specialtySa Paof northern Vietnam's mountains, the"black chicken (a native chicken breed raised by the H’Mong people)."It's set over a flame at the table and eaten while simmering bamboo shoots, shiitake, ginger, and wild vegetables together.

Black chicken has black skin and flesh, and its hallmark is beingchewier and richer in flavorthan ordinary chicken. Served at restaurants in Sapa,『Hong Anh』『A Quynh』『Anh Dau』and others, tourists order it as a dish to warm the body on cold mountain nights.Combining it with trekking in Sapais a classic itinerary.

Comparison data for the five dishes (yen conversion at 1 JPY = 170 VND)

* Prices are a guide for standard shops in Hanoi and Sapa. Central tourist areas or upscale venues may cost more.

Reactions on social media and from local diners

On social media, posts boasting of"the depth of Vietnamese cuisine, with as many as five entries in the ranking,"and list-style videos of "which ranked dish to eat on the next trip" are spreading. Sapa's black-chicken hotpot was a dish little familiar to foreign tourists, but its ranking has increased mentions in overseas media, and operators offering an experience course to "eat black-chicken hotpot" on Hanoi-departing Sapa tours are emerging.

Impact on Japanese tourists

For travelers visiting Vietnam from Japan, the TasteAtlas ranking works realistically as a"list of five dishes to eat at their home ground."On a Hanoi stay, three or four days is enough to conquer the four dishes Pho bo, Pho bo tai chin, Pho ga, and Mien ga. If you add Sapa's black-chicken hotpot, a realistic plan is to slot in one night heading north to Sapa by overnight sleeper train or a Hanoi-departing express bus (5–6 hours each way).

In Hanoi's Old Quarter, combining it withCafé Giang, the birthplace of egg coffee.andTrain Streetmakes it easy to build a food-crawl itinerary of pho in the morning, a café in the afternoon, and Mien ga for dinner.

Ripple effects on the industry and tourism

The release of the TasteAtlas ranking works as a tailwind for Vietnam's tourism industry to draw in"travelers who come for the food."In particular,Sapa's Lau ga denwas, before its ranking, mainly a dish for domestic travelers, but with its inclusion in a ranking for the world's food lovers, the groundwork for drawing foreign travelers' interest is now in place. It's positioned to contribute to raising awareness of Hanoi-departing Sapa tours and mountain-cuisine courses that include black-chicken hotpot.

Vietnam's domestic food media are also translating and circulating the English original of the ranking, and a flow of sending out home-ground shop lists to overseas media is taking shape.Alongside the South Korean president's visit to Pho Ly Quoc Su,it's spoken of as a hook that boosts "broadcasting Vietnamese cuisine to the world."

Practical information for a food crawl through the five dishes

Summary: an era when multilayered food culture—north, south, and mountains—rides the world's evaluation

The fact that five Vietnamese noodle dishes lined up in TasteAtlas's Asia Meat Soups Top 66 means that Vietnamese cuisine's"regional differences across north, south, and mountains"have ridden directly onto the world's evaluation axis. Not just Pho bo, but Hanoi's tai chin, Mien ga, and Sapa's Lau ga den—we've entered an era when region-specific food cultures are valued in their own individual categories.

If you visit Vietnam from Japan, it's realistic to use the ranks as a"food-crawl checklist."With five days of four in Hanoi plus one in Sapa, you can conquer, in order and on the ground, from No. 6 to No. 53. Rather than the ranking numbers, make it a trip to experience the contours of broths that change from region to region.

Source

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