Banh Cuon is on the list of “must try foods in Hanoi,” says Feed Me Travel. It’s a roll made with a “cover of very thin rice sheets and stuffed with some meat, usually pork,” typically served with a nuoc cham or dipping sauce. And a “side dish of cue or pork pies is also commonly eaten with the Banh Cuon … one of the best places for Banh Cuon in Hanoi's old quarter is the little shop Banh Cuon Gia Truyen situated at 14 Hang Ga.”.
Bun Dau Mam Tom is a “simple yet vastly popular hit” that’s one of the city's “unsung favorites,” says AFAR. “For the uninitiated, the popularity of the dish might be slightly surprising. Its components include fried tofu, vermicelli noodles, a few herbs and -- most contentiously -- mam tom dipping sauce, a stinky purple paste made from fermented shrimp.”
“Bun Bo is another popular dish to try when in Hanoi,” says Feed Me Travel. Bun means rice vermicelli and Bo is beef,and the old quarter is “a great place” to find good Bun Bo. It’s a simple dish of rice noodles with beef, “but elevated with a rich mix of seasonings and other ingredients.”