Bun bo Hue noodle soup - review by Rusty Compass
Hue | eating guide

Independent reviews and recommendations by Rusty Compass. No advertorial, no paid placements and no sponsored content.

Bun bo Hue noodle soup

| 15 Feb 2018
Our rating
15 Feb 2018

Bun Bo Hue is another legendary Hue dish that has been embraced all over Vietnam. It's a deliciously distinctive, spicy, noodle soup. Here are a few interesting local spots serving up Bun Bo Hue in its town of origin.

Note: The information provided in this review was correct at time of publishing but may change. For final clarification please check with the relevant service

Bun bo Hue is a spicy noodle (bun) soup with slices of beef (bo) simmered with lemongrass. The chili is what gives bun bo its distinctive bite. There’s plenty of greenery in the mix for balance too and there’s usually a little cake of congealed pig’s blood - the red wine coloured cube.




Bun bo Hue is sold all over Vietnam and all over Hue. The ingredients can vary between places too. It’s probably number 2 behind "pho" in terms of popularity in the noodle soup stakes.

We've listed just three recommended bun bo stops in Hue - but don't limit yourselves to these. They're just the places recommended to us by locals where we've spent time recently. There are plenty of other choices. And I dare not declare these as the best bun bo spots - but they have plenty of local fans.

The first is in the alley of Hung Vuong St. It's an early opener and can be sold out by 7.30AM.

Number 5 Nguyen Du St is slightly away from the tourist part of town. It's an old timer, very local and the surrounds are interesting too. The Chi Lang area is well worth exploring.

The last recommendation has a little less local cred (you may see other tourists there) but it wins on convenience. This one even has a name - Quan Cam and it’s at 38 Tran Cao Van St close by the tourist centre of town.

Quan Cam is open in the morning while 5 Nguyen Du St is open in the afternoon.


Bun Bo Hue, Alley 17 Hung Vuong St, Hue
Bun Bo Hue, 5 Nguyen Du St, Hue
Quan Cam, 38 Tran Cao Van St, Hue

Mark Bowyer
Mark Bowyer is the founder and publisher of Rusty Compass.
Support Rusty Compass
Rusty Compass is an independent travel guide. We’re focused on providing you with quality, unbiased, travel information. That means we don't receive payments in exchange for listings and mostly pay our own way. We’d like tourism to be a positive economic, environmental and cultural force and we believe travellers deserve disclosure from publishers. Spread the word about Rusty Compass, and if you're in Saigon, pop in to The Old Compass Cafe and say hi. It’s our home right downtown on Pasteur St. You can also check out our unique tours of Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney at www.oldcompasstravel.com Make a financial contribution using the link below. Even small amounts make a difference. Thanks and travel well!

There are no comments yet.