Vietnamese cuisine, especially street food and local snacks sold on sidewalks or in small shops on the streets, is the top attraction for foreign tourists. Max McFarlin is no exception. He is an American traveler who has spent many years exploring Vietnam. Max takes the time to visit every corner of Vietnamese localities to enjoy the delicious and authentic specialties. On his YouTube channel with over 600,000 followers, Max also uploads many videos about his experiences with Vietnamese food.
The dishes that this American guy tries are mostly cheap and popular street food. The following dish is an example. Max comments that it is delicious and advises everyone not to miss out on it. The dish he is referring to is called “bo bia”.
American traveler Max McFarlin enjoys the sweet flavor of bo bia (Photo by Max McFarlin)
Bo Bia – A childhood snack for many Vietnamese people
When it comes to bo bia, many Vietnamese people immediately think of it as a familiar childhood snack. The dish is prepared in a spring roll form, with a thin and smooth wheat crepe on the outside, and a filling called “nhan” on the inside. There are 2 different versions of bo bia, one is sweet bo bia and the other is savory bo bia. In the North, sweet bo bia is more well-known, while in the Central and Southern regions, both sweet and savory bo bia are popular.
For sweet bo bia, inside the soft and chewy crepe, there are shredded coconut, rich and sweet flavors, and one or two crispy sesame candy bars. Finally, the vendor will sprinkle black sesame seeds on top of all these ingredients and then wrap it up. As mentioned, sweet bo bia is loved by people in the North because of its affordable price, delicious flavor, and ease of consumption. Sweet bo bia can be easily found at the gates of schools or near parks, often attracting many young customers.
Sweet bo bia (Photo from Tasty Kitchen)
Savory bo bia has completely different ingredients. The first difference lies in the outer crepe. This crepe is similar to the crepe used in dishes like fresh spring rolls, grilled rolls, etc. Inside the filling, there are eggs, dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, vegetables, and jicama… When eating, to create the perfect flavor for the dish, you will need to dip the savory bo bia in dipping sauce such as soy sauce or various kinds of sauce. From the ingredients to the way of enjoying it, you can see that savory bo bia has a richer taste compared to sweet bo bia.
Savory bo bia (Photo from Bách hóa Xanh)
Savory bo bia is the version that American guy Max McFarlin enjoys and talks about in his video. Max praises the delicious and balanced taste of bo bia. He is also impressed with the flavor of jicama and Chinese sausage inside the rolls: “The jicama has just the right amount of sweetness, it’s refreshing. Although the piece of Chinese sausage is small, it’s packed with flavor. The dipping sauce is also very fragrant and tasty.”
American traveler Max McFarlin enjoys and praises the flavor of savory bo bia (Photo by Max McFarlin)
Max is not the only one who has enjoyed and loved the flavor of bo bia in Vietnam. For example, Becky, a female British tourist, loves the name of the dish and said that it is delicious after trying sweet bo bia in the West Lake area in Hanoi. Another example is a Japanese male tourist with a YouTube channel called Kun Vietnam, who also expressed his excitement for the deliciousness of sweet bo bia after his first experience.
As mentioned above, bo bia is a popular and affordable street food that can be easily found on Vietnamese streets. Whether it is sweet bo bia or savory bo bia, the price is very cheap. The average price for sweet bo bia is around 10,000 VND/roll, while the price for savory bo bia starts from 3,500 VND/roll. Some places sell it by plate with 5-10 rolls for 15-30,000 VND.
