Vietnam Food Atlas

Hanoi Rice Noodles with Tofu and Fermented Shrimp Paste

The most off-putting, most addictive bite in all of Hanoi
📍 Hanoi・Old Quarter, Hoàn Kiếm District (Phất Lộc Alley)🏆 Signature tier・Noodles🇻🇳 Named one of Hanoi's ten must-try dishes by Vietnam's tourism board

Golden, crispy-fried tofu, plump rice vermicelli, a few slices of braised pork and offal, all dipped into a small saucer of intensely funky fermented shrimp paste — for Taiwanese travelers, this dish is a textbook case of smelling off-putting and tasting addictive, and it's Hanoi street food's most honest sensory test.

What this dish is

Bún đậu mắm tôm is a straightforward combination: chunks of fried tofu (đậu), a bed of blanched rice vermicelli (bún), served alongside a portion of pork-based sides (commonly braised pork belly, fried intestines, or fried blood sausage, depending on the shop) and fresh herbs — but everything really centers on that one small saucer of shrimp paste. It's made by whipping fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm) with sugar, chili, lime juice, and a touch of hot oil until foamy; its aroma is intense and unmistakable, and it's both the soul of the dish and its biggest barrier to entry.

Vietnam's official tourism board (vietnam.travel) lists this dish as one of Hanoi's ten must-try dishes. The old shops in Phất Lộc Alley have been operating for over 20 years and are a cluster repeatedly recommended by local food media.

How to eat it like a local

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Dip both tofu and pork in the pasteEvery piece of tofu and pork should get a dip in the shrimp paste before it goes in your mouth — eating them plain misses the whole point of the dish.
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Herbs cut the richnessThe fried items are on the oily side, so the herbs and greens on the plate are there to cut through it — eat them alongside your bites rather than as an afterthought.
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Swap in fish sauce if you're squeamishThe shrimp paste has a strong smell, and it's the bite Taiwanese travelers most often hesitate over — yet also most often end up loving. If it's genuinely too much, ask the shop to swap in fish sauce (nước mắm) for a milder flavor.
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Dip the noodles in the sauce tooThe vermicelli itself is flavorless — the point is to soak it in the shrimp paste and braising juices, not eat it plain like a bowl of rice.

The anchor shop and other essential stops

Bún Đậu Trung Hương (49 Phất Lộc Alley) has operated in this alley for over 20 years and is one of the shops repeatedly recommended across local food media. Phất Lộc Alley itself has become known among Hanoians as 'tofu noodle alley' thanks to its cluster of bún đậu stalls.

Another equally long-running shop in the alley, 'Hương,' is often recommended alongside it by local diners — the two have similar flavor profiles and are frequently compared. If you want to try the difference, hitting both in one visit isn't too much, since portions here aren't huge.

Local know-how

Prices and hours (verified July 2026)

  • A serving per person runs about 40,000–80,000 VND, depending on how many side dishes you add.
  • Opening hours run roughly 10:00–21:00; expect a wait during the lunch peak (11:30–13:30) and dinner peak (18:00–20:00).
  • A phrase to order with: 'Cho tôi một suất bún đậu, đổi mắm tôm sang nước mắm nhé.' (One serving of bún đậu, with fish sauce instead of shrimp paste, please.)

Tips before you go

  • The shrimp paste has a strong smell — start with a small taste and go from there; don't write off the whole dish because of the first bite.
  • Seating in the alley is mostly low stools on the roadside — that's part of the experience, not a sign of poor service.
  • Crowds peak around lunch and dinner — arriving outside those windows means less waiting.

This pungent little saucer of shrimp paste is Hanoi's most straightforward everyday flavor test — and the people brave enough to try it usually end up falling for it.

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