Cơm Âm Phủ, at No. 51 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, has been in business since 1916. Its signature dish is a seemingly plain plate of white rice, neatly surrounded by seven or eight side dishes - braised pork, grilled pork slices, shrimp, rolled omelet, pickled cucumber - colorful and free to mix however you like. The name 'Underworld Rice,' which sounds a little unsettling, is actually what makes it most intriguing.
A Century-Old Restaurant and a Name Still Up for Debate
The Vietnamese Wikipedia entry for 'Cơm âm phủ' confirms the dish's existence, and the restaurant has been open since 1916 - more than a century - and has been covered repeatedly by local media and travel outlets like VinWonders. Interestingly, the origin of the name 'Underworld Rice' has two different versions still in circulation today.
Two Versions, Presented Honestly Without Favoring Either
One version holds that a Nguyễn Dynasty emperor, traveling incognito, was once served the simple food a poor woman had on hand at home, and touched by her sincerity, gave the dish this striking, contrast-laden name. Another version traces back to the early 20th century, when rickshaw drivers and laborers ate late at night in dimly lit small shops, the low light resembling the popular imagination of the underworld, giving the dish its folk nickname. Both versions are oral anecdotes, and no primary historical source has been found to settle which one is correct - this entry honestly presents both versions side by side without forcing a choice.
Eating on Nguyễn Thái Học Street
- Cơm Âm Phủ is located at No. 51 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, open since 1916 - a documented century-old restaurant.
- The side dishes are varied and generous - mixing everything together delivers a fuller flavor than tasting each one separately.
- To order in Vietnamese, try 'Cho tôi một đĩa cơm âm phủ' (one plate of Underworld Rice, please).
Don't Trust Just One Version of the Name's Origin
- 'The emperor traveling incognito' and 'the dimly lit late-night shop' are two long-circulating oral versions.
- Neither story has a primary historical source to settle which is true - best treated as an entertaining piece of folklore.
- Despite the unsettling name, the dish itself is simply a hearty, homestyle mixed rice plate - nothing to worry about.
A name that sounds like a ghost story turns out to hold nothing more than the most ordinary homestyle rice plate - even in naming their dishes, the people of Hue kept a bit of ambiguous humor up their sleeve.