I had nearly forgotten about the Vietnamese obsession with noodles. Virtually every dish you encounter in this country contains some sort of doughy strand. There are so many noodle options I've yet to even consume a single dish of phở, arguably Vietnam's most recognized noodle dish.
Vietnamese noodles usually take the traditional form, such as the dish shown above, mì trứng, wheat and egg noodles with chicken.
Another standard is bún bò Huế, thick udon-like rice noodles served with slices of tender beef:
But often things verge towards the unfamiliar, such as câu lầu, Hoi An's signature dish:
A mixture of light brown and slightly grainy noodles, shredded herbs and slices of pork. The dish is served without broth and is garnished with squares of the noodle that have been deep-fried until crispy.
This noodle dish, also taken in Hoi An, employed short, squiggly lengths of a clear noodle and was served with a small baguette:
And Vietnamese noodles don't even have to be noodle-like, as is the case with bánh bèo:
round disks concealed under a shrimp-based dressing, clear shrimp-filled dumplings and Vietnamese sausage.