Amongst the world's greatest cuisines lies the Vietnamese cuisine. Fish sauce and the fresh herbs are important elements in the cuisine. They are applied in almost every dish and they play a very big role in the flavour of the dish. In fact, every dish is special in its own way and they all taste different though many of them contain fish sauce and fresh herbs. Rice is a key ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine. It is ever present at every meal and can be transformed into various dishes, prepared in various ways and can bring out different flavours.

The ingredients used in preparing this cuisine make it special. Some of these ingredients include:

• Basil: This is a ubiquitous herb, whose leaves can be used as a garnish, dropped in soups or wrapped in pancakes and many other uses

• Mint: Many varieties of mint are grown in Vietnam. Some have a lemony taste, spear minty, spicy and others are fuzzy

• Fish leaf: This ingredient has an extremely penetrating smell and taste

• Cilantro: Cilantro leaves are used to form zesty freshness and to garnish salads and soups. It is one of the ever present herbs in Vietnamese food

• Lemon grass: This is one of the unavoidable ingredients and it is somehow ubiquitous. It being used in soups, because it adds a good flavour to the soup. It is also used in making tea drinks and it can be applied in vegetable and beef dishes. It is slightly sweet and somehow pungent

• Turmeric: This ingredient adds a peppery flavour and a striking gold colour to fried foods

• Sweet potato plant leaves: Sweet potato stems and stalks are used to produce soups

• Dill: This essential ingredient is used in special dishes like Cha ca

• Bitter herb: Bitter herb is dropped into stews and applied in noodle soups. It is as bitter as the name sounds

The following is a list of some classic Vietnamese dishes:

v  Nom hoa chuoi: The thinly sliced banana flowers play a big role in this dish. They are mixed with carrots, green papaya, chicken, cilantro, salty fish source and crunchy peanuts. This gives it a sweet and spicy taste. This is a good balance just the way Vietnamese cuisine should be

v  Bun bo hue: This is comprised of rice noodles, beef and pork

v  Pho:  This dish contains boiled down animal bones, meat, rice noodles, spices and vegetables. The sauces and garnishes that come along with Pho, give you the ability to customize the dish to your taste. Some of the garnishes served with Pho include: sweet hoisin sauce, jalapenos, lime, basil, cilantro, crunchy beans sprouts and spicy sriracha

v  Goi cuon: Goi cuon is known as spring rolls in English language. These are composed of rice paper wraps that are filled with sautéed shrimp, pork, crunchy vegetables and vermicelli noodles. Gi cuon is accompanied with peanut soup. Peanut soup is one of the most served appetizers in Vietnam

v  Cunh bun: This is a crab and morning glory soup and it is one the most ever present soups at lunchtime

v  My xao bo: This dish contains noodles that are mixed with oil, onions, beef, garlic, tomatoes and morning glory. This gives a contrast of sweet and sour, as well as colour from the noodles, beef and tomatoes

v  Pho bo: Pho bo is beef noodle soup and it is a ubiquitous dish in Vietnamese cuisine. At least every cook in Vietnam knows how to cook Pho bo and it is often eaten for breakfast

Vietnamese also have food dishes for religious and holiday celebrations and some of them include:

ü  Canh Bi Ro Ham Dua: This is braised pumpkin with coconut milk

ü  Banh Chuoi Nuong: In the English language it is known as Banana cake.

ü  Tet Nguen Dan: this is the New Year's celebration in Vietnam. It offers various celebratory cuisines to match the occasion

Vietnamese cuisine is 95% composed of natural ingredients and food. This is why it is famed to be one of the healthiest and versatile cuisines on the world. The contrast in tastes, flavours and colour play a big role in Vietnamese cuisine. Everything is about balance, contrast and freshness.