“Don’t eat at the food stalls! You’ll get sick!”

A common refrain heard from well-meaning folks back home. The reality is that you can get ill from eating anywhere here. Sure, you don’t help your chances when the meat they slice for your bánh mì has been sitting in the sun all afternoon. But quite often you will find delicious Vietnamese specialities at the food stalls at an absolute screaming deal. As part of Jet Set Zero, this is an important factor when making dining choices. And there’s something to be said for passing by the Western restaurants and sitting down at a local food stall to watch your food being made and sampling some amazing local fare. It hasn’t steered me wrong yet.

A typical food stall in Hội An selling cao lầu, a regional speciality which includes doughy noodles, bean sprouts, fresh herbs, fried croutons and grilled pork.