Survival Vietnamese: how can you order the food in Vieatnamese? Here are some basic food items: Cơm (pronounced gum): Rice Gà: Chicken Cá (the c is prounounced like a g): Fish Bò (pronounced like b-aww): Beef Chay (pronounced like j-eye): Vegetarian Hải Sản (pronounced hi-san): Seafood Here are some meal items and useful key words: Phở (pronounced f-uh): This is a rice noodle soup with meat broth. The noodles are flat, wide noodles. Hủ tiếu (pronounce hoo th-ee-oo): A rice noodle soup with thin rice noodles. Mì (pronounced mee): egg noodles Bún (pronounced boon): vermicelli noodles Xào (pronounced sow): fried. For example if you see mì xào, that means stir fried egg noodles. Chiên (pronounced jean): fried. For example, if you see cơm chiên, that means fried rice. Nem nướng (pronounced nem n-ooung): grilled pork sausage. This is what hot dogs should taste like in the U.S. Typically served with rice noodles. My favorite way to eat them is in wraps. Rau muống xào tỏi (pronounced r-ow m-ooung sow th-oi): This is my go to dish when I don’t know what else to worry. It’s stir fried morning glory with garlic.