Southern Beef Noodle: A Name Puzzle

Is Southern Beef Noodle a true innovation, or just a clever rebranding of an old recipe?

Bún Bò Nam Bộ (Southern Beef Noodle) is a dish that has captured the attention of CNN reporters Helen Clark and Karryn Miller, who included it in their list of “40 dishes you must try when coming to Vietnam”. This was not the first time that CNN praised this dish, as they had previously featured it as one of the five most special noodle dishes in Hanoi. 

Southern Beef Noodle is a newcomer to the Vietnamese culinary scene, or so it seems. Is this dish a true innovation, or just a clever rebranding of an old recipe? And if this dish has a hidden past, what was it called before it became Bún Bò Nam Bộ?

Bún Bò Nam Bộ (Southern Beef Noodle)

Let’s first taste the dish. A bowl of fresh silky rice noodles is topped with fresh herbs and lettuce, crunchy bean sprouts, tangy pickled radish and carrots, and succulent beef stir-fried with lemongrass, onion and garlic. Over this culinary treat, a generous layer of golden roasted peanuts is sprinkled. The aroma of the stir-fried onion, garlic, beef and peanuts is irresistible.

Pour a generous amount of sweet and sour fish sauce over the noodles. Don’t be afraid, this multi-taste sauce needs to soak into the noodles and their companions. Toss everything together, and take a mouthful. You’ll experience a brilliant spectrum of textures and flavors, from soft to chewy, from mild to spicy. It’s like exploring a colorful market full of exotic and enticing aromas. Enjoy!

Bún Bò Xào (Stir-fried Beef Noodle)

Most online sources agree that the Southern Beef Noodle was brought to and sold in Hanoi by someone who had enjoyed it in the South. But what is this dish called in the South?

A photo of a street vendor in Saigon 1967, taken by Daniel P. Cotts and posted on Flickr, reveals the first clue: a small clay stove and a bowl of sliced beef rest on one of her bamboo baskets, while the handle of a small frying pan peeks out from the other basket. 

User Pbro1 commented that the stove and pan were used to make stir-fried beef noodle: “Whenever a customer wanted stir-fried beef noodle, she would grab the pan, place it on the stove, sizzle the beef with onion and lemongrass, then ladle it over a bowl of fresh rice noodles and herbs.” Pbro1 confessed to having stood near these vendors and watched them cook as a kid.

An image appears in my mind of a child watching a vendor in action with fascination. It must have been a dish that was often observed, since the scene, the seller, and the cooking process were vividly recalled. I’m grateful to Pbro1 for the comment which serves as a precious clue on my quest to find the original name for the Southern Beef Noodle.

So we have learned that fresh rice noodles with stir-fried beef, herbs, and fish sauce in Saigon in 1967 were known as Stir-fried Beef Noodle. But was this dish only popular in Saigon? 

Not at all. Vinh Long province in the 1950s also had a vendor of stir-fried beef noodle:

“At 9 pm, he appears on the street. An old man in his fifties, short but sturdy and muscular, his tanned skin gleaming under the street light. He carries two baskets by a bamboo pole hanging on his shoulder. His front basket has a large bowl of sliced beef, roasted peanuts, fresh bean sprouts, herbs, and noodles. The back basket holds a stove, surrounded by small frying pans, chopsticks and spoons. ‘Who wants stir-fried beef noodle?’ His chant is strong and steady, as he balances the weight of his life on his shoulder.” (Truong Van Phu, “On the road”)

How vivid! I can picture the man like a black bronze statue come to life. His long cry echoes in my ears, carrying his patience and perseverance, like the pole on his shoulders. Truong Van Phu has given a new dimension to the bowl of stir-fried beef noodle: he adds a touch of bitterness and endurance, and a hint of sweat from hard work.

In the early 1950s, stir-fried beef noodle was also a common dish at Xa Ton market (Tri Ton district, An Giang province). Mrs. Bay, its vendor, had a unique way of cooking: “She grabbed the fat with her chopsticks and rubbed it around the hot pan. The fat melted and coated the pan. Then she tossed the marinated beef into the pan, added onions, and finally the bean sprouts.” (Luu Nhon Nghia, “The dishes of Xa Ton before 1954”) How many years of practice do you think it took her to perfect such a quick and precise sequence of actions?

Another vendor knew a clever way to lure her customers in Soc Trang province during the 1920s and 1930s: “At first, the lady who sold stir-fried beef noodle put a pan on the fire. She added a spoonful of fat and two slices of shallots. The gentle heat was like soothing music. There was a fussy eater passing by. She lured him in by adding some minced garlic to the pan. Then a handful of onions. What an aroma! When I was in Soc Trang, I always fell for her trick whenever I walked by her shop!” (Vuong Hong Sen, Talking about old days: Hau Giang Ba Thac, Tre Publishing House 2012, p. 246) 

I bet not only the writer but also you and me would be hooked by such a tasty trick.

Bò Bún 

Vuong Hong Sen additionally referred to the name of this dish as Bò Bún: “Forty or fifty years ago, there was an old street vendor on Hang Tram Street (running through Bai Xau). His Bò Bún and beef on bánh hỏi (woven rice vermicelli) always received high praise from his clients.” (cited book, p. 245) 

A century later, Bò Bún appears again in a documentary. In 2019, former CNN producer Hieu Gray wrote and directed “Quan 13” to showcase the Vietnamese diaspora through cuisine in the 13th arrondissement, Paris. The film reveals a fascinating detail: In Parisian Vietnamese restaurants, Bún Bò Xào (stir-fried beef noodle) is called “Bò Bún” (Agnes Constante, “Documentary explores Vietnamese diaspora in France through food”) This name may have been brought by Southern Vietnamese who migrated to France during its colonial rule of Vietnam (1884 – 1945).

Upon reflection, the first original name must have been Bò Bún in the beginning of the 20th century. It subsequently turned into Bún Bò Xào, and then Bún Bò Nam Bộ in Hanoi. Notably, Bún Bò Nam Bộ is popular with the Hanoinese, but Bún Bò Xào is still common in the rest of the country. 

Therefore, if one day a dashing Alain Delon or a stunning Sophie Marceau from Paris asks you to explain the difference between Bún Bò and Bò Bún, I hope you can impress them with your knowledge. That would make my day.

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