Throughout the country, there are three important qualities to Vietnamese cuisine: freshness, lightness, and presentation.

Vietnam's historical influences and geographical shifts have created a cuisine rich in variety and vibrant in color and freshness. It is a long skinny country stretching from Hanoi and the Red River in the north to Ho Chi Minh City and the fertile Mekong River Delta in the south. On the west, Vietnam is bordered by Laos and Cambodia, and to the north, lies China.

The food to the North, through stir-fries and noodle-based soups, shows the heavy influence of Chinese cooking. Colder climate limits the variety of spices and produce that is available, and as a result, the food is lighter and less spicy-hot than the Center and South regions. The mountainous Center, where Hue, the ancient capital of the Vietnamese kings, features a highly decorative, spicy cuisine, reflecting the pleasures of the country's royalty and the abundance of spices the region's mountainous terrian affords.

The South, is tropical, sustaining rice paddies, coconut groves, and its fertile earth makes it ideal for growing a large variety of vegetables, fruit and livestock. Given the vast areas of shoreline here, seafood is a natural staple for people in the South.

As in the rest of Southeast Asia, there is an ancient layer of Indian cultural presence, most obviously seen in the religion of Buddhism (which during the first millenium CE made its way along the Silk Road from India to East Asia). In addition, Southern Vietnam was once a common stop for Indian traders before their journey back west, and they left a taste for curried dishes behind. The French influence in Vietnam from the 16th century to the middle of the 20th century, is also reflected deeply in Vietnamese cooking: the French introduced the baguette, white potatoes, asparagus, tarragon, and shallots to this region, and they are still grown and consumed today.

Vietnam's culinary heritage combines elements from all of these celebrated cuisines. These influences have given Vietnamese food a tremendous pallete of flavors, textures and colors.