Vietnam - by Anaïs Ca Dao Van Manen (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The ultimate celebration of Vietnamese cuisine, featuring 445 beloved traditional dishes from home kitchens across the country

More than just pho and bánh mì, Vietnamese food is a rich and diverse tapestry of flavors, techniques, and customs. Vietnam: The Cookbook is a definitive deep dive into this vibrant cuisine, featuring more than 400 authentic home-cooking recipes - each faithfully captured, rigorously tested, and presented with clear, step-by-step directions.

Organized by the method and style in which they are traditionally prepared and enjoyed, recipes range from appetizers, snacks, salads, and sandwiches to grilled dishes, stir-fries, wraps and rolls, hotpots, noodles, rice, broths, and desserts, as well as pickles, sauces, and other pantry staples. Dishes include familiar favorites, such as Summer Rolls and Grilled Pork with Vermicelli, alongside lesser-known gems, including Chicken and Banana Blossom Salad, Savory Sticky Rice and Mung Bean Dumplings, Sauteed Baby Clams with Rice Crackers, Coconut Pandan, and Baked Palm Sugar Honeycomb Cake.

Author Anaïs Ca Dao van Manen travelled across the country, from the bustling streets of Hanoi to the highlands of Hà Giang, to learn from local cooks, discover unique ingredients, and master classic techniques. Every dish in Vietnam: The Cookbook is infused with her firsthand experience, deep respect for tradition, and love for Vietnamese food.

Beautifully illustrated with stunning photography shot on location, this expansive, authoritative recipe collection invites home cooks around the world to experience Vietnamese food culture.

Review Quotes

As featured in TIME Magazine, The Strategist, and Bon Appétit

'The definitive guide for anyone ready to cook with depth and confidence.' - Interior Review

'Beautiful.' - The Quality Edit

'A dazzling title.' - Kirkus

'A detailed tome of cultural and culinary knowledge.' - Epicurious, Standout Cookbooks of Fall 2025

'Showcases the vast range of Vietnamese cuisine, shining a light on lesser-known regional dishes.' - Bon Appetit, Best Cookbooks of Fall 2025

'Stunning.' - Book Riot

'Chef Anaïs Ca Dao van Manen brings both local insight and an outsider's keen eye to the Southeast Asian nation's culinary tradition .' - The Boca Raton Observer

'A comprehensive and fascinating dive into one of Asia's great cuisines.' - Restaurant

'This is a book designed to inspire and educate in equal measure.' - Ape to Gentleman

'Phaidon's books are always gift-worthy.' - The Strategist

'This gorgeous cookbook takes readers on a tour of Vietnam's farms, fields, and crowded markets and tiny alleys of the cities, collecting recipes from local cooks.' - TIME

'This 400-plus-recipe dive into Vietnamese cooking...tackles everything from snacks and broths to wraps and rice dishes.' - The Strategist, Best Cookbooks to Gift This 2025

'A compendium of culture and history, built to both inspire and educate.' - The Berkshire Eagle

'Whether you're mastering classic summer rolls, grilled pork with vermicelli or discovering lesser-known gems like mung bean dumplings, this is a book designed to inspire and educate in equal measure.' - Ape to Gentleman

'The stunning photography takes you into the heart of Vietnamese kitchens and markets, and the beautiful prose immerses you in Vietnamese home cooking traditions.' - Olive

'The passion is unmistakable is this book, showing the historical context of how deeply entwined the country of Vietnam is with its food....' - The Caterer

'Ca Dao Van Manen notes that certain herbs may be tricky to source in the UK, but that's what makes this an ideal book for chefs - it's not dumbed down according to what ingredients may or may not be easy to locate, leaving you to decide how to interpret the dish. The book challenges readers to gain a wider understanding of what delicious can mean.' - The Caterer

'A Phaidon country-specific bible, wow this one is thorough and rigorous in its capture of more than 400 recipes. I hope Anaïs Ca Dao van Manen got paid a tonne because this is impressive and should be the reference for anyone who wants to delve deep into Vietnamese cooking.' - Ed Smith, Rocket & Squash

About the Author

Anaïs Ca Dao van Manen is a chef and consultant whose career has taken her all over the world. Born in Paris to a Vietnamese/Dutch family, she has lived and worked in London and now lives in Vietnam. Her career started in kitchens, including Auberge de Chassignoles, Café Bar Universal, Trullo and Bao London. In recent years she has moved into development and consultancy and has opened her own restaurants in Vietnam. Her videos on Instagram showcase the diversity of Vietnamese cuisine.