Vietnamese Pork Meatballs (Bun Cha Hanoi)

Bun Cha Hanoi is a classic vermicelli noodle dish served with delicious Vietnamese meatballs made from ground pork and authentic Vietnamese seasonings. The meatballs are easy to make at home, and are traditionally served alongside pickled vegetables, vermicelli noodles, and nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce).

I personally love Bun Cha Hanoi even though it is not as well known as other Vietnamese recipes such as pho ga or banh mi. I especially love having this dish during warmer months. The cold noodles combined with the savory Vietnamese meatballs is the perfect thing to have on hot summer days. Side note, if you’re looking for a meatball dish for colder months, I would recommend xiu mai.

What is Bun Cha Hanoi?

In Hanoi, this dish is simply known as bun cha. What separates Bun Cha Hanoi from other vermicelli bowls is that all the components come separately. Sort of like tsukemen in Japanese cuisine. The bun cha, fresh vegetables, and vermicelli come to the table on separate plates, and each person eats it however they like.

They are 2 schools of thought on how to eat this dish: northern and southern. In the South, they like to eat this in a spring roll. In the North, they simply add the fresh vegetables and noodles to the bowl of bun cha and scoop both out with a piece of pork and a few pickled vegetables.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

Vietnamese Pork Meatballs

• Ground Pork – This dish is traditionally prepared with ground pork. I would highly recommend using ground pork to get the most authentic flavor. However, you can probably get away with using ground turkey.
• Seasonings (pepper, granulated sugar, cinnamon) – The seasonings in this bun cha hanoi recipe are similar to that of my cinnamon pork belly. They add sweet and earthy flavors to the meatballs. If you can find Vietnamese cinnamon, I would recommend using that instead because it has better flavor.
• Fish sauce – Any kind of fish sauce should work for this recipe. A good brand to use is Red Boat fish sauce.
• Vegetable oil – Any kind of neutral oil should work for this recipe like grapeseed or vegetable oil.
• Lemongrass – Adds a slightly sour taste to this dish. If you can’t find lemongrass, I would substitute with a tablespoon of lime juice.
• Shallot – Adds a slight sweetness to this recipe. A good substitute for shallots is sweet yellow onion.

Pickled Vegetables

• Carrots & Green papaya – This dish is traditionally served with both carrots and green papaya. If you can’t find green papaya, I would just leave it out and serve it with only pickled carrots.
• Salt – Brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Apple cider vinegar – This ingredient pickles the vegetables. A good substitute for apple cider vinegar is distilled white vinegar.

Vermicelli Bowl Toppings

• Vietnamese dipping sauce (nuoc cham) – You can find my recipe for Vietnamese dipping sauce here.
• Vermicelli noodles – Any kind of vermicelli noodles will work. If you can’t find vermicelli, any kind of thin white rice noodles will work.
• Mint & Lettuce – Adds freshness to the dish and balances out the savory flavors.

How to make Bun Cha Hanoi

This Vietnamese noodle salad is really simple to make. First prepare your pickled vegetables. Combine carrots, green papaya, water, salt, and apple cider vinegar into a large jar. Set aside and let it sit for at least 3 hours. It is better if you leave it overnight. Next make your pork meatballs. Combine the ground pork, pepper, sugar, cinnamon, fish sauce, vegetable oil, lemongrass, and shallots into a large bowl. Let marinate for 20-30 minutes. After marinating, form meatballs that are 1.5 inches in diameter. They should be the size and shape of slider patties.

After forming the meatballs, grill them over a grill pan or outdoor grill. Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side. They should be brown on both sides and cooked in the enter. Now it’s time to put it all together! Add a few pork meatballs and pickled veggies to a small bowl. Cover with Vietnamese dipping sauce until it just covers both. Serve with pork meatballs, vegetables, and noodles separately.

What should I do if I don’t have a grill pan or outdoor grill?

If you don’t have a grill or grill pan, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and bake for 10-15 minutes.

How do you eat Bun Cha Hanoi?

Growing up, I ate this the Northern way where I add the veggies and noodles to the bowl of bun cha and then fish them out with a piece of pork and a few veggies. Here’s how it happens.

When you order bun cha, you will get a plate of vegetables, a plate of cooked vermicelli, and small bowls with the bun cha.  Each person will get their own bowl of bun cha. Add lettuce, mint, and a small handful of vermicelli noodles to your bowl. Rip the lettuce and mint into small, bite-sized pieces. Use a fork or chopsticks to fish out the vermicelli, veggies, pork meatball, and pickled veggie in one bite. This might seem like a lot, so you can eat the vermicelli and veggies first, and then eat the pork meatballs and pickled vegetables. Repeat this process until you finish the bun cha.

I definitely want to stress that you can eat this dish however you like. There is no “right” way to eat this dish. The right way is whichever way makes you happy!

How do you store Bun Cha Hanoi?

I would store the meatballs separately from the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, heat the Vietnamese meatballs in the microwave and then add it to the sauce with the picked vegetables. They can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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