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We did Hanoi and the north first and honestly the food was pretty mild. Lots of herbs, black pepper, but nothing that hurt. Now we are heading down to Hue and Hoi An and everyone keeps warning us that central Vietnamese food is a whole different level of spicy.
I can handle medium heat, like I eat Thai food fine at a 2 out of 5. But my friend travelling with me sweats at anything with visible chili. Are we going to struggle? Which dishes should we be careful with?
And the practical question: can you ask for less spicy at restaurants or is that not really a thing? I do not want to be the tourist asking them to change the recipe, but I also do not want my friend to starve for five days.
Specific dish warnings welcome, especially bun bo Hue, because that is the one I actually want to try.
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Bun bo Hue is the one to watch. The broth has real heat and you cannot really order it mild, that is the whole point of the dish. Hue in general is spicier than Hanoi. Hoi An is much calmer though, plenty of non spicy options there.
Replying to Jason Biggs
Good to know about bun bo Hue. Maybe I order it and my friend gets something else that day. Can you ask for ‘it ot’ at local places, less spicy, or do they just smile and serve it normal?
Replying to Linzie
Ha, ‘it ot’ works surprisingly often. They will tone it down but it will never be zero. For your friend, com ga and banh mi are safe bets everywhere, zero heat.