Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang in Adelaide: The Phnom Penh Noodle Soup You Should Know
★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist
Everyone knows phở. Plenty of Adelaide diners have discovered bún bò huế. But ask about hủ tiếu Nam Vang and you'll often get a blank look — which is a shame, because this sweet-savoury southern Vietnamese noodle soup is one of the most loved bowls in Saigon, and one of the most interesting dishes on our menu at Bà Năm, right here at 65 Grote Street in Adelaide's Chinatown.
What is hủ tiếu Nam Vang?
Nam Vang is the Vietnamese name for Phnom Penh, and the name tells the story. The dish began with Chinese cooks — largely Teochew and Cantonese communities — who settled in Cambodia and blended their noodle-soup traditions with local Khmer flavours. When the dish travelled down the Mekong into southern Vietnam in the early twentieth century, Saigon's cooks made it their own. What emerged is a true crossroads bowl: Chinese noodles, Cambodian roots, Vietnamese soul.
Where phở is built on beef and warm spices, and bún bò huế brings lemongrass and chilli heat, hủ tiếu Nam Vang runs sweeter and cleaner. The classic broth is simmered from pork bones, traditionally deepened with dried seafood, and finishes light, clear and gently sweet — a completely different register from its more famous cousins. Over the top comes the signature surf-and-turf spread: sliced pork, prawns, seasoned minced pork and a shower of fried garlic and spring onion.
Soup or dry — the two ways to order it
At Bà Năm we serve hủ tiếu Nam Vang two ways, both $20.
- Soup style (nước): noodles, toppings and broth together in one bowl, the way most people meet the dish for the first time. Comforting, slurpable and exactly what an Adelaide winter calls for.
- Dry style (khô): the noodles are tossed in a savoury-sweet dressing and served with the toppings on top, while the broth arrives on the side in its own bowl. You alternate — a tangle of glossy noodles, then a sip of hot soup. Many southern Vietnamese diners swear this is the superior way to eat it, because the noodles keep their chew and the dressing isn't diluted.
If you're torn, our staff will happily steer you. First-timers usually start with soup style; returning fans tend to graduate to khô.
How it compares to phở and bún bò huế
Think of the three great Vietnamese noodle soups as a spectrum. Phở — the bowl we're best known for, and the subject of our guide to the best pho in Adelaide — is beef-based, aromatic with star anise and cinnamon, and deeply savoury. Bún bò huế, from Vietnam's old imperial capital, is the bold one: lemongrass, chilli oil and a proper kick. Hủ tiếu Nam Vang is the light-footed southerner: pork-and-prawn sweetness, a clearer broth, and toppings that change texture with every chopstick-load.
That makes it a brilliant second or third visit order. If you've already worked through our Phở Tái — the red coin of rare beef cooked in the bowl by our 18-hour bone broth — hủ tiếu Nam Vang shows you an entirely different side of Vietnamese cooking without leaving Grote Street. It's also earned its place on our list of Vietnamese winter warmers in Adelaide.
What to eat alongside it
Hủ tiếu Nam Vang is generous but not heavy, which leaves room to share a starter. Fresh gỏi cuốn (cold rolls with prawn and pork, $12) echo the bowl's clean flavours; crispy chả giò spring rolls ($12) add crunch. To drink, a Vietnamese iced coffee ($8) or fresh sugarcane juice ($8) rounds things out the Saigon way. You'll find everything on our full menu.
Visit us in Adelaide's Chinatown
Bà Năm Restaurant is at 65 Grote Street, Adelaide SA 5000, in the heart of the CBD a short walk from Victoria Square. We're open seven days, 11am to 9pm (until 9:30pm through summer, October to March), including public holidays. We're a walk-in restaurant — no bookings needed, though at peak times there's usually a 15–30 minute wait, and we'd rather tell you straight. For groups of eight or more, call ahead on (08) 8151 0106.
Prefer to eat at home? Order through the Bà Năm Restaurant App for the best prices, or find us on Uber Eats and DoorDash.
Hủ tiếu Nam Vang has fed Saigon's mornings for a hundred years. Come and see why — one sweet, savoury, garlicky bowl at a time.
Frequently asked questions
Is hủ tiếu Nam Vang spicy?
No — the broth itself is mild and gently sweet. Chilli is served on the side, so you control the heat.
What's the difference between hủ tiếu and phở?
Phở uses a beef broth spiced with star anise and cinnamon; hủ tiếu Nam Vang uses a lighter pork-based broth with pork and prawn toppings, and can be ordered dry with the broth on the side.
How much is hủ tiếu Nam Vang at Bà Năm?
$20, soup or dry style, at 65 Grote Street, Adelaide — open seven days.
What is Nam Vang style?
Nam Vang is the Vietnamese name for Phnom Penh. Hủ tiếu Nam Vang is the Phnom Penh style of the dish — a clear, gently sweet pork-based broth over chewy tapioca-rice noodles, topped with sliced pork, prawns, seasoned minced pork, fried garlic and spring onion.