Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang — Phnom Penh Noodle Soup in Adelaide Chinatown

★ As featured in Glam Adelaide — 2025 SA Restaurant & Catering Awards finalist

A clear, gently sweet pork-bone broth, springy noodles, pork and prawn, and a scatter of fried garlic and spring onion — hủ tiếu Nam Vang is the lighter side of Vietnamese noodle soup, served seven days a week on 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 $22.

• 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, and sits with the rest of the noodle soups cluster alongside mì Quảng, bún riêu and bún mắm.

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, $14) echo the bowl's clean flavours; crispy chả giò spring rolls ($14) add crunch. To drink, a Vietnamese iced coffee ($8) or a fresh coconut water ($8) rounds things out the Saigon way. You'll find everything on our full menu.

From Trảng Bàng to Grote Street

Bà Năm's recipes come from Bà Năm Lời, who has been cooking in Trảng Bàng, Tây Ninh — in Vietnam's south — since the 1970s. Founders Huynh Nguyen and Thi Gai Vo brought those recipes to Adelaide in 2023, and the kitchen was named a finalist in the Vietnamese Restaurant category at the 2025 Hostplus SA Restaurant & Catering Awards — finalist, not winner. The house signatures — the 18-hour bone broth and "red coin" rare beef phở — belong to the phở pot; hủ tiếu follows its own tradition, built on pork bones and a clear, lighter touch. Not a luxury venue, just very genuine.

Where to find hủ tiếu Nam Vang in Adelaide Chinatown and the CBD

You'll find our hủ tiếu Nam Vang at 65 Grote Street, a short walk from Central Market in the heart of Adelaide's Chinatown. It sits alongside the rest of our Vietnamese noodle soups — if you're torn, the phở is deeper and beefier, bún bò Huế brings the lemongrass heat, and mì Quảng, bún riêu and bún mắm each tell a different regional story. Hủ tiếu is the one we point people to when they want something clear, light and quietly savoury — a good pick year-round, and an easy choice for anyone exploring Vietnamese food in the Adelaide CBD for the first time.

We're open 7 days, 11:00 AM–9:00 PM (until 9:30 PM October–March), public holidays included. At peak times the honest answer is a 15–30 minute wait — a Vietnamese iced coffee helps it pass. You can book a table via OpenTable, order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au (better prices than Uber Eats or DoorDash), or call (08) 8151 0106. On cold nights, our winter warmers guide covers where hủ tiếu fits among the heartier bowls.

Frequently asked questions

Is hủ tiếu Nam Vang spicy?

No — hủ tiếu Nam Vang is not spicy by default. The broth is clear, light and gently sweet, built on pork bones with pork-and-prawn toppings and fried garlic, shallots and spring onion. Chilli is served on the side, so you control the heat entirely.

What's the difference between hủ tiếu and phở?

Phở uses a beef bone broth with flat rice noodles and beef toppings — deeper and more aromatic. Hủ tiếu Nam Vang uses a pork-bone broth, traditionally deepened with dried seafood notes, making it lighter, clearer and sweeter, topped with pork and prawn. If phở feels rich and warming, hủ tiếu feels clean and refreshing.

How much is hủ tiếu Nam Vang at Bà Năm?

Hủ tiếu Nam Vang is $22 at Bà Năm, whether you order it soup style (nước) or dry style (khô) with the broth served on the side. For comparison, phở bò is $20 small / $22 large, and mì Quảng and bún riêu are also $22.

What is Nam Vang style?

Nam Vang is the Vietnamese name for Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. Hủ tiếu Nam Vang is the Phnom Penh style of the dish — a crossroads recipe shaped by Chinese, Cambodian and Vietnamese cooking, known for its clear pork broth, pork-and-prawn toppings and the option of soup or dry noodles.

Is there a wait at Bà Năm, and when are you open?

We're open 7 days a week, 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM (until 9:30 PM from October to March), including public holidays. At peak times there's honestly a 15–30 minute wait. You can book via OpenTable on our website, order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au, or call (08) 8151 0106.

Where can I get hủ tiếu Nam Vang (Phnom Penh noodle soup) in Adelaide CBD or Chinatown?

Bà Năm serves hủ tiếu Nam Vang at 65 Grote Street, Adelaide SA 5000, in Chinatown near Central Market. It's $22, soup or dry style, and we're open 7 days, 11:00 AM–9:00 PM (until 9:30 PM October–March), public holidays included. Expect a 15–30 minute wait at peak times. Book via OpenTable at phobanam.com.au/book/, order ahead at order.phobanam.com.au, or call (08) 8151 0106.