# Bánh xèo: Vietnam's sizzling crêpe

> Bánh xèo is a crisp rice-flour crêpe, coloured gold with turmeric and filled with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts. You tear it, wrap it in lettuce or mustard leaves with herbs, and dip it in fish sauce. It usually costs 30,000–80,000 VND. Order with “Cho tôi một cái bánh xèo”.

- URL: https://eatgreenvietnam.com/guides/banh-xeo
- Region: South Vietnam · City: Saigon
- Published: 2026-09-28 · Last updated: 2026-09-30
- By: the Eat Green Vietnam team (https://eatgreenvietnam.com/about)

Listen before you look. “Xèo” is the sound the batter makes when it hits the hot pan.

## At a glance

- **What it is:** A thin, crispy crêpe of rice flour and turmeric (often with coconut milk), folded over shrimp, pork and bean sprouts.
- **Where:** All over Vietnam. In Saigon and the Mekong Delta it is large and golden; in Central Vietnam it is small and cooked in little clay moulds.
- **Typical price:** Around 30,000–80,000 VND, depending on size and fillings.
- **Eat green:** This is a dish you wrap in leaves – your plate comes with its own natural packaging. Eat in and enjoy it hot.

## How to order

> “Cho tôi một cái bánh xèo.”

One bánh xèo. Ask for **bánh xèo tôm thịt** for shrimp and pork, or **bánh xèo chay** for a vegetarian version.

## How to eat it

Tear off a piece of crêpe with your chopsticks or fingers. Lay it on a leaf of lettuce or mustard green, add herbs, roll it up and dip it in the sweet-sour fish sauce. Eat it quickly while the edges are still crisp. Some places also give you rice paper to roll with.

## South vs Central

In the South, bánh xèo is big enough to share, thin and golden from turmeric and coconut milk. In Central Vietnam, look for smaller, thicker crêpes cooked in rows of little pans – in Nha Trang they are often filled with squid.

## When to go

Bánh xèo is usually an afternoon and evening dish. Shops fire up their pans from mid-afternoon.

## Questions travellers ask

### What does “bánh xèo” mean?

Bánh means cake, and xèo is the sizzling sound the batter makes in the hot pan.

### How do you eat bánh xèo?

Tear off a piece, wrap it in lettuce or mustard leaves with herbs, and dip it in fish sauce.

### How much does bánh xèo cost?

Around 30,000–80,000 VND, depending on the size and fillings.

### Is there a vegetarian bánh xèo?

Yes. Ask for “bánh xèo chay”, usually filled with mushrooms, tofu and bean sprouts.

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Photo: Kent Wang / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:B%C3%A1nh_x%C3%A8o_1.jpg
Source: Eat Green Vietnam, https://eatgreenvietnam.com/guides/banh-xeo. Prices are typical ranges and change often. You may quote and summarise with attribution and a link to the original page.