Pho rolls, mooncakes among worst-rated Vietnamese dishes: TasteAtlas

Pho cuon is made by wrapping stir-fried beef, garlic, ginger, pepper, onions, lettuce, and herbs like mint, perilla, and cilantro in uncut sheets of pho noodles. The rolls are typically served with a dipping sauce made from fish sauce, sugar, garlic, chili, and vinegar.

Banh troi is a traditional Vietnamese dessert consisting of small balls of glutinous rice dough filled with dark palm sugar. The dough, made from a mix of plain and glutinous rice flour and water, is wrapped around the sugar, rolled into balls, and boiled until they float to the surface.

Mooncakes, a staple of the Mid-Autumn Festival, are traditionally filled with ingredients such as black sesame or lotus seed paste, red beans, roasted pork, mung beans, dates, and salted duck egg yolks. Today, they come in a wide range of sweet and savory fillings, including honeydew, lychee, pineapple, chocolate, mixed nuts, abalone, seaweed, green tea, cream cheese, and even ice cream.

Their round shape symbolizes the moon and represents fulfillment, unity, and perfection in Chinese philosophy.

TasteAtlas says its rankings are based on audience ratings, filtered to exclude bots, nationalist or patriotic votes, and to give more weight to users deemed knowledgeable by the system. For the "39 Worst Rated Vietnamese Foods" list published as of June 23, 2025, a total of 7,700 ratings were submitted, with 4,940 recognized as legitimate.

TasteAtlas emphasizes that its rankings are not definitive global verdicts but are intended to promote local foods, celebrate traditional cuisine, and spark curiosity about lesser-known dishes.

The list has stirred controversy among Vietnamese food lovers, many of whom argue that the reviews are ignorant and lack objectivity.

Dishes like banh troi and banh can (mini pancakes), which are beloved for their unique flavors, surprised many by appearing on the list.