Allergy in Vietnamese: Peanut, Seafood and Fish Sauce Phrases

“Allergy” in Vietnamese is dị ứng. “I’m allergic to peanuts” is Tôi bị dị ứng đậu phộng in the south (Saigon, Hoi An and most of the tourist trail) and Tôi bị dị ứng lạc in the north (Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa). People understand both words across the country, but using the local one gets a faster reaction.

Bị marks something that happens to you rather than something you choose, which is exactly the meaning you want: this is a condition, not a taste.

Phrases

The pronunciation guide follows the northern accent. In the south, d and gi sound like an English y, so dị ứng becomes “yee ung.”

Food words

Does pho have peanuts?

Not usually. A standard bowl of phở is beef or chicken broth, rice noodles, herbs and meat, with no peanuts. The risks are around it: the hoisin sauce on the table (it contains soy and often sesame), chilli sauces of unknown make, and a kitchen that also serves dishes topped with peanuts. If you have a peanut allergy, pho is one of the safer orders in Vietnam, but ask anyway.

Dishes that usually contain peanuts

• Bún thịt nướng (grilled pork with noodles) and bún bò Nam Bộ: crushed peanuts on top.
• Gỏi cuốn (fresh spring rolls): the dipping sauce is often made with peanut butter or ground peanuts.
• Gỏi (salads), mì Quảng (Hoi An noodles) and bánh tráng trộn (rice paper salad): peanuts on top.
• Xôi (sticky rice) and chè (sweet soups): often sprinkled with peanuts or sesame.
• Frying oil at street stalls is frequently peanut oil.

For seafood allergies: nước mắm (fish sauce) is in almost every dipping sauce and many marinades, and mắm tôm (shrimp paste) comes with bún đậu and bún riêu.

If you need help

The ambulance number in Vietnam is 115. Response times vary a lot outside the big cities, so many travelers take a taxi or Grab to the nearest international hospital.

Common questions

How do you say “peanut allergy” in Vietnamese?

Dị ứng đậu phộng in the south and dị ứng lạc in the north.

How do you say “nut allergy” in Vietnamese?

Dị ứng các loại hạt. Hạt also covers seeds, so name the nuts you react to, especially hạt điều (cashew), which Vietnam grows and exports in huge quantities.

Is it safe to eat street food in Vietnam with a peanut allergy?

Many people with peanut allergy do, carefully. Choose stalls that cook one dish to order, avoid anything with a dipping sauce you can’t identify, and show your request in writing: a printed card in Vietnamese is easier to read in a busy market than a phone screen.