My friends always go into shocked amusement every time I tell them the story of my romance with single malt whisky and Spanish wine. It started over 30 years ago, and it was the reason for my "poverty." Basically, I was a newly hired bank employee starting out in the real world. I had to fend for my gustatory vices, as one who could not afford the standard supervisor’s drink which was a J&B or a Cutty Sark, or on occasions with the higher officers of the financial institution, Johnny Walker Black or Swing.

• Bún bò Huế – Spicy beef noodle soup which has beef bones, fermented shrimp paste, lemongrass (tanglad), and dried chili that gives the broth its distinctive flavors. The soup is often served with mint leaves, bean sprouts, lime wedges, shredded banana blossoms, and shredded rau muống. Blood cakes and pig’s feet are also common ingredients. Lemon grass is known for its calming effect that relieves insomnia or stress. In some studies, lemon grass has shown antibacterial and antifungal properties. Mixed with pepper, it’s a home therapy for menstrual troubles and nausea. Drunk as tea, it is an effective diuretic.

• Bun Mang Vit (Bún măng vịt): Bamboo shoots and duck noodle soup. As a source of fiber, bamboo shoots may help chronic constipation. In ancient times, it was used it to help remove stomach worms. Again, as a source of fiber, it aids in reduction of bad cholesterol, lowers high blood pressure, and helps remedy toxaemia. Bamboo shoots can add vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, and C), minerals (calcium, iron, and phosphorus), carbohydrates, and also protein.

• Bun Oc (Bún Ốc): Vermicelli with snails.

• Bánh canh: A thick udon-style rice noodle soup with a simple broth. Often includes pork, crab, chicken, shrimp, spring onions, and freshly sautéed onions sprinkled on top.

• Bún riêu: Noodle soup made of thin rice noodles and topped with crab and shrimp paste, served in a tomato-based broth and garnished with bean sprouts, prawn paste, herb leaves, water spinach, and chunks of tomato.

• Mi bo vien (Mì bò viên): Chinese-influenced egg noodle soup with beef balls and shrimp; if served with wanton, it is called wanton soup, or mì hoành thánh.

• Phở: Beef noodle soup. It is a beef noodle soup with a rich, clear broth achieved from a long boiling of meat and different herbs. There are many varieties of phở made from different types of meats (most commonly beef and chicken) along with beef balls. Phở is typically served in bowls with spring onion (in phở tai) and slices of semi-cooked beef (to be cooked by the boiling hot broth).

Aside from these tasty noodle soups, Vietnamese cuisine also offers simple soups and porridges like:

• Sup mang cua (Súp măng cua): A creamy bamboo-crab soup. Typically served as a first dish at banquets.

• Vietnamese hotpot: a spicy variation of the Vietnamese sour soup, with many vegetables, meat, and seafood, as well as some spicy herbs. Also called lau (lẩu).

• Chao (Cháo): Rice congee. There are also a variety of different broths and meats used, including duck, chicken, offal, fish, etc.

• Canh chua: Vietnamese sour soup – typically including fish, pineapples, tomatoes, herbs, bean sprouts, tamarind, and various kinds of vegetables. When made hotpot-style, it is called Lau Canh Chua.

Now, if you think that only rice and a viand can satisfy us for every meal, you might have a change of mind once you finish a bowl of a Vietnamese soup. Personally, I told my friends that I never thought that a simple bowl of noodle soup can satisfy me all the way to lunch.