Unsafe Food in Vietnam

Tainted food has been on the headlines of many Vietnamese news outlets over the past month. Soy sauce manufactured from China or with Chinese products has been the latest target of investigation by the health ministry in Vietnam for containing cancer-causing ingredients. Yes, you read right, stores and restaurants throughout Vietnam have been offering cancer-causing soy sauce to customers knowing that it could be unsafe for consumption.

Not to make anyone more paranoid but another article published by the AP raises more fear about food safety in Vietnam and the rest of Asia. No worries, unless you like Pho, a popular beef noodle dish here in Vietnam. Last year, pho noodles produced from 7 out of 10 pho noodle factories were found to contain formaldehyde, the same ingredient used to embalm corpses. A couple years ago, news article also posted that formaldehyde was also found in the popular ‘street cafes’ cafe sua das (ice milk coffees).

Is any of the food in Vietnam safe to eat?

Read selected articles on cancer-causing soy sauce here -> Toxic soy sauce in Vietnam

Read -> Tainted Foods are a Daily Problem in Asian