Bánh Bèo : A Delicate Dish with a Deeper Meaning in Vietnam

Banh beo dish (left), Stereotype Banh Beo (right). Source: google images

What is Banh Beo?

One dish that everyone must try when travelling through Vietnam, particularly in the Imperial Capital of Hue, is Banh Beo. It’s a delicate pancake made from tapioca flour, cooked in small ceramic dishes and topped with baby shrimp, crispy pork skin, and a dash of fish sauce.

This remarkable snack often flies under the radar of many travellers, but even more unknown is its slang designation. Banh beo also refers to a hyper-feminine girl—what some might call a "girly girl."

The Vietnamese, like many cultures, have a knack for infusing their slang with multiple nuances. The term banh beo is no exception. It's often used to describe a person (usually a girl, but sometimes a feminine boy) who:

- Focuses heavily on their image or appearance, particularly for social media purposes. You’ll often find banh beo groups posing for endless pictures in chic cafés, dressed in fine clothing.

- May lack independence and relies on others for help, often unable to handle high-pressure tasks alone.

- Lives an excessive virtual life on social media, with a sharp contrast to their real-life persona.

- Embodies a cute, innocent, and overtly feminine persona.

Where Did This Slang Come From, and Is It Negative?

The term banh beo originally emerged from the LGBTQ community in Vietnam, where it was used to describe hyper-feminine traits, especially in boys. Over time, this slang spread into wider Vietnamese society. While it once carried more weight and could be seen as somewhat derogatory, today it has become more playful and nuanced.

Now, calling someone banh beo doesn’t necessarily carry negative connotations. In fact, it’s often used in a joking manner to describe people exhibiting the behaviours listed above.

More Than Just a Slang Phrase?

From my time living in Vietnam, I’ve observed that banh beo is more than just a label—it seems to represent a kind of subculture with its own rituals. People can be said to live a banh beo lifestyle during their free time.

For instance, when my Vietnamese friends and I are at a coffee shop, they often point out groups of girls crowding around a particular feature in the café, posing for pictures for an excessively long time—sometimes even hours. 

A common Banh Beo activity is posing for photos at chic cafes

While taking pictures for social media isn’t unique to Vietnam, the way that banh beo groups engage in this behaviour goes beyond just snapping a few photos. It becomes a pastime, a ritualised event where every shot is carefully curated. 

This phenomenon is noticeable all over Vietnam, from small towns to provincial and major cities. Many cafés are specifically designed to attract this subgroup, not for the purpose of enjoying coffee, but to provide the perfect backdrop for photos.

It’s common to walk into a café and have to navigate around couples and groups of young banh beo individuals, all vying for that perfect shot to post on social media. 

A Cultural Comparison

What’s particularly fascinating from a Western perspective is how distinct the banh beo subculture is compared to similar behaviours in the West. In Western countries, hyper-feminine behaviour may be expressed through fashion, makeup, or the content of social media influencers.

While people in the West certainly take pictures for social media, it’s rare to see the same level of commitment or duration. In Vietnam, groups of banh beo can spend hours perfecting their shots, transforming the café experience into something more akin to a photoshoot.

Using the space to take photos for social media. Source: google images

Banh Beo and Social Media: A Lifestyle

The banh beo phenomenon can be linked to the rise of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where having a visually appealing online presence has become an art form. Vietnamese youth, especially in urban areas, have embraced this as a lifestyle. The café photo shoot is not just a way to pass time but an essential part of how they present their social identity. 

An Important Distinction

One key point to note is that no one really self-identifies as a banh beo. You won’t hear someone proudly proclaiming, “I am banh beo,” unless it’s done sarcastically. Instead, this label is applied by others as a way of describing someone who fits the behaviour or persona. 

I also have unwittingly been a participant in the rituals of the banh beo. Upon my first couple months after arriving and settling in Vietnam, I was asked to go to a chic looking inner city cafe for what I thought was simply a coffee date with a dear colleague of mine, her name is Chau. I failed to recognize in our correspondence that she did ask “Do you like taking pictures?”.

Upon arrival at the cafe and seeing Chau, I was struck to find that she was immaculately dressed in a slender white dress, long hair draped over her shoulders so elegantly and her frame sturdly supported by platform heels., As a westerner still adapting to the humidity, I of course had not come prepared. After we ordered coffees and chose a table, the ritual shortly commenced.

I recall Chau saying something along the lines of  “Now, we take pictures” as if we have just ended a necessary pre-requisite for picture taking and proceeded to pose for a substantial amount of pictures. Chau took time to perfect the frame ratios and lighting, cascading our presence into every conceivable direction for the archetypal backdrop.

I felt like I was casting for a modelling shoot. Much time passed before we finally sat down to actually drink the coffee, the ice had melted from my cà phê sữa đá (Iced Milk Coffee), I can recall sweating at the crease of the hair line. 

A day passed when I scrolled through social media to find that 50+ pictures with my tag had been uploaded. An inspirational caption read something like: “The present moment is all that there is “. Despite the starkly different outfits we were both wearing in the photos, her a young, elegant, graceful Vietnamese woman, me a sweaty, flip flop wearing, rugged westerner. I was surprised to see we had accumulated a lot of likes and positive comments on the post. 

Final thoughts:

The term bánh bèo, once a niche expression within the LGBTQ community, has evolved into a playful label that captures a unique aspect of modern Vietnamese youth culture.

While it might seem superficial to some, the rituals and behaviours associated with Banh beo offer a glimpse into how Vietnamese people, especially the younger generation, are interacting with social media and self-expression in an increasingly digital world.

Who knows, maybe you would like to take a photoshoot next time you visit a café in Vietnam. — welcome to the world of banh beo.

Want to enjoy a coffee here?

I can assist in guiding you through Hoi An’s vibrant coffee scene.