How to Host a Vietnamese Dinner Party at Home: Comfort Food, Tablescapes & Hosting Tips

There’s nothing like gathering around a table filled with steaming bowls of phở, fresh herbs, and crispy egg rolls. For us, hosting a Vietnamese dinner party isn’t just about the food—it’s about creating an experience that celebrates comfort, community, and culture.

This dinner party was especially meaningful because it allowed us to share our Vietnamese heritage with our friends. Many of the dishes we served—phở, spring rolls, egg rolls, and cà phê sữa đá—are staples we grew up eating, full of family traditions and childhood memories. Recreating them at home and watching our friends experience the flavors, textures, and rituals for the first time was incredibly rewarding.

In this guide, we’ll take you behind the scenes of how we hosted a Vietnamese-inspired dinner party for friends and family. From the menu (short rib phở, spring rolls with grilled pork paste or nem nướng cuon, mango salad, and roasted bone marrow) to the tablescape styling, we’re sharing everything we did to bring this cozy, flavorful gathering to life.

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Why a Vietnamese Dinner Party?

Vietnamese cuisine is built around the idea of balance: salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and umami flavors all coming together in harmony. Dishes are fresh and vibrant yet comforting, making them perfect for entertaining.

What we love most is that a Vietnamese dinner party is interactive. Guests pile fresh herbs into their pho bowls, wrap their own spring rolls, and customize their iced coffees to taste. The experience is as engaging as it is delicious.

Hosting a Vietnamese dinner party also lets you share culture and tradition. Many of these dishes are recipes we grew up enjoying with our families, and recreating them at home brings back nostalgic memories while also introducing friends to something new.

Our Vietnamese Dinner Party Menu: Comfort Foods We Served

When planning our dinner party, we wanted to showcase the Vietnamese comfort foods we grew up with—dishes that feel like home, bring people together, and highlight the balance of flavors that define Vietnamese cuisine. Hosting a Vietnamese dinner party is the perfect way to share culture through food, and our menu was designed to reflect both tradition and creativity. From classic favorites like phở, spring rolls, and crispy egg rolls to unique additions like a phở -inspired roasted bone marrow appetizer, each dish brought its own flavor story to the table. These recipes aren’t just delicious—they’re also perfect for entertaining, encouraging guests to interact, customize their plates, and experience the joy of Vietnamese hospitality.

1. Short Rib phở with All the Fixings

No Vietnamese dinner party is complete without phở. For this gathering, we made a rich, aromatic short rib phở simmered with charred onion, ginger, star anise, and cloves.

We served it in oversized phở bowls (shop here) so everyone could load up their noodles and broth, then add toppings like bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, lime wedges, hoisin, and sriracha.

👉 Hosting Tip: We placed everything on a large wooden serving tray (shop here) in the center of the table so guests could easily reach for their favorite garnishes.

2. Crispy Egg Rolls

Golden, crunchy egg rolls are always a crowd-pleaser. We filled ours with ground pork, mushrooms, carrots, and vermicelli noodles, then fried them until perfectly crisp.

Served with nước chấm dipping sauce (a sweet-sour fish sauce blend), these disappeared fast. To make them extra fun and inviting, we plated them in little bamboo baskets (shop here) lined with lettuce leaves, giving the table a rustic, street-food-inspired touch.

3. Spring Rolls with nem nướng (Grilled Pork Sausage)

Spring rolls are interactive and fun—guests love making their own. We prepped rice paper, vermicelli noodles, grilled pork sausage (nem nướng), lettuce, cucumber, and herbs. Everyone could dip their rice paper in water, roll up their fillings, and enjoy.

We placed the herbs and veggies in small ceramic dipping bowls (shop here) and served with peanut dipping sauce and extra nước chấm.

4. Mango Salad with Crunchy Shrimp Chips

This refreshing salad added brightness to the spread. Julienne green mangoes tossed with herbs, peanuts, and fish sauce dressing created the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. We served it alongside shrimp chips for scooping.

To make the presentation pop, we used a large wooden salad bowl with serving utensils (shop here), which fit perfectly with the natural, rustic vibe of the tablescape.

5. phở-Inspired Five Spice Roasted Bone Marrow

One of our favorite dishes to make at home is phở-inspired roasted bone marrow. We season beef marrow bones with five spice and roast until bubbling, then serve with crusty baguette slices and apricot jam.

This dish always sparks conversation—it’s indulgent, easy to make, and incredibly flavorful. For serving, we served them along with the springs rolls on a large wooden cutting board.

6. Cà Phê Sữa Đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee)

No Vietnamese dinner party is complete without strong, sweet Vietnamese iced coffee. We set up a mini coffee station with individual phin filters, condensed milk, ice, and glasses so guests could make theirs to order.

👉 Hosting Tip: We served the coffee in tall highball glass cups (shop here) with these reusable bamboo straws (shop here), which kept drinks cold and looked beautiful on the table.

Building the Perfect Vietnamese Dinner Tablescape

When hosting, the table is as important as the menu. For this dinner, we leaned into natural textures, warm tones, and clean lines to let the vibrant food stand out.

👉 Hosting Tip: Use serveware that doubles as décor. For example, wooden trays and bamboo baskets not only held the herbs and condiments but also tied into the tablescape’s organic feel.

How to Keep the Dinner Flowing

Vietnamese meals are interactive by design. To keep the evening smooth and stress-free, we:

1. Prepped Ahead: The pho broth simmered all day, egg rolls were pre-fried and reheated in the oven, and veggies were washed and chopped ahead of time.
2. Served Family-Style: Large trays and bowls in the center let everyone help themselves.
3. Encouraged Interaction: Guests rolled their own spring rolls, built their pho bowls, and brewed their iced coffee—it made the night feel casual and fun.
4. Balanced the Menu: We included a mix of hot, cold, fried, and fresh dishes to keep things interesting and balanced.

Final Thoughts: Sharing Our Vietnamese Culture Through Food

Hosting a Vietnamese dinner party at home is about more than just the food—it’s about creating connections and sharing traditions. For us, this night was a way to open up our culture to friends who may not have grown up with these dishes. From guiding them on how to roll their own spring rolls to introducing them to phở-inspired roasted bone marrow, it was special to see them fall in love with flavors that are so close to our hearts.

Food is one of the most universal ways to share culture, and Vietnamese cuisine—with its balance of freshness, comfort, and community—makes it especially easy to bring people together.

With the right mix of comforting dishes, interactive elements like spring rolls and iced coffee, and thoughtfully chosen serveware, your dinner party will not only taste incredible but also celebrate the joy of cultural exchange.

So light the candles, bring out the pho bowls, and let the aromas of Vietnamese comfort food fill your home. Most importantly, invite your guests into the experience of Vietnamese hospitality—it will be a night they’ll never forget.

If you loved this Vietnamese dinner party, be sure to check out our guide to hosting a Vietnamese Game Night Party—packed with fun party ideas, traditional snacks, and tips for sharing Vietnamese culture with friends in a playful, interactive way. Read the full post here.