Snack food in Vietnam...what can I say? Words cannot describe how good it is. Available everywhere, at almost every time of the day...I never went hungry. Ever.

It almost seemed that the snacks I ate in Vietnam were trying to outdo each other in deliciousness, having themselves a little competition of Vietnamese snacks. So, I hereby present to you the competitors in this epic battle; I never decided which one I loved the most, so will let you decide for yourselves who should be the winner.

Though the north and Hanoi were of course also excellent snack purveyors, the competition really started to hot up once I got to Hue, the old imperial capital on the central coast. Here, as I explored the morning market, I came across a lady with a bamboo pole - at one end of which was a kind of cabinet:

and at the other, a kind of bucket.

Immediately my curiosity was peaked - what could she possibly be selling? - so I hung around to see the product - which, it turned out, was tofu. First, the bucket lid was lifted,

and then the vendor would carefully scoop out flat slices of the fresh beancurd into an awaiting bowl.

Then, from the cabinet, a quarter of lime was produced, and a spoonful of sugar, the two would be stirred into the tofu...and that was it. So, so simple, but I cannot begin to overstate how wonderful this snack was - sweet, sour and beautifully calming on a morning stomach. I lapped up every slippery morsel.

After Hue, the next stop on my snack tour of Vietnam was Hoian, which provided the next two competitors in the battle. First was the snack you see in the opening photo and above - banh beo, small steamed rice pancakes, with a variety of toppings.

This particular banh beo was accompanied by an orange, tomato-y sauce, fried shallots in oil, chilies, and some more mysterious crispy things. Sooooooo good, and with wonderfully contrasting textures. And a friendly vendor.

The second wonderful snack I ate in Hoian was along the riverfront - an area filled with expensive restaurants and boutiques, and so not a place where you'd expect great streetfood. Nonetheless, among the delights on offer here were BBQ corn, cau lau, and this lady and her stall:

who served up this:

I have to say I'm rather proud of this shot - the colours, I think, are particularly gorgeous. As the sign says, this was simply a sweet black sesame soup - but my, how moreish it was. So moreish, in fact, I almost had a second bowl, a decision against which I am still regretting.

Finally, the seaside town of Quy Nhon provides the last two contenders in this battle of the snacks. Again, as I wandered the morning market, I sampled two fantastic breakfast-time snacks - the first, another example of banh bot loc,

served at a stall which also had lovely looking banh beo,

but which I achewed in favour of this:

banh khot, more rice pancakes, this time fried in a special pan rather like that for poaching eggs, and served with a simple chilli sauce. Again, great texture, and great for a sore stomach.

So, what do you think? Who will triumph in the Vietnam Battle of the Snacks?