• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cooking with Lane
  • Home
  • Vietnamese Recipes
  • Lao Recipes
  • Thai Recipes
  • About Lane
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Vietnamese Recipes
  • Thai Recipes
  • Lao Recipes
  • Meet Lane
  • Shop Ingredients
  • Shop Cooking Tools
  • FREE Resource Library
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Asian Food Comparisons

    Nem Nuong vs Thit Nuong - What's the Difference?

    Last Updated Date: Aug 14, 2022 by Lane Souvannalith

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • Email

    Are you wondering what the difference is between two Vietnamese meat dishes like nem nuon and thit nuong ? In this post, we compare the ingredients, the preparation, and nutritional comparison between these two authentic Vietnamese meat dishes.

    Nem nuong and thit nuong are two of the most popular Vietnamese dishes that are renowned for their slightly sweet, but hearty taste. In this post, I'm going to be sharing with you the main differences of each of them as well as how they are prepared and used below.

    Table of Contents

    Toggle
    • The Main Difference Between Nem Nuong and Thit Nuong
    • Everything You Wanted to Know About These Two Popular Vietnamese Meat Dishes
    • Frequently Asked Questions About Thit Nuong and Nem Nuong
    • Vietnamese Dishes You Might Enjoy

    The Main Difference Between Nem Nuong and Thit Nuong

    The difference between nem nuong and thit nuong is that nem nuong refers to grilled sausage whereas thit nuong is barbequed or baked meat like pork. Nem nuong literally means sausage grilled and thit nuong means meat grilled.

    Both dishes are similar in that they are some of the most popular street foods, often served with pickled carrots and chopped peanuts.

    Comparing These Two Popular Meat Dishes from Vietnam

    Both dishes are slightly sweet due to the marinade, but absolutely delicious in their own right. They also share the same foundational dishes of vermicelli noodles or a bowl of jasmine rice. While both meats are often used as toppings, they ultimate provide a different flavor and texture profile depending on thow they are served.

    Flavor Profile of Nem Nuong

    nem nuong vs thit nuong

    Nem nuong is a savory, smoky and sweet meat dish that is often grilled (or baked) and served along side a bowl of rice and fresh herbs and vegetables. It has a springy texture, yet heary dish due to the use of pork fat. The pork sausage has a slight coating of carmelized honey glaze that is absolutely delicious.

    Flavor Profile of Thit Nuong

    nem nuong vs thit nuong

    Thit Nuong is a Vietnamese grilled pork that is also known as Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork or Vietnamese BBQ pork. The meat is marinated and then generally grilled to get the sweet, caramelized meat.

    thit nuong recipe

    Everything You Wanted to Know About These Two Popular Vietnamese Meat Dishes

    All About Nem Nuong

    Nem nuong is made of minced pork, pork fat trimmingsbaking soda (which provides the spongy texture), sugar, fish sauce, corn starch, and curing powder.

    Nem nuong is a often served hot and fresh from the grill with either rice or vermicelli noodles. You can also serve it alongside a bed of fresh lettuce, herbs, and other vegetables.

    All About Thit Nuong

    Thit nuong is made of pork shoulder butt, sliced thinly and marinaded generally in a mixture made of lemongrass, shallots, garlic, fish sauce, pepper, and sugar. 

    Thit nuong is generally served in a large bowl with thin rice noodles like vermicelli noodles with fresh vegetables and herbs. It's often served as a healthy noodle bowl that is served alongside sliced Vietnamese egg rolls and a sweet garlic chili dressing.

    vietnamese thit nuong lemongrass pork authentic 316

    Frequently Asked Questions About Thit Nuong and Nem Nuong

    Can you purchase either of these meats premade?

    You can purchase nem nuong in the frozen aisle of your local Asian supermarket that are preseasoned and you would just need to heat it up. 

    What's healthier - thit nuong or nem nuong?

    Thit nuong is healthier because it generally is lower in fat content. Nem nuong gets its flavor from the use of pork fat inside the sausage.

    Vietnamese Dishes You Might Enjoy

    Below are links to other posts you might enjoy:

    • Vietnamese Authentic Thit Nuong (Lemongrass Pork)
    • Vietnamese Prepared Sweet Chili and Fish Dipping Sauce
    • Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodles vs Rice Stick Comparison
    • Vietnamese Pickled Daikon and Carrot
    • Vietnamese Bun Cha vs Bun Thit Nuong

    Many of the links on this blog are affiliate links. CookingwithLane.com receives a small comission when certain items are purchased, but the price is the same for you. CookingwithLane.com is a participant in the Amazon LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.


    [thrive_leads id='3103']
    « Herbs Served with Pho - Vietnamese Herb Garnish Plate
    Bun Cha vs Bun Thit Nuong - What's the Difference? »

    Primary Sidebar

    Meet Lane

    lane souvannalith
    Hi, I'm Lane! I love sharing my love of authentic Vietnamese, Lao, and Thai food! I moved into the states in the 1980s. During my life change, I brought along with my delicious recipes from Vietnam (my descent), Laos (where I was born), and Thailand (where I was a refugee during the war). I'm passionate about showing how anyone can make these delicious cuisines and how you can make it right at home! Learn more ...

    Recipe Search

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Meet Lane
    • Web Stories
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Contact Me

    Recipe Index

    • Asian Desserts
    • Asian Noodles
    • Asian Seafood
    • Side Dishes
    • Asian Food Comparisons
    • Asian Soups
    • Southeast Asian Rice

    Asian Ingredients

    • Coconut Cream
    • Fish Sauce
    • Kaffir Lemon Leaves
    • Palm Sugar
    • Shallots
    • Sticky Rice

    Copyright © 2021 Cooking with Lane, Sengerson LLC

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email
    • Print