Vien Huong Restaurant - Oakland, California

Christopher Chung

For those keen on savory Asian breakfast, this Chinese-Vietnamese noodle house in Oakland Chinatown is unbeatable. Though a bit divvy from the outside, the dining room is tidy and the atmosphere authentic — complete with wontons being handmade from the back table.

#20. Cambodian Ho Fun: cooked-to-perfection, chewy rice noodles served in light, clean-tasting broth. Topped with pork slices, hand-cut ground pork, shrimp, fish balls and kidney. Garnish to taste with chili sauce and oil, hoisin, and jalapeño vinegar. Personal preference to leave the broth unadulterated (perfect as is!) while making a dipping sauce for the yummy soup toppings.

An Oakland gem.

Alice Hou

*2/25/2024
I ordered the mixed noodles with both ho fun and rice noodles. The broth is light and clear, and it comes with lots of toppings like chili, sriracha, hoisin, vinegar, and Vien Huong's special chili sauce. There's a mix of meats in the dish—shrimp, fish balls, pork balls, pork pieces, kidney, and your choice of sliced chicken or pork—all served with your favorite type of rice noodles. The homemade chili oil and pickled jalapeños give it a spicy kick, making the flavors really pop.

1/25/2024
No. 21 Chow Jew Ho Fun is a dish featuring shrimp, fish balls, pork balls, pork bits, kidney, and your choice of sliced chicken or pork, all harmoniously paired with your preferred rice noodles.

The addition of homemade chili oil and pickled jalapeños provides a spicy burst, delivering that extra kick! The flavorful combination keeps me coming back for more.

Venturing into something new this time, I got the fried fish cake. It proved to be incredibly tasty, although the only drawback is its slightly higher price for relatively smaller portions. But, it's definitely worth a try!

*Tip: Cash only.

12/27/2023
Vien Huong's No. 21 Chow Jew Ho Fun is a monthly ritual with my friend! Their exceptional chicken broth, light and clear, is unmatched. After trying other places, I keep coming back for its distinct flavor.

What makes Vien Huong special is the thoughtful addition of kidney, setting them apart. The dish includes shrimp, fish balls, pork balls, pork bits, kidney, and your choice of sliced chicken or pork—all perfectly paired with your preferred rice noodles.

Vien Huong adds a spicy burst with homemade chili oil and pickled jalapeños, providing that extra kick! A flavorful experience that keeps me hooked!

*Tip: Cash only.

11/27/2023
No. 21 Chow Jew Ho Fun takes center stage on their menu. This time, I tried their mixed noodles with ho fun and rice noodle. The chicken broth is a light and clear base for their impressive array of condiments such as chili, sriracha, hoisin, vinegar, and Vien Huong's house-made chili sauce. The dish features a generous medley of meats—shrimp, fish balls, pork balls, pork bits, kidney, and your choice of sliced chicken or pork—all served with your preferred type of rice noodles. The homemade chili oil and pickled jalapeños add a spicy burst and extra kick, creating a delightful flavor combination.

We also tried their Sauteed Kidney with Ginger Onion, which I really enjoyed and highly recommend if you are not apprehensive about eating pork kidney. The kidney is well-seasoned and flavorful, with a crunchy but not mushy texture. The onions complement the kidney really well, even when paired with the Chow Jew Ho Fun.

*Tip: Cash only.

10/23/2023
Vien Huong Restaurant is a hidden treasure. I revisited this place, and it's just as amazing as ever.

Their No.21 Chow Jew Ho Fun takes center stage on their menu. The chicken broth is light and clear, giving you the perfect canvas to season to your liking with an impressive array of condiments. They offer chili, sriracha, hoisin, vinegar, and, of course, Vien Huong's house-made chili sauce. This dish is a generous medley of meats, including shrimp, fish balls, pork balls, pork bits, kidney, and your choice of sliced chicken or pork, all served with your preferred type of rice noodles.

Their homemade chili oil adds a spicy burst of flavor, and the pickled jalapeños give your meal an extra kick, creating a delightful flavor combination.

*Tip: This restaurant is cash-only, so be sure to come prepared. The prices are incredibly reasonable. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how affordable it is. Not to mention, the service is lightning fast; I can finish my meal in about 15 minutes and be on my way. Parking can be a bit challenging, but it's a minor inconvenience for the fantastic food.

Kao Saephan

It's VH. Can't go wrong with getting #21. If you don't like this type of noodles, then you are wasting your time reading any other of my reviews. ?

Update: 07/10/2023
Another visit to VH. Had the #21 with mixed noodles (ho fun & yellow egg noodles) today. Yum, yum!...

08/14/2023: #21 with mixed noodles.

03/11/2024: Got the Beef Stew Ho Fun today...Not my "norm", but I try to switch it up every now & then...the beef was soft and the tendons were cooked to perfection that I just bite right through it...yuM!...anyhow, just read a "review" from an non-Asian complaining...it's funny how these people give their opinions when they are clueless of the food they don't "normally" eat...they should probably stay away from restaurants that doesn't serve hamburgers or hotdogs...?

Update: We frequent this restaurant weekly. Can't have enough.

Richard Tran

Ordered takeout 20 minutes before arriving at the restaurant, which was only about half full when I got there. After paying, I ended up waiting an additional 40 minutes, making it a total of an hour just to prepare two simple orders. No updates or communication from the staff at all. This isn't the first time—it's happened twice now. Really disappointing service, especially considering the place wasn’t even that busy

Burim Derveni

Some of the quickest service in all of Oakland. Even if there is a wait, put your name down and you will be seated very quickly. The food is delicious and the portions are very big. I always get their signature dish. Chow Jew Ho Fun, which has a clear broth and combination of seafood and meat protein. Highly suggest it. If you are hungry go for the large as it only is a couple of dollars more. They offer you free hot tea when you sit down. The food comes very quickly after the order placement.

Stacy Moore

Very disappointed, don’t trust the hype of the other tourists review. Prime example of seeing people standing in line and thought this is the IT place. Very expensive, should have down priced at 2/3 of everything on menu. For example, seafood Ho Fun (flat noodle) $15.75 Cash only presented with 95% noodle, one piece of shrimp, two piece of fish cake, three pieces of squids. Unless you like to chew on plastic, avoid! Plenty of other good restaurants around.

Justin Lee

The Fish Ball and Fish Cake Fun is awesome. Start with just a little hot sauce. You never know how spicy the sauce can be (Hint: home made crazy hot sauce). It is all home made! You don’t need to go to sauna once you finish the hot soup mixed with chili sauce.

Andrew Hernon

Went with a friend and of course like any good restaurant when it's busy you know it's good. I've known this place for many years. They get you in, serve you fast, and get you out. Servers and staff always friendly and awesome. Highly recommend! Please support small business! I had the number 11. Wonton tried chau noodles.