While rice and nuoc mam; define Vietnamese 'food', it is spices that define Vietnamese 'cuisine' - the study, practice and development of the kitchen arts. There could be no pho bo without them. just plain beef noodlle soup and nothing to wax lyrical about. Mint brings coolness, chillies bring Heat, ginger offsets aromas, coriander is ling and crowns even dish. while lemongrass has a citrus tang