Vietnamese food vs. Chinese food

While giving a friend a tour around New York City, I was asked the question, "What is the difference between Vietnamese food and Chinese food?"
Good question. Vietnamese and Chinese are both Asian right?

Well, even though it may seem that there isnt a big gap between the two, (people who speak Chinese work at Vietnamese restaurants, right? And there are also Vietnamese people who can speak Chinese (with the exception of my downstairs neighbor's wife..)) there is a huge difference. And there are definitely some restaurants that there are people who speak Vietnamese, those are the good restaurants.

Speaking of languages, there are people who can speak both Vietnamese and Chinese. One of my good friend's dad is this way. But let's go back to food.

I think Viet food has a more fresher taste. Whenever you order a Viet dish, there is usually a hint of mint or cilantro or lemon and those ingredients adds a lighter taste and feel to it. Heavier ingredients like meats are usually cut very thin but still packs quite a flavor. On the other hand, Chinese food is usually has a thick handed of sauce and the meats are kind of big and has a bit of bulk.
The country of Vietnam is a warm place surrounded by mostly water, they are big on fishing and lighter island flavors.
China is a big country both has very warm places and cold places. Most of China is mountainous and  inland and those areas are colder in climate hence heavier and thicker meats and sauces are essential.

At least that's how I think of it.

I thought about this while eating Viet food for lunch at Pho Hoai (8616 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209) with another good friend of mine. Sporadically, I was like "wait, let me take pictures of the food we're about to eat and post it on my blog." Haha.

Cha Gio Vietnamese spring roll. Note the mint off to the side.

Com Ga Nuong Grilled chicken with rice. Off to the corner, is an orange liquid that is fish sauce. Many people think its smelly but I dont know; it has a nice taste to it like a sweet and sour taste, and I like it. Also note the cucumber off to the side for freshness.

Bánh mì Vietnamese sandwich. It comes in many variations but it's basically a baguette with thinly sliced pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, chili peppers, pâté, mayonnaise and Vietnamese sausage.

Oh, I forgot to also add that Pho is big on the Vietnamese menu. Phở is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). The soup includes noodles made from rice (vermicelli) and is often served with Vietnamese basil, mint, lime, bean sprouts that are added to the soup by the diner. The fun part of it is that the beef usually comes to you rare so you have to submerge it in the hot soup and cook it from there. It is quite delicious; it's just that my friend and I didnt order it at the time.