here are some rice-based noodles to know:
rice vermicelli
english: rice vermicelli, thin rice sticks
mandarin: mi fen, mi xian
vietnamese: bun (thin), banh hoi (extra-thin)
available in various thicknesses (from very thin to thicker than spaghetti), dried or fresh. can be stir-fried, cooked in soup, boiled and served with vegetables, etc. most of the recipes on this page assume that only dried vermicelli is available (not fresh).
flat rice noodles
english: flat rice noodles, rice sticks, pad thai noodles, pho noodles, etc.
cantonese: sa-ho fun, ho fun
mandarin: he fen, shahe fen
vietnamese: hu tieu, hu tiu, banh pho, ha phan
available in various widths and thicknesses, dried or fresh. these can also be bought fresh in sheets or pre-sliced strands. can be stir-fried, cooked in soup, steamed, served cold etc. most of the recipes on this page assume that only the dried variety is available.
rice intestines
mandarin: chang fen, zhuchang fen, juan fen
no, not real intestines. the chinese just call them "intestine noodles" because they're long, thin, round, shiny, chewy, slippery -- kind of like intestines. yum. actually, these are just flat rice noodles rolled up. you'll find them in almost any cantonese dim sum restaurant, and they're usually filled with meat, seafood, scallions, or sometimes nothing at all.
banh canh
a vietnamese rice noodle that is thick and round and usually in served in soup.
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