The main ingredient of the classic rice paper salad is rice paper which is cut into thin strips and then kept dry.

The dry rice paper is then mixed with shredded green mango, torn Vietnamese coriander, Tay Ninh shrimp salt, herbs and a squeeze of lime juice. All these ingredients are mixed well together until everything is blended thoroughly. Hard boiled eggs, dried beef or chicken floss can be added later as the final steps to finish the dish.

Rice paper salad is often served in a plastic bag with two skewers serving as chopsticks.

The dish is served at almost every pavement in a metal cart rolling along every street across cities in Viet Nam. The price is amazingly cheap, starting only from VND10,000, depending on extra ingredients that customers may wish to add to their portion.