Bac LieuIf you ever have the chance to visit the hometown of the famous Bac Lieu playboy—a vast and beautiful riverine land—don’t miss out on these local delicacies such as bánh tằm, spicy beef noodle soup, or fermented fish hotpot.
Bac Lieu is not only famous for the legendary playboy who famously burned money to impress women, its vast bird sanctuary, or the historic Commissioner’s House. This Mekong Delta province also boasts a rich, fresh, and nutritious cuisine that fascinates many visitors eager to explore.
Fermented fish hotpot, fermented fish noodle soup
Here, locals often prepare this hotpot using fermented gourami fish combined with fresh coconut water, lemongrass, and fragrant fried garlic. The hotpot is served with pork belly, snakehead fish, basa fish, and vegetables such as celery, water spinach, Malabar spinach, purple mustard greens, lotus stems, sesbania flowers, and water hyacinth…
Fermented fish noodle soup is cooked with linh fish or gourami fish, which are abundant in the Mekong Delta
Bánh tằm bì
As one of the signature dishes of the Mekong Delta, any visitor setting foot in Bac Lieu will want to try bánh tằm bì. Made from cooked rice flour shaped into thick strands and steamed, the dish is served with meatballs, shredded pork skin, boiled lean pork, crushed roasted peanuts, sliced cucumber, and fresh herbs. Bánh tằm in Ngan Dua town is especially famous.
Longan
Longan is one of the well-known local specialties, loved for its delicate sweetness and enticing aroma. The best longan can be found in orchards in Hiep Thanh Commune—also a popular tourist destination in Bac Lieu.
Xuồng longan is the largest variety among longan types on the market. Golden-flesh xuồng longan has thick flesh, firm texture, and is not overly soft or watery like other varieties…
Bánh xèo
One of the most well-known culinary brands in Bac Lieu is A Mat’s bánh xèo, filled with chopped scallions, red shrimp, thinly sliced onions, soft-cooked mung beans, and a few strands of jicama. This dish is enjoyed with fresh herbs and dipped in sweet-and-sour chili fish sauce.
Bánh xèo can be found throughout Vietnam, with each region offering its own distinct flavor. Notably, Mekong Delta bánh xèo carries a rich, rustic taste that reflects the character of Southern people.
Spicy beef noodle soup
Although it carries flavors typical of Central Vietnam, spicy beef noodle soup has become a humble, familiar dish for local people. A bowl includes beef cooked with chili paste, white rice noodles, and is served with aromatic herbs and bean sprouts. One of the best places to enjoy this dish is Ward 5.
Bún nước lèo
In the southernmost region of the country, you will find bún nước lèo sold everywhere—from street vendors to famous family-run eateries. A good broth must be cooked in an earthen pot to preserve the sweetness of shrimp, fish, and coconut water, while releasing the aroma of fermented fish. The noodles are served with shredded banana blossom, bean sprouts, basil, and more. Some places also add fresh squid, roasted pork, spring rolls, or bánh cống.
Crabs, mud whelks, spiral snails…
With over 56 km of coastline, this fertile land is renowned for its abundance of fresh seafood that captivates visitors from the very first visit. Must-try specialties include tamarind crab, spicy stir-fried mud whelks, and coconut stir-fried spiral snails…
Xá pấu
Xá pấu is the Chinese-Vietnamese name for pickled radish. The preparation is quite simple: radishes are washed, cut into thin strips, sun-dried, then pickled with sugar and five-spice powder. This dish is best enjoyed with plain rice porridge and crispy fried tofu.
Though the name sounds unusual, the ingredients are quite familiar. Xá pấu is made from white radish that has been partially sun-dried, then marinated with coarse salt.
Bồn bồn
Bac Lieu is one of the provinces famous for its delicious pickled bồn bồn. Besides pickling, the tender stems are also used in various appealing dishes such as stir-fried with shrimp and pork, cooked in soups, hotpots, or mixed into salads.
Bồn bồn is a flowering plant in the cattail family (Typhaceae), commonly found in wetlands with fresh or brackish water.
10. Ba khía
Ba khía is a type of crab with large claws, typical of Southern Vietnam, living in brackish and salty waters. It is named “ba khía” because of the three distinctive ridges on its back. Besides boiled and pickled ba khía, fermented ba khía with its spicy, salty, and sweet flavor is a famous specialty, often enjoyed with crispy scorched rice.
Ba khía live in brackish water environments at river mouths and estuaries, and are most commonly found in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces.
For those born in the 1980s and 1990s in the Mekong Delta, the sweet taste of grilled bananas combined with the rich, fragrant savoriness of scallion oil is surely unforgettable. Saigon may have everything, yet it somehow lacks that subtle salty note found in grilled bananas with scallion oil.Grilled xiêm bananas brushed with scallion oil...
The cool weekend weather is perfect for enjoying delicious frog dishes together. And “Ech chien rom” (Fried frog with straw), also known as “Ech leo rao” (Frog climbing the fence) or “Ech nup lum” (Frog hiding in the bush), is a dish loved by many. If you are eating this dish for the first time,...
Snakehead fish is a freshwater fish with firm, chewy flesh that can be prepared into many delicious dishes such as: fried or steamed snakehead fish patties, stuffed with bitter melon, deep-fried until crispy... Grilled okra stuffed with snakehead fish is a very easy dish to make but very tasty.
Perhaps because the rice flour strands are hand-rolled and boiled until they resemble silkworms, and eaten together with shredded pork skin, the dish is called bánh tằm bì. Those who try this dish for the first time are often surprised because it is both savory and sweet at the same time—sweet from the coconut milk...
When the rice fields are left with only stubble, the field mice are full of rice, fat, and have firm meat. During this season, if you travel to the Mekong Delta, you'll easily see many farmers selling field mice. Grilled field mouse with salt and chili is a prominent dish among the Mekong Delta's specialties, often prepared by locals after the harvest.
The Mekong Delta is a rich “reservoir” of freshwater fish. Among the freshwater species found in the Mekong Delta, snakehead fish is considered the most iconic local specialty. Steamed snakehead fish with fermented rice is a traditional dish of Can Tho—simple and rustic, yet irresistibly appealing. Ingredients: Fermented rice Shallots Scallions Served with: Boiled tiny...
Duck is a nutritious dish that can be prepared in many ways such as grilling, boiling, frying, stir-frying, roasting, salad, porridge, blood pudding, etc. The method for cooking duck with fermented bean curd (chao) is very simple. This delicious dish stands out thanks to the fragrant flavors of duck and chao blending together, creating a...
Braised pork belly can be eaten with many things such as white rice, pickled onions, pickled bean sprouts, but perhaps most commonly it’s served with pickled mustard greens. The salty, sweet, and rich flavors of the braised pork belly combine with the sour and slightly spicy taste of the pickled mustard greens, creating an unexpectedly...
Wild rice, also known as sky rice, thrives and multiplies strongly during the flood season. The people of the Thap Muoi region consider it a precious gift of nature in this harsh flooded land. As a naturally growing wild rice variety that requires no cultivation, people call it “sky rice.” Locals say wild rice is...
Kien Giang is not only famous for its landmark known as the "pearl of the East Sea," but when you visit Kien Giang, don't forget to enjoy its local specialties. Kien Giang fish noodle soup is one of the dishes that has contributed to the region's reputation.
The method for making grilled snails with green peppercorns is quite simple. This is a unique and appealing dish because of the crunchy texture of the snails combined with the spicy, pungent flavor of the green peppercorns, and the tingling sensation on the tongue that makes anyone want to try it. Ingredients 200 g green...
The Southwestern region of Vietnam is famous for its fertile land and abundant fruits. Each area has its own specialty: Cai Be is known for its sweet tangerines, Vinh Kim for its blacksmith village star apples, while Tra Vinh is renowned for the quach fruit. If you are someone who loves nostalgia, who enjoys traveling...
Grilled bananas with scallion oil – a rustic dishFor those born in the 1980s and 1990s in the Mekong Delta, the sweet taste of grilled bananas combined with the rich, fragrant savoriness of scallion oil is surely unforgettable. Saigon may have everything, yet it somehow lacks that subtle salty note found in grilled bananas with scallion oil.Grilled xiêm bananas brushed with scallion oil...
The signature dish is frog fried in straw.The cool weekend weather is perfect for enjoying delicious frog dishes together. And “Ech chien rom” (Fried frog with straw), also known as “Ech leo rao” (Frog climbing the fence) or “Ech nup lum” (Frog hiding in the bush), is a dish loved by many. If you are eating this dish for the first time,...
How to make grilled okra stuffed with snakehead fish.Snakehead fish is a freshwater fish with firm, chewy flesh that can be prepared into many delicious dishes such as: fried or steamed snakehead fish patties, stuffed with bitter melon, deep-fried until crispy... Grilled okra stuffed with snakehead fish is a very easy dish to make but very tasty.
How to make sweet and savory silkworm cocoon-shaped rice noodles with pork skin.Perhaps because the rice flour strands are hand-rolled and boiled until they resemble silkworms, and eaten together with shredded pork skin, the dish is called bánh tằm bì. Those who try this dish for the first time are often surprised because it is both savory and sweet at the same time—sweet from the coconut milk...
Go to the Mekong Delta to eat grilled field rat with salt and chili.When the rice fields are left with only stubble, the field mice are full of rice, fat, and have firm meat. During this season, if you travel to the Mekong Delta, you'll easily see many farmers selling field mice. Grilled field mouse with salt and chili is a prominent dish among the Mekong Delta's specialties, often prepared by locals after the harvest.
Steamed snakehead fish with fermented rice paste.The Mekong Delta is a rich “reservoir” of freshwater fish. Among the freshwater species found in the Mekong Delta, snakehead fish is considered the most iconic local specialty. Steamed snakehead fish with fermented rice is a traditional dish of Can Tho—simple and rustic, yet irresistibly appealing. Ingredients: Fermented rice Shallots Scallions Served with: Boiled tiny...
How to Cook Rich and Creamy Duck with Fermented TofuDuck is a nutritious dish that can be prepared in many ways such as grilling, boiling, frying, stir-frying, roasting, salad, porridge, blood pudding, etc. The method for cooking duck with fermented bean curd (chao) is very simple. This delicious dish stands out thanks to the fragrant flavors of duck and chao blending together, creating a...
How to cook braised pork bellyBraised pork belly can be eaten with many things such as white rice, pickled onions, pickled bean sprouts, but perhaps most commonly it’s served with pickled mustard greens. The salty, sweet, and rich flavors of the braised pork belly combine with the sour and slightly spicy taste of the pickled mustard greens, creating an unexpectedly...
Rich and flavorful fish noodle soup from Kien Giang.Kien Giang is not only famous for its landmark known as the "pearl of the East Sea," but when you visit Kien Giang, don't forget to enjoy its local specialties. Kien Giang fish noodle soup is one of the dishes that has contributed to the region's reputation.
How to make grilled snails with green peppercornsThe method for making grilled snails with green peppercorns is quite simple. This is a unique and appealing dish because of the crunchy texture of the snails combined with the spicy, pungent flavor of the green peppercorns, and the tingling sensation on the tongue that makes anyone want to try it. Ingredients 200 g green...
The unique taste of the quince fruit from Tra VinhThe Southwestern region of Vietnam is famous for its fertile land and abundant fruits. Each area has its own specialty: Cai Be is known for its sweet tangerines, Vinh Kim for its blacksmith village star apples, while Tra Vinh is renowned for the quach fruit. If you are someone who loves nostalgia, who enjoys traveling...
