When visiting the Mekong Delta, try these 5 incredibly delicious specialties.

The Mekong Delta is not only home to breathtaking landscapes, but also boasts a rich and unique culinary paradise. With its abundant land and water resources, the Southwest region possesses a diverse range of food products, from rice and fish to shrimp, vegetables, and fruits. The people here are constantly creating many unique specialties that can't be found anywhere else.

Sour fish soup with water hyacinth flowers

The flood season in the Mekong Delta not only creates a picturesque landscape of vast waterways but also brings abundant produce to farmers. One of the most beloved specialties of the Mekong Delta is sour fish soup with water hyacinth flowers, a rustic dish that evokes fond memories for many visitors. Who hasn't heard the folk verse that goes:

Sour fish soup with water spinach and snakehead fish

Eating alone doesn't really taste good.

One reason why the Mekong Delta's specialty dish, sour fish soup with water hyacinth flowers, is so appealing to tourists is that both the fish and water hyacinth flowers are only available during the flood season, around the 8th lunar month each year. The tender, fatty fish combines with the sweet, nutty flavor of the water hyacinth flowers. Picking up a piece of fish with some vegetables, dipping it in the salty, spicy fish sauce, and scooping it with white rice is simply delightful.

Fish sauce hot pot

Fish sauce hotpot is a very rustic yet memorable specialty dish that leaves a strong impression on tourists visiting the Mekong Delta. The main ingredients are fermented snakehead fish sauce or fermented catfish sauce from Chau Doc - An Giang province, and the broth is made from the fish sauce with coconut water or pork bone broth. Fish sauce hotpot is usually served with fresh rice noodles and various Mekong Delta vegetables such as water lilies, water spinach, and water morning glory.

It's no exaggeration to say that Chau Doc fish sauce hotpot is one of An Giang's most famous specialties. Perhaps this vast riverine region has produced a variety of fish and shrimp, diverse fresh vegetables, and the people are skillful and creative. Therefore, the fish sauce hotpot has become even more delicious, unique, and impressive to diners.

Sa Dec noodle soup

The rice flour making craft in Sa Dec has a tradition of over 100 years. The people here specialize in producing pho noodles, vermicelli, and hu tieu (rice noodles) for export abroad.

The uniqueness of Sa Dec rice noodles lies in their smooth, soft, white strands that are neither mushy nor sour. Whether you're a casual diner or dining at a fancy restaurant, Sa Dec rice noodles always have a distinctive flavor that's hard to find elsewhere, thanks to the abundant ingredients and generations of culinary expertise. Dry rice noodles are a popular local dish.

According to long-standing eateries, Vietnamese people who once lived in Cambodia brought back to Sa Dec a unique culinary style, transforming dry rice noodles into a delicious dish with a special sauce that is both sour and sweet, while still retaining the distinctive local flavor.

Chau Doc fish noodle soup

Chau Doc fish noodle soup has long been a culinary symbol of An Giang. No visitor to An Giang can go without enjoying the unique flavor of this dish – the sweet broth, fragrant with galangal, and the golden-brown pieces of fish, awakening all the senses.

This bowl of fish noodle soup has a bright yellow broth from turmeric, sweetened with the flavor of simmered fish and pork bones. The fish must always be fresh, seasoned with the right amount of spices, and turmeric is added to eliminate any fishy smell. The broth must be truly sweet; only then will this Western Vietnam specialty fish noodle soup be truly delicious.

But one of the most important ingredients in the broth is the galangal root. This root has a shape and color quite similar to fresh turmeric. However, galangal root has a milder aroma, not as strong as other spices. After washing, the galangal root is crushed together with fresh turmeric, then the juice is extracted. The addition of galangal root not only creates a delicious flavor in the broth but also helps eliminate the characteristic fishy smell.

Tra Cuon sticky rice cake

While people in Northern and Central Vietnam celebrate the New Year with traditional banh chung (square sticky rice cake), people in the Mekong Delta have a pot of fragrant banh tet (cylindrical sticky rice cake).

In the Mekong Delta, there are many different types of banh tet, including traditional banh tet, banh tet wrapped in purple leaves, and among them, Tra Cuon banh tet. The uniqueness of each type lies in the selection of ingredients, the wrapping method, and the cooking process. To create delicious banh tet, bakers use sticky rice, fragrant marinated pork belly, and mung beans.

When you cut into a Tra Cuon sticky rice cake, you'll be immediately captivated by the deep green sticky rice wrapper encasing a golden yellow mung bean filling. Inside, the soft, chewy texture of the sticky rice, the nutty flavor of the mung beans, and the richness of the pork fat, salted egg, and dried shrimp blend perfectly. The exquisite taste will leave a lasting impression.

Ha Mai Trinh