WHAT AND WHERE TO EAT ON THE BEACH

QUANG NINH: SQUID SAUSAGE, STONE CRAB RICE VERMICELLI

This place is famous for beautiful islands and delicious seafood with a lot of fantastic dishes, but the most impressive dish must be Ha Long squid sausage

(cha muc). It has a different taste compared to squid sausage in many other places, because of the main ingredient: exclusive squid coming from Ha Long Bay, which is completely ground up by hand. The dish is crispy and delicious and can be eaten with sticky rice

(xoi) or steamed rice rolls

(banh cuon).

Where to eat: Many eateries such as Hien Nhung, Hoai Phuong, Kim Thoa, Trung Huynh... in Ha Long market

Also, Quang Ninh people are proud of another specialty: stone crab rice vermicelli (bun cu ky)

- “a standard breakfast” in the coastal city. Stone crab meat is very firm and sweet meat, it only lives in the warm waters like of Quang Ninh and Hai Phong. A bowl of rice vermicelli with stone crab meat will have the sweet taste of the sea and can be eaten with mantis shrimp or shrimp, creating a fresh, crunchy and delicate flavor.

Where to eat: Bun cu ky Ba Lan (Kiosk 12 Khu Vuon Nha, lot 1 group 7 Cai Dam, Bai Chay, Ha Long)

KIEN GIANG: STIRRED RICE VERMICELLI, HERRING SALAD

Phu Quoc island doesn’t have expensive seafood only but also an affordable dish: stirred rice vermicelli. The unique feature of this dish is its extremely fresh ingredients, with all kinds of seafood caught during the day and fresh vermicelli made on site from rice flour. A paste made from ground shrimp, fish and squid is put inside the bowl with onions and herbs on top. Then the boiling water is poured into the bowl and the diner starts stirring before adding noodles and getting their chops ready to eat. If you have a chance to try this dish, don't forget to add some Phu Quoc spicy peppers.

Where to eat: Bun quay Kien Xay (34 30/4 street, Duong Đong,

Phu Quoc)

Another famous specialty is herring salad. The herring in Phu Quoc, especially in Ha Tien, is fat, delicious and rich in nutrients. It is cleaned, cut along the sides to get the meat and remove the bones, then marinated with ginger and garlic. It would be incomplete if the herring salad does not contain roasted peanuts and grated coconut, sauces and vegetables. The salad has a unique taste of sweet herring, sour starfruit and spicy peppers.

Where to eat: Cay Bang eatery (273 Highway 80, Ha Tien town)

KHANH HOA: LOBSTER, JELLYFISH RICE VERMICELLI

Khanh Hoa has long been dubbed the “capital of lobster” because this is the first sea in Vietnam to successfully cultivate high-quality giant freshwater lobsters. In the ideal habitat, lobsters grow very fast, such as in typical habitats like Binh Ba island. Lobsters can be cooked into many dishes such as steamed lobster with coconut water, grilled lobster with cheese, lobster porridge or lobster hotpot. A fresh Binh Ba lobster which has just been caught can be cooked into anything, it still retains the special sweetness.

Where to eat: seafood restaurants in Binh Ba, Binh Hung

In addition, Nha Trang visitors can enjoy jellyfish rice vermicelli (bun sua), popular in most eateries here. The jellyfish used to make this dish is not the common jellyfish, but rather the jellyfish as small as a big toe, opaque, white and caught by the fishermen in the remote ocean area. The broth goes with jellyfish rice vermicelli is from ponyfish, the small fish with no bones, making it more aromatic and sweet.

Just try a spoonful of broth and chew a piece of crispy and crystalclear jellyfish and that may be enough for you to feel the very richness of the sea.

Where to eat: Bun ca Nguyen Loan (123 Ngo Gia Tu, Nha Trang)

QUANG NAM: QUANG NOODLE, FRESH SEAWEED

In Quang Nam, you can find a Quang noodle shop anywhere. It’s a dish with all the tastes of rustic Central cuisine, which is delicious and features a distinctive aftertaste. Over the years, Quang noodles have been modified a lot but the most popular dish is probably still a traditional bowl of noodles with pork, shrimp and eggs, served with herbs, toasted Vietnamese sesame rice crackers and original, aromatic broth. A bowl of Quang noodles is always aromatic, making a dish that diners remember forever.

Where to eat: My Quang ba Lang (Le Thanh Tong street, Tam Ky)

In Quang Nam, there is another specialty that not everyone knows and that is fresh seaweed. Seaweed is refreshing and a valuable source of nature food, especially rich in Tam Hai island. The locals only have two main occupations: fishing and seaweed picking. Each seaweed season lasts for 3-4 months. Depending on the season, people go to pick different types of seaweed, from wolfweed in late spring to early summer, brown macroalgae in late June or red algae in winter. If you visit Quang Nam, do not miss the opportunity to enjoy fresh seaweed in the waters with a unique flavor - it tastes much better than when it’s dried for long-term use.

Where to eat: Tam Hai eatery in Bac beach, Tam Hai

BA RIA - VUNG TAU: SLIPPER LOBSTER, BANH KHOT

Con Dao, in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, is an island with a very diverse and pristine ecosystem, which includes valuable aquatic species, especially slipper lobster. Covered in a thick carapace, its meat is usually only 1/3 to 1/2 of the weight of the whole body, but it is sweet, soft, aromatic and has nutritional quality superior to lobster. Slipper lobsters can be cooked into many dishes such as grilled with chili, steamed with beer, grilled with garlic butter and grilled with cheese. Where to eat: seafood restaurant in Con Dao

Besides, Vung Tau is also known for banh khot, which is closely associated with the local life. Banh khot is made from rice flour and shrimp, the color of red shrimp stands out on the yellow fried flour, making banh khot look colorfully eye-catching. The locals often eat banh khot with sweet and sour fish sauce and herbs such as leaf mustard, lettuce, perilla, fish mint and shredded papaya. It’s as simple and rustic as their lives.

Where to eat: Banh khot goc vu sua (14 Nguyen Truong To, Ward 2, Vung Tau)