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Hai Phong, a bustling port city in Northern Vietnam, is not only known for its rich history and vibrant culture but also for its unique and adventurous cuisine. With just $5 (around 115,000 VND) in your pocket, you can explore a variety of local dishes that will tantalize your taste buds and offer a true taste of Hai Phong. Below are what you should try on a 5-day food tour with Asia King Travel.
Discover the cuisine of Hai Phong on a 5 day food tour. Source: Vietnam News
On the first day coming to Hai Phong, you should try crab noodle soups, one of the famous dishes in this next-to-sea land. Then walk around the city to find a restaurant and try crab spring rolls and sticky rice dumplings.
Address: No. 29/31, Nguyen Binh Khiem Street; No. 135, Lam Son Street.
Price: 40,000 VND
It won the hearts and then got inspired by the shining, bright look of Hai Phong Banh Da Cua, full of rich flavors inside. Soft rice noodles made of rice from this locality gave them that special color and felt as the major component in this noodle dish.
Place the transparent noodles carefully in a savory, salty broth that ensures freshness from the ocean, prepared using local crabs fresh from the ocean.
Crab Noodle Soup. Source: Vietnam Times
It's filled with tender, succulent crab meat, chunks of delicious pork, and flavor-filled fish cakes adding their flavor. A mixture of fresh herbs gives off fragrances, adding to every bite.
Banh Da Cua is not just a normal dish but a giant meal that may express the spirit of Hai Phong through the pulling of people into enjoying the truth of eating.
Address: No. 92, Dang Tat Street.
Price: 20,000 VND per roll
Walking around the city, you can easily smell the characteristic aroma of crab. Nem Cua Be is one of those whimsical food ideas that celebrate the harmony of flavors and textures.
These Hai Phong square spring rolls are filled with such opulence, the crab meat, pork, mushrooms, and vermicelli mixture, that each piece is carefully wrapped in see-through rice paper, then fried into a gold sheen, yielding that crunchy bite that beautifully contrasts with the richness of its insides.
Carb Spring Rolls. Source: Vietnam Times
Where the square shape already makes them stand out visually, that too turns any gastronomic expectation alive into a culinary symphony of flavors, crunch, and warmth.
Read more: Hanoi is the best food destination chosen by travelers
Start your day with a special breakfast in Hai Phong. Spicy Baguette (Banh My Cay) will be on your bucket list if you don’t know what to try in the morning.
Address: No. 184, Hang Kenh Street; No. 37, Dinh Tien Hoang Street
Price: 5,000 VND each
Banh My Cay, a small, crispy baguette filled with pâté and a special chili sauce, is a popular street food in Hai Phong. Known locally as “Bánh Mỳ Que,” these spicy baguettes are perfect for a quick and tasty snack. The unique chili sauce sets this baguette apart from others.
Spicy Baguette. Source: Unsplash
Address: No. 163, Cau Dat Street; No. 49, Dinh Tien Hoang Street; No. 38, Le Loi Street.
Price: 15,000 VND per bowl
Finally, finish your dinner with Sui Din, one kind of well-known dessert after a meal. Sui Din is a favorite delicacy in Hai Phong, with sweet flavors and a distinctive chewiness.
This candy carries a soft, elastic wrapper made from glutinous rice flour, wrapping up rich green beans or black sesame inside.
Ingredients will be prepared very carefully with ginger-steamed water to give these foods a warm and sweet smell that makes the mouths of food fancier. To give it an added appeal, each serving is generously sprinkled with finely grated coconut, lending a hint of sweetness and an added crunch.
Sticky Rice Dumplings. Source: Shutterstock
Sui din is especially nice on brisk days; it gives such a warm, satisfying feeling as it soothes both body and soul.
One shrimp noodle soup will help you warm your stomach up for a new day visiting this next-to-sea province.
Address: No. 42, Tran Nhat Duat Street.
Price: 35,000 VND per bowl
Bun Tom is some form of refreshing and delicious noodle soup dish that accentuates the mild freshness of fresh shrimp in a great way for those who love seafood. This dish contains clear broth combined with different fragrant herbs and spices that will go well with the natural sweetness of the shrimp, improving every sip.
Shrimp Noodle Soup. Source: Freepik
Freshly caught shrimp daily gives each bowl so much freshness that it bursts with flavor, the kind you feel when you taste the sea.
Every serving of Bun Tmm while eating transports one into a coastal paradise.
Address: No. 245 Lach Tray Street, Hai Phong
Price: 100,000 VND (shared among 2-3 people)
Enjoy a cool night in Hai Phong with a field crab hotpot with a lot of ingredients; it will help you improve your taste, and you will not regret it.
Lau Cua Dong is a magnificent hotpot dish, full of freshness and tenderness in every field of crab, silk tofu, and vegetables of different colors. The rich, aromatic broth is a great base for adding flavor to bring out the special and earthy essence of the crabs.
Field Crab Hotpot. Source: Istock
It means so much more than just the food; it is about sharing with people. People usually have it with friends and family, so it becomes the highlight at every gathering.
People share this hot pot, as all of them would be sitting around it, enjoying the taste and sharing moments.
Address: No. 116, Hang Kenh Street
Price: 20,000 VND per plate
As one of the dishes that you can eat whenever, Banh Beo is the best choice to warm your body up. Banh Beo is a cute, little rice cake snack hailing from Hai Phong.
This one is topped with a fair portion of minced shrimp, well-done tender pork, and even a bright green onion added on top. These very tempting treats are normally served with a side of spicy fish sauce to enhance their strong flavors.
Its texture is marvelously very soft and chewy at every single bite.
Water Fern Cake. Source: Vietnam News
A combination of all these ingredients then unites the various tastes, turning Bánh Bèo into a snack that most locals and visitors cherish.
Address: No. 30 Tran Phu Street.
Price: 50,000 VND per plate
Hai Phong was said to be the most bustling seashore city in North Vietnam. This place was built from the reputation of delicious snail dishes, with a few ways of processing: steaming, grilling, and stir-frying.
Each cooking way of snails reveals different flavors and textures.
The snails here are routed out from the high-quality waters nearby, hence, with every bit coming out soft and succulent. These dishes most people prefer with sour dipping sauce prepared from lime juice, chili, and garlic, which goes pretty well with the heavy and full-of-flavor taste of snails.
Moreover, most of the snail dishes in Hai Phong are prepared with aromatic herbs and spices that make these dishes aromatic and tease so many olfactory senses, both of the locals and the visitors.
Diverse dishes with snails in Hai Phong. Source: Unsplash
Starting from street food to higher-class restaurants, all dishes become the main essence of seafood cuisine, full of life in Hai Phong.
On the last day of the 5-day food tour in Hai Phong, you should try raw fish salad, a special dish that will give you an unforgettable experience to eat salad with raw fish. Then have mung bean pudding for dessert; it will be great to finish your 5-day food tour.
Address: No. 23 Luong Quan Street.
Price: 60,000 VND per plate
Goi Nhech is an intriguing dish that showcases the bold flavors of raw fish salad, bringing together an exotic combination of fermented fish, fresh herbs, and a zesty dressing. This dish is not for the faint of heart; it demands an adventurous palate willing to explore its complex flavor profile.
Raw Fish Salad. Source: Freepik
The raw fish used in Goi Nhech undergoes a fermentation process that transforms its texture and taste, imbuing it with a distinctive tanginess that is both surprising and delightful.
This fermentation not only enhances the fish's flavor but also contributes to the overall depth of the dish. Accompanying the fish, a medley of herbs, often including mint, cilantro, and aromatic greens, adds layers of freshness and fragrance, balancing the richness of the fermented fish.
The dressing, typically a mix of lime juice, chili, and fish sauce, introduces a zesty kick that elevates each bite, making the experience vibrant and lively. Together, these elements create a visually stunning and flavor-packed dish that invites diners to explore a treasure trove of unique tastes and textures, making Goi Nhech a truly unforgettable culinary experience.
Address: No. 18 Le Loi Street.
Price: 10,000 VND per bowl
Che Hoa Cau, a traditional dessert made from mung beans, coconut milk, and tapioca pearls, is often served chilled. This sweet, creamy pudding offers a refreshing end to any meal. The addition of coconut milk gives it a rich, tropical flavor.
Mung Bean Pudding. Source: Shutterstock
In busy Hai Phong, the $5, another word for 115,000 VND, will buy you a thrilling food tour: a steaming hot bowl of either Banh Da Cua or a mouth-smacking, aromatic crab noodle soup. You can also go for a couple of Nem Cua Be, or crispy and delicious crab spring rolls, golden in color and full of fresh ingredients.
You might particularly like a few Banh My Cay, a variety of popular Vietnamese breadsticks in crunchy form, sometimes spiced with various spices.
Due to such low prices and variety in street food, you can easily try out loads of delicious flavors without having to spend loads of money and thus get the real heart of this food heaven.
Curious to explore even more culinary adventures beyond Hai Phong? Travel to Hanoi and immerse yourself in the vibrant food scene. Join Asia King Travel; you’ll savor traditional Banh Goi dumplings, enjoy the famous Bun Cha, and sample the savory Banh Mi sandwich. This tour will tantalize your taste buds and immerse you in Hanoi’s rich cultural tapestry.
Read more: 5 best Vietnam food tour attracting foreign tourists
