Ha Long Bay, located in Vietnam, offers a variety of delicious dishes that you should definitely try when visiting. Here are some popular options:
Cha Muc (Squid Sausage)
This is a specialty of Ha Long Bay. It’s a type of sausage made from squid, seasoned with spices, and grilled to perfection. It’s savory, slightly spicy, and absolutely delicious. It is served best when eaten with white sticky rice. There’s nothing better than spoonfuls of fragrant sticky rice mixed with the rich, greasy taste of the hot patties. Accompanying the plate of squid rolls is a bowl of pure dipping sauce with a little pepper or, more simply, a little sweet and spicy chili sauce.
Nem Cua Be (Crab Spring Rolls)
Crab spring rolls are the most famous Ha Long specialty. The way local people wrap spring rolls is extremely unique, wrapping them in square shapes. Because of this special way of wrapping spring rolls, the dish is also called square crab spring rolls, square spring rolls or seafood square spring rolls. Nem square with crab is a harmonious combination of chicken eggs, lean pork, shrimp, crab, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms and other fruits and vegetables. Visually, these spring rolls are appealing with their vibrant colors from the assorted vegetables and herbs. When sliced and arranged on a plate, they present a beautiful contrast of textures and colors, making them a lovely addition to any meal or appetizer spread
Ha Long Crab Spring Rolls are a wonderful dish that highlights the freshness of ingredients and the artistry of Vietnamese cuisine. They make for a delightful appetizer, light meal, or party snack, appealing to both seafood lovers and those looking for a flavorful, vegetable-packed dish. Whether enjoyed at a restaurant or homemade, these spring rolls are sure to impress with their taste, texture, and visual appeal.
Ngan Bien (Austriella corrugate
It is a type of seafood that has recently been very popular with diners. Austriella corrugate is a precious seafood species, quite rare so not many people know about it. Austriella corrugate and clams have very similar shells and taste almost the same, but in terms of nutritional value, they are completely superior to clams and some other types of seafood.
Ngan is processed by lcal people into all kinds of different dishes such as steamed Ngan, grilled Ngan, Ngan porridge, Ngan salad, Ngan stir-fried vermicelli, Ngan stir-fried vermicelli, Ngan spinach soup and even Ngan wine.
Peanut worm (Sa Sung)
Peanut worms in Quang Ninh are considered by many diners to be the most delicious, fully processed and seasoned, and suitable with customer taste. They have 5-10cm in size and many different colors, often live in rock caves and sandy crevices at the bottom of the sea with depths of 10-30cm. Local people often catch peanut worms at high and low tide because peanut worms are easiest to catch at this time. This is an annelid worm species that has no heart, liver, or lungs. It has a sweet, sweet taste and is easy to eat. Because of such high nutrition, sea worms have a quite high price, especially dried sea worms have a higher price, so this dish is often given as a gift during holidays.
Horseshoe crab (Sam bien)
Sea horseshoe crab is a type of seafood that lives in coastal areas of Vietnam, especially in Quang Ninh and Ha Long Bay. Sea horseshoe crabs have a characteristic appearance with 6 legs and 4 eyes, and they often live in pairs. The horseshoe crab season usually lasts from October to February according to the lunar calendar, when the female horseshoe crab begins to lay eggs.
Sea horseshoe crab can not only prepare grilled sea horseshoe crab, but it is alsocan be processed into many different dishes that are popular with locals and vistors such as soup, salad, stir-fried with lemongrass and chili, sweet and sour, vermicelli, porridge, etc.
Snout Otter Clams or “Tu Hai”
Snout Otter Clams also known as the geoducks, has an ivory-white outer shell with two half-closed shells. Protruding between the two shells is a long, large, cylindrical tentacle that looks similar to an elephant’s trunk.
As a rare specialty of Ha Long, Snout Otter Clams are processed into many diverse and extremely attractive dishes by people on the island such as grilled geoduck, steamed geoduck, geoduck cooked with porridge..
“Be be” roasting with salt
“Be be” looks like a shrimp or mantes, therefore, sometimes it is called “sea mantes”. This dish is not only delicious but also full of nutrients. This dish goes well with cold beer or a refreshing beverage to balance the salty, savory flavors. For those who enjoy trying unique and flavorful seafood dishes, “Be Be” roasting with salt offers a taste of Vietnamese coastal cuisine that is sure to satisfy.