Originating from the capital, but now vermicelli with shrimp paste, fried spring rolls, and La Vong fish cake have become popular dishes in Saigon.
In the minds of many people, Ho Chi Minh City is a fairly easy-going and liberal land. People here can accept many different trends, from fashion, lifestyle, and especially to food, as long as it suits their taste.
Because of that, there are many specialties from all over the country, after being introduced to Saigon, they have been sought after as much as the place where it was “born”. Among them, definitely must mention the following famous dishes.
Cha Ca La Vong
Appearing in Ho Chi Minh City for a while, but recently, La Vong fish cake has officially become a “trend” for foodies in the better and higher segment. There are many posts on food groups looking for delicious places to eat. Thai Vu account shared: “I really want to look at the picture, this month I have missed more than a dozen times and still can’t book a table.”
Photo: Lac Dinh day by day, digifood
According to evaluation, most of the restaurants still keep their “identity” with the main ingredient being salmon fillet, which is grilled golden, served with dill, green onions, herbs and fresh vermicelli, dipped with shrimp paste. But perhaps when seasoning, in addition to galangal, turmeric, batch, ginger and shrimp paste, the chef adjusted the proportions, or added something to create a taste more familiar to the locals.
In addition, people also created more side dishes, different from the menu of La Vong Cha Ca restaurants in Hanoi. These can be mentioned as deep-fried pork bones with salt, fish head hot pot, Thai sardines…
Photo: Lac Dinh day by day, La Vong fish cake
Some good places to eat:
– Grilled fish Ngon 3B, 97 Nguyen Thai Binh, District 1
– Cha Ca La Vong, No. 7-9 Ho Xuan Huong, District 3
– Ms. Beo’s heart porridge hot pot, 18A/39 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Da Kao, District 1
Price: about 179,000 VND / fish skewers, set 373,000 VND / 2 people (fish cakes, fish skewers, side dishes)
Noodles with bean paste with shrimp paste
Before La Vong fish cake, vermicelli with shrimp paste also had an extremely impressive “Southern progress” journey. And until now, the number of establishments selling this dish on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City is not inferior to Hanoi. Not only expanding the topping list to all kinds of heart, sausages, many restaurants also make variations, for diners to eat with spring rolls, bacon, tortillas, spring rolls … depending on their liking.
Photo: Nguyen Kim Hang, Chau Kha Di
Even, instead of eating mainly at noon, avoiding the 1st like people in the capital, at all times of the day, the noodle shops with shrimp paste and shrimp paste in Saigon are crowded with people coming in and out.
Photo: Lam Le, Nguyen Dung
Some delicious noodle addresses:
– Vong bean vermicelli, 413 Phan Huy Ich, Go Vap
– A Chanh shrimp and bean paste noodles (many branches)
– Chi Pheo vermicelli, 149 Nguyen Gia Tri, Ward 25, Binh Thanh District
Nem chua rán
When the “lemon tea culture” spread to Ho Chi Minh City, it also brought with it the specialty of fried spring rolls. Now, at sidewalk shops, pubs, diners can enjoy snacks that have existed for more than 3 decades in this Hanoi Old Quarter.
Photo: Bao Le, Tran Khanh Linh
Notably, although the people of Saigon have learned and processed themselves into many delicious dishes such as spring rolls, fried potatoes, etc., they still have to import fresh spring rolls from the source. The fragrant spring rolls are mixed with the rough skin, deep-fried, and dipped with spicy chili sauce, creating a very unique flavor of Hanoi cuisine, not mixed with anywhere else.
Photo: Chau Kha Di, Nguyen Vo Quynh Nga