Mr. Tuan was surprised because the people of Nam Dinh were very friendly and enthusiastically showed the way to a group of guests far from delicious restaurants.
Le Anh Tuan, 29 years old, a shipper cum online food business in Hanoi , has just had a two-day two-night trip to Nam Dinh with a group of friends.
Tuan departed from Hanoi station, took the night train for QB1 (the train runs from Hanoi to Quang Binh with a stop at Nam Dinh) at about 20:00 and arrived in Nam Dinh city at 21:30. The group went to eat noodle soup at a restaurant near the hotel and then rested. During the two days here, the group agreed to spend one day visiting famous religious buildings and the second day was a food tour.
Early in the morning of the first day , Tuan got up early, ate beef noodle soup with Uncle Tang, a famous local pho brand, and then went to Tran Temple. After that, the group went to Hung Nghia holy temple, Hai Hung commune, Hai Hau district. It takes about 90 minutes to travel by motorbike from the city. “The distance is long, so everyone should pay attention to their health. Moving in winter will be more comfortable than summer because of the heat. The church is as beautiful and majestic as the castle in the Harry Potter movie. When we arrived, there were Many couples come to take wedding photos,” he said. Next, they visited the Bui Chu bishopric, which was under repair, and the Phu Nhai basilica.
Before that, Tuan heard that the churches in Nam Dinh were very beautiful. But only when he witnessed it with his own eyes did he believe it was as beautiful as rumored. The churches are all very palatial and magnificent, just like in Europe.
On the second day , the group determined to “eat down” Nam Dinh with the dishes that had been researched in advance on the forums, as well as at the suggestion of the local people. His list of must-try dishes is endless: vermicelli, beef noodle soup, spring rolls, coconut bread, mixed sticky rice with pate, sticky rice, vermicelli with dot, mussel porridge, sticky rice with Banh Khuc, o mai juice, Sticky rice ice cream… Shops in Nam Dinh are mostly open in the afternoon, so from early afternoon to late in the day is the time when the group focuses on exploring.
Food suggestions for the Nam Dinh food tour :
Pho with little sauce on Nguyen Hien street. Soft noodle soup with mild spicy broth and tender, marinated meat.
Beef noodle soup in Hang Tien street. The restaurant has pan-fried beef noodle soup that Tuan suggested to try. “Tender beef stir-fried with vegetables, carrots, tomatoes and chan with sweet bone broth. But those who don’t like to eat fat may find it boring.”
Polish bread, a long-known specialty of the southern city. The bread is crispy, hot, dense and often bought by people to eat with wine sauce or dipping milk. Tuan also suggested sesame bread and coconut bread. “It’s super delicious to eat hot,” he said.
Bread pate in Hang Thao street. Tuan likes egg pate bread and grilled egg pate. He appreciates the delicious pate mixed with eggs, served with crispy hot bread and sweet pickles to his mouth.
Bun Sung (bun top) at Dien Hong market. This dish is famous for its rich marinated topping. Previously, the shop only sold crab vermicelli noodles to eat with fat. Then, to please diners, the owner sells more fish and meatballs.
Bun chopsticks near lane 38 Hoang Van Thu is also a suggestion. The noodles are tough, as big as the tip of chopsticks, and are filled with crab sauce, sweet and bold. Diners can order more rolls with guise leaves.
Ice cream sticky rice on Nguyen Du street is also a dish that diners should definitely try when visiting the city. The ice cream part is not too sweet, eaten with dried sticky rice, grilled coconut.
Mixed sticky rice with pate on Hoang Van Thu street. For other dishes, Tuan scored 10 points, but this restaurant alone, he scored 11 points. The reason this is the only diner at noon that the group of tourists found near the hotel. In Nam Dinh, most of the shops open in the afternoon.
Sticky rice cake with pork rolls on Hai Ba Trung street. The sticky rice cake part is flexible, fragrant and soft. Tuan thinks that this dish will be more delicious when eaten in winter. Next to the shop is a shop selling spring rolls, young tourists also conveniently stop by to eat.
Sticky rice in Bac Ninh street with soft, flexible rice grains, meat and a rich, strange sauce. The shop sells tea. Two dishes are called by many people as lotus tea and sticky leaf jelly.
Mussel porridge on Vi Hoang Street is also appreciated because it is different from the porridge Tuan eats in Hanoi. “The mussels are sweet, the porridge is cooked in a fine powder form, eaten with tortillas, red onion, and dill, so it’s very delicious and fragrant.”
In Hai Hung commune, Tuan suggested two addresses: 3 Chum shop, 18 hamlet and milk tea at the intersection of Avoid Street. The specialty of 3 Chum restaurant is crispy carp fried with mushrooms and fried beef with bamboo shoots.
Regarding drinks, the group of friends visited a coffee shop on Tran Phu street with beautiful scenery, delicious drinks and Ba Bu apricot juice, Tran Quoc Toan street. “Om mai juice is strange to drink, not too excellent, but in the afternoon, sitting and sipping drinks and cakes made by the owner, watching people exercise is also fun,” Tuan said. The shop also sells O Mai juice to bring back to serve diners.
The reason to choose Nam Dinh for a summer trip is because Tuan has been here once. On the previous trip, he was impressed with the food in the southern city, so he wanted to come back and try new dishes. Besides, Tuan also wants to learn more about culinary culture to serve his work. “I see that Nam Dinh has a lot of things to eat often, the food is delicious, rich, easy to taste with many people,” the male tourist shared.
The first thing Tuan impressed about Nam Dinh was the delicious food. But what touched and delighted him was the friendliness of the local people. “Even though we didn’t know each other, they still enthusiastically showed us the way to delicious places to eat. So in two days here, we were able to discover so many delicious places to eat and beautiful scenery.”
The most memorable memory of this trip is that it is very difficult to rent a motorbike in the city. Tuan looked everywhere and couldn’t find a place to rent. Fortunately, the hotel owner mobilized the car of his family and staff to help Tuan and his group of friends travel conveniently.
“The people of Nam Dinh are too enthusiastic,” the young tourist shared. He said he will come back this winter, Christmas time because then, the churches are definitely decorated very beautifully, suitable for “virtual living” as well as “eating and drinking will be more delicious”.
Total trip cost per person:
| Rent a motel, motorbike | 360,000 VND |
| Round trip train ticket | 200,000 VND |
| Eating | 500,000 VND |
| total cost | 1,000,000 VND |
Photo: Le Anh Tuan