Halong Bay in Vietnam is famous for its breathtaking natural beauty, featuring lime karst stones, white sand beaches, and amazing hidden caves and lagoons. It should absolutely be on your must-do list when visiting Vietnam.
However, many tourists are unaware that, in along with the natural beauty, the area also offers a colorful experience of its prominent cultural life. One of them is street food. Today, CruiseInHalongBay will take you on an exploration to a colorful yet delicate Halong Bay street foods.
Chả mực (Fried Squid Cake)
Cha Muc is the top of the list and the signature dish of Halong Bay. If you’re a newcomer and ask a local where to eat, Cha Muc will always be the first recommendation.
Squid is the major ingredient in this dish. The squids would be ground, combined with wheat flour, and shaped like cookies before being deep-fried. The ground squids make the food more crunchy but tasty than ever before.
Cha Muc goes well with many kinds of side dishes, such as sticky rice or rolling rice cake.
Price: 120,000 – 150,000vnd/set
Where to eat:
- “Ba Kien” Cha Muc – Kiosk 46, Halong Market, Quang Ninh Province
Sam (Horseshoe Crab)
Sam (Horseshoe Crab in English) is one of Halong Bay’s most famous dishes.
One interesting fact about these crabs is that they generally connect in pairs of two, with one female carrying the male over in her back. As a result, when gathering them from the sea, fisherman may frequently catch two Sam at once. Locals also sell two at a time since they believe you’ll get sick if you only eat one of them.
Sam could be cooked in a variety of ways and still preserving its flavors and nutrition. Stir-frying with noodles, steaming, or frying are all common ways of cooking dishes with a Sam.
Price: 700,000 – 1,500,000VND/pair
Where to eat
- Madam Ty Restaurant: No. 7D Cao Thang, Halong City
- Dung Hoa Restaurant: 96 Thanh Thien, Halong Bay
Be Be Noodle
Given that Halong Bay is a coastal city, it is not surprising to see more seafood on this list.
Be Be (or Mantis Shirmp) was found in several different provinces in Vietnam. The freshness of this dish, however, was able to be gotten in coastal areas such as Halong Bay.
Be Be of Halong is on the medium side and would go well with noodles. Locals would use their crust to cook the soup to get the most out of Mantis Shrimps. This soup would then be poured into a bowl together with Be Be meat and additional ingredients such as shrimp, veggies, and tomatoes. That way, we could have a tasty Be Be noodle soup while still getting all of their nutrients.
Price: 50,000vnd – 100,000vnd/bowl
Where to eat
- Be Be Noodle: Vu Thi Mui Str, Hong Ha, Ha Long City.
- Huy Chien Restaurant: Thuc Thoai, Hong Hai, Halong City
Sa Sung
Despite being slightly more expensive than other dishes, Sa Sung or peanut worms are popular among tourists visiting Halong Bay. You might find them too horrible to eat at first because they look like worms. But don’t let their outward appearance deceive you. If you were brave enough to try it, the dish would open up a world of flavor to you.
Traditionally, people would sun-dry Sa Sung for a few days before preparing it. The dried Sa Sung could later be used in a variety of ways, such as stir-frying with garlic, as an ingredient in noodle soup, or even to make “Sa Sung wine.”
Oysters
In addition to traditional dishes, you should also try oysters in Halong Bay when you visit this magnificent attraction. Because they are harvested and served in a day, the oysters here are always fresh. You could find them cooked in a variety of ways on the street, such as steamed with beer or well-done with cheese. However, we recommend trying them raw with very light seasoning to completely appreciate the sea’s atmosphere and its freshness.
Prices: 180,000VND – 200,000VND/kg
Where to eat:
- Oyster King – Premier Village Halong Resort, No.9 Halong Str, Halong City
- Phuong Nam Restaurant: Do Si Hoa Str, Halong City.
Tien Yen Chicken
In addition to seafood, Halong Bay also has a sense of mountains. In the same province as Halong Bay, Quang Ninh, is home to the mountainous valley of Tien Yen. Since Tien Yen is surrounded by mountains, its chickens are naturally bred by being left to roam freely. This unique method would make Tien Yen chicken meat more chewy and tasty than ever.
Normally, restaurants would sell a half or whole chicken per order. You could ask them how you want it cooked, whether steaming, frying, or grilling.
Price: 150,000vnd – 250,000vnd/kg
Where to eat:
- Green Grass 3 Restaurant: 16 – 4B, Hung Thang, Halong City.
Pearl Yogurt
Halong Bay Pearl Yogurt is a perfect treat for a hot summer day.And as expected, this dish deserves to be a Ha Long specialty that you cannot miss. When ordering pearl yogurt, the owner will bring you a small cool yogurt jar and a bowl of hot coconut milk with pearls inside. Mix and try a spoonful of cold yogurt mixed with coconut water and hot pearls, you will have a pretty interesting experience with this dish!
Prices: 20,000 – 30,000vnd/cup
Where to eat:
- Halong Pearl Yogurt Shop:107 – 108 C, Bai Chay, Halong City
With a diverse street food menu ranging from seafood to local delicacies, Halong Bay demonstrates that it is more than simply a natural beauty destination but also a street food lover’s paradise.
We hope that our top Halong Bay Street food list has helped you answer the question “What to eat in Halong Bay” and have a wonderful foodie time there.
If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact or drop us a message at the comment section below!
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