If you are tired of the busy city life and want to escape to a more natural and peaceful place, then Mui Ne Vietnam is exactly what you need. This is a small coastal island of Vietnam and is famous for its beautiful beaches with a relatively small population. A short trip to this land will give you life-long memories, especially about the food.
Table of Contents
I. Vietnamese thick noodle soup (Bánh canh)
1. How it is made
This dish is a very popular food around Vietnam regardless of regional differences. The name “Thick noodle soup” tells the recipe itself. The rice noodle is thicker than usual and traditionally, the cooks will have to boil the pig bones and a little minced pork for a long time before the dishes are ready to be served. Then, the soup can be eaten with fried or steamed fish cakes. There are many ways to enjoy thick noodle soup such as dipping bread into the water to savor the sweetness of the carefully prepared broth.
Source: Flickr – Bạch Huỳnh
2. Where to find
Usually, the local people have thick noodle soup for breakfast because this dish is easy to prepare and highly nutritious. These are some places where you can try:
+ Banh canh Xiu (the place is small but the food tastes delicious)
- Address: 1 HA Kim Dong Street
- Opening Hours: 10:00 – 22:00
- Price: VND 15,000 – VND 33,000
Source: Flickr – Hoian FoodTour
+ Banh canh cha ca ba Ly
- Address: 566 Tran Dung Dao Street, Phan Thiet
- Opening Hours: 16:00 – 22:00
- Price: VND 15,000 – VND 33,000
+ Banh canh cha ca Tuyen Quang
- Address: 13 Tuyen Quang Street, Phan Thiet
- Opening Hours: 07:00 – 21:00
- Price: VND 15,000 – VND 20,000
II. Hot pot drop (Lẩu thả)
1. How it is made and served
One of the most famous cuisines in Mui Ne is hot seafood pot drop. The most special thing about this dish is the delicacy of how the ingredients are presented to the customers. Deep herring, boiled port side, scrambled eggs, fried rice paper, vermicelli, star fruit, and vegetables are served in red banana flower peels which are arranged to look like a flower. The soup is made from pork bones broth with tomatoes to create the natural redness and sweetness, and the dish can only be completed with the fish sauce which is made flavored with fried peanut and chili. Choose ingredients you like, add it to your bowl, pour the hot soup over and enjoy!
Source: Flickr – monkeyBOB studio
2. Where to find
Here are some recommended restaurants for you to find a hot spot drop:
+ Soc Nau restaurant
- Address: 5 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street
- Opening Hours: 10:00 – 22:00
- Price: VND 30,000 – VND 150,000
+ Viet Nam home restaurant
- Address: 125A Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Ham Tien Ward
- Opening Hours: 07:00 – 23:00
- Price: VND 100,000 – VND 500,000
III. Cactus Cake (Bánh quai vạc)
1. How it is made and served
Cactus cake has become an extremely popular street food for as long as people can remember. Shrimp and pork meat are mixed together with fish sauce, salt, and sugar. All is put inside boiled transparent wheat-flour dough giving the cake kind of a glass look that will make your mouth water right away. When eating, you will dip the cake into a mixture of fish sauce, lemon juice, garlic, sugar and if like the smell of onion, a cup of golden onion is always at your disposal.
2. Where to find
Since this is street food, you can find it in almost every street vendor at a very reasonable price. Normally, people will sit on a tiny plastic chair on the sidewalk around the stalls so it is great for you to savor the taste of the cake in that street style. But if you prefer a more formal place, here are my suggestions:
+ Banh canh Xiu
Address: – 1 HA Kim Dong Street
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 22:00
Price: VND 15,000 – VND 33,000
+ Phan Thiet markets
IV. Grilled squid teeth (Răng mực nướng)
1. How it is made and served
How on earth can squids have teeth? The name of this dish is so strange, isn’t it? However, it is the uniqueness of the name that attracts people to the food. In fact, the name “Grilled squid teeth” comes from the local name of the round small tip of the squid which is usually forgotten. Nevertheless, it has gradually made its own name as a special street cuisine of Mui Ne. The teeth are simply skewered and grilled until it has the yellow color and smell delicious. You just have to dip it into chili sauce and its flavor will surely surprise you.
2. Where to find
Similar to the cactus cake, grilled squid teeth are mostly sold on the street in several food stalls, therefore, there is no need to worry about the price or the places.
+ 49 food store
Address: 49 Pham Van Dong Street
Opening Hours: 09:00 – 22:00
Price: VND 50,000 – VND 200,000
+ Loan squid teeth
Address: 202, Vo Thi Sau Street
Opening Hours: 17:00 – 22:00
Price: VND 12,000 – VND 50,000
V. Mai fish salad (Gỏi cá mai)
1. How it is made and served
Going to a coastal city of Vietnam means seafood is always available and Mai fish salad is not an exception when it comes to Mui Ne cuisine. You may not know this but in Vietnam, “mai” in Mai fish means slim, pretty and delicate. And just as the name suggests this kind of fish is very delicate, slender and its scale is a layer of sparkling silver-white scale. Big, fresh and carefully-spinal withdrawal Mai fish are plunged into ice to give the dish a cool feeling. Then, lemon juice, carrots, onion, basil, peppers, garlic, and peanuts are mixed together with the fish. Eating it with the peanut sauce or Phan Thiet fish sauce will bring you a memorable experience.
2. Where to find
Because of its popularity, Mai fish salad can be found near along the seabank of Mui Ne or Viet Nam home restaurant – 125A Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street
Conclusion
If you ever have the chance to travel to Mui Ne, Phan Thiet, remember to try all of these Mui Ne cuisines for yourself before the trip ends. Otherwise, your trip will not be completed and it definitely will be a pity that Vietnam cannot bring you a wonderful experience that it should have had.
