Top 10 Mekong Delta Specialties During the Flood Season

Just the name of this dish tells you it's a true specialty from the riverlands. Unlike the pancakes from central Vietnam, Mekong Delta pancakes are not wrapped in rice paper. Instead, they are served directly with a variety of herbs such as perilla, wild basil, young mango, leafy vegetables, and more. Depending on personal preference, the filling can include bean sprouts, lotus flowers, pork belly, shrimp, or chicken. One unique aspect of the Mekong Delta way of eating is that bánh xèo is enjoyed in groups, often with friends and family. The pancakes are best when freshly made, hot from the pan, paired with aromatic herbs and a special dipping sauce that adds to the unforgettable experience.

In the Mekong Delta, you can find bánh xèo in almost any household, each with its own regional twist. However, for the best dipping sauce and authentic flavor, it's worth visiting local eateries in Can Duoc district, Long An province.

For the people of the Mekong Delta, fermented fish hotpot is considered one of the region's most delicious dishes, typically served during important celebrations or when hosting distinguished guests. The key ingredients for this dish include pieces of pangasius fish, tender pork belly, squid, shrimp, okra, a bit of fermented snakehead fish, and pork bones to make a rich broth.

Enjoying fermented fish hotpot while it’s still hot, the deep flavors of the broth permeate the meat and fish, leaving an unforgettable taste. Adding water spinach and other local herbs enhances the flavors even further. To experience the authentic taste of this dish, head to Chau Doc in An Giang province, where you can find it served in roadside restaurants with friendly locals offering warm hospitality.

"To taste the fried water lily stems"
"Head to Dong Thap to satisfy your craving"

For generations, fried water lily stems have been a beloved dish for the people of the Mekong Delta during the flood season. Much like the lotus flowers that bloom in vibrant colors, from white to purple, the water lilies don’t just beautify the landscape, but also offer a humble yet unique dish that has become a staple of the region's culinary culture.

The water lilies are carefully harvested, cleaned, and cut into smaller pieces to dry. The fermented fish sauce used in the dish is made from snakehead fish, stored in a clay pot with a deep red color and an alluring aroma. The sauce is cooked several times to soak in the flavors along with sweet pork belly, creating a delicious and crunchy accompaniment when eaten with the water lily stems. Despite its simplicity, fried water lily stems carries a distinctive and irresistible taste, making it one of the most popular specialties of the flood season in the Mekong Delta.

Only in the fertile lands of the Mekong Delta can you find the unique and captivating dish of roasted field rat. The region’s rich soil, nourished by alluvial deposits, along with its vast rice fields, orchards, and crops, means the field rats here are exceptionally clean, making them a regional delicacy during the flood season.

Apart from the more familiar dishes like steamed rats, rats roasted with lemongrass, and rats braised in coconut water, roasted field rat is the most sought-after dish by tourists. The rats are cleaned, their nails trimmed, and they are marinated with spices before being roasted in a clay pot for about an hour, which gives them a golden brown, crispy skin. The aroma is irresistible, and the dish looks so appetizing that you’ll soon forget any initial hesitation.

Sour Mango Salad with Snakehead Fish combines the fresh flavors of snakehead fish, the rich taste of pork belly, and the subtle bitterness of sầu đâu leaves. The sầu đâu tree, native to the Mekong Delta, has small white flowers and a distinctive bitter taste that may be an acquired flavor for those new to the region's cuisine.

This dish, known for its ties to Khmer culture, was passed down from Cambodia to the Mekong Delta. The salad includes pork belly, snakehead fish, shrimp, cucumber, mango, and aromatic herbs, but the highlight is the tangy-sweet tamarind dipping sauce that brings all the ingredients together, making the dish irresistible. The salad can be enjoyed as a light snack, much like northern Vietnamese-style salads, or served with warm rice during the cooler months or rainy days.

A standout delicacy of the Mekong Delta flood season is snakehead fish braised with pineapple, with pineapple adding a delightful zing to the dish. The snakehead fish, native to the Mekong Delta, is a boneless, smooth-skinned fish that thrives during the flood season. During this time, visitors will encounter local boats casting nets, creating a lively and bustling scene on the water.

The sweetness of the fish pairs beautifully with the tangy pineapple, and with a dash of fried shallots and a robust seasoning mix, the dish becomes an irresistible regional specialty. When in the Mekong Delta, don’t miss out on tasting this flavorful dish—a true reflection of the region’s natural bounty.

Salted Crab is a beloved dish in the Mekong Delta, often found on the dining tables of many families in the region. This specialty is particularly famous in Bac Lieu. The crabs are shelled, then mixed with garlic, chili, sugar, and lime, and left to marinate for about 30 minutes before they’re ready to eat. The dish combines the sweetness of sugar, the tang of lime, and the heat from garlic and chili, making it perfect to enjoy with a bowl of steamed rice.

Food connoisseurs believe that the best salted crabs are those that are rich in roe (red roe, gray roe, or milky-white roe). The meat should be firm, and when you break the claw, the meat should not stick to the shell. The best salted crabs are those that are gravid, carrying eggs.

Typically, salted crab is left to marinate for a week before being ready to enjoy. After this time, the salted crab reaches its optimal flavor. If eaten too early, the meat is underdeveloped, and if left too long, the meat deteriorates. Once marinated, the salted crab can be stored in small jars with the brine and kept in the fridge, or mixed with seasonings and stored for later enjoyment.

If you’ve ever heard Phi Nhung’s song “Bông điên điển,” you’ve probably dreamed of visiting the Mekong Delta during the flood season to pick these flowers and cook them into a sour soup. Flower of Dien Dien is both sweet and savory, with bright yellow blossoms that are unmistakably beautiful.

During the rainy season, families gather on their boats to enjoy the simple joy of a hot, spicy bowl of sour soup with Dien Dien flowers. Taking a bite of the tender, fatty fish adds a burst of natural sweetness to the dish. The flower of Dien Dien is widely grown in Hau Giang, and if you find yourself in the area, don’t miss out on this aromatic sour soup—a true taste of the Mekong Delta.

This dish is so famous and beloved that anyone who has visited the Mekong Delta will crave a bite of the fragrant grilled snakehead fish. What makes this fish unique is its special preparation and cooking method. The snakehead fish used for grilling is usually caught in streams or rice fields right after the harvest, with each fish weighing at least 500 grams.

The grilling technique is equally distinctive. Instead of using a grill or oven like in the city, bamboo skewers or rods are used to thread the fish, starting from the tail to the belly, before placing it over a fire made from straw or sugarcane husks. Once the fish skin is charred and the flesh is cooked through, the fish is cleaned and served with a dipping sauce of fish sauce, garlic, and chili.

Enjoy it while it’s still hot, and you’ll be mesmerized by the sweet, chewy texture of the snakehead fish, infused with the smoky aroma of straw and the rich flavor of the dipping sauce. Grilled snakehead fish is a popular dish in the Mekong Delta, but the best version is found in An Giang. You can head to the center of Long Xuyen City, find a local restaurant, and indulge in this delicious specialty!

Palm weevil larvae are the larvae of a type of insect that lives inside palm trees, such as coconut and betel palms, commonly found in the Mekong Delta. These larvae are white, plump, and fatty. To catch them, one must cut down the whole palm tree as the larvae reside deep within the palm heart. Palm weevil larvae can be prepared in various ways, such as deep-fried, mixed with tofu and coconut, or coated in flour. Because the larvae feed on the palm heart, they have a rich, pleasant flavor that is different from the greasy taste of animal fats.

This food is not only delicious but also nutritious, rich in protein and vitamins A, C, and B1, which help combat aging and boost health. Of course, the best palm weevil larvae can be found in Ben Tre, the heart of the coconut industry. If you ever visit, don't miss the chance to try this local delicacy!