Discover 8 Delicious Rice Dishes Along the Roads of Vietnam

Spicy clam rice, tender and fragrant sticky rice, or rich and savory Tam Ky chicken rice... These are all delightful rice dishes that travelers should try when journeying across the length of the country. 

1. Bamboo Rice

If you have the chance to visit the Northwest or Central Highlands of Vietnam, you'll get to taste the exotic bamboo rice of the ethnic minorities here. From a simple dish prepared by forest dwellers, bamboo rice has now become a specialty served to distant guests and an indispensable dish for festivals.

2. Spicy Clam Rice

A simple dish made with clams and cold rice, accompanied by garden vegetables, has become an enticing delicacy for both domestic and international tourists. Many travelers often share the advice that if you haven't tried spicy clam rice in Hue, then you haven't truly experienced Hue. Without any restaurants, just a pair of baskets on their shoulders, clam rice vendors follow the footsteps of local women through small alleys, seeking out customers from the early hours of the morning.

3. Hoi An Chicken Rice

Alongside Cao Lau, Hoi An chicken rice is a renowned delicacy of the ancient streets of Hoi An. This dish, made simply with rice, chicken, and broth, has a peculiar allure for any traveler. When visiting here, everyone wants to taste the tender grains of rice and the succulent pieces of chicken that are both soft and sweet.

4. Tam Ky Chicken Rice

While it shares the main components of rice and chicken with the dish from the streets of Hoi An, the ingenuity and variations in the cooking process have created distinct flavors for this dish. Like other chicken rice dishes in the Central region, free-range chicken is always used. Despite being small, the chicken offers firm, tender meat with thin skin and a characteristic sweetness that is highly favored.

5. Phu Yen Chicken Rice

6. Phan Rang Chicken Rice

If Hoi An, Tam Ky, or Phu Yen chicken rice is usually chopped into small pieces when served, Phan Rang chicken rice is served with large intact pieces. Customers are charged based on the number of pieces they eat, a unique billing method that adds an element of curiosity and excitement for diners. Whether traveling in either direction, passersby always make a stop to indulge in this delicious rice dish.

The meal here is quite simple, with chicken rice served on individual plates accompanied by Vietnamese coriander, cucumber, and chicken pieces, along with various dipping sauces such as salt and pepper with squeezed lime, minced chili salt with mashed scallions, or a dipping sauce made with fish sauce and spicy chili. This unique billing method has created an intriguing experience for diners, prompting anyone passing by to stop and enjoy this flavorful rice dish.

7. Rice Cooked in Bamboo Tubes

8. Broken Rice

Broken rice is a humble dish, commonly found along the streets of Saigon and in the southern provinces. Made from broken grains of rice, good broken rice should be dry, with individual grains that do not stick together when cooked. The accompanying ingredients for broken rice are varied and plentiful, including young pork ribs, grilled pork chops, eggs, shredded pork skin, meatloaf, braised pork, and offal.

Source: Ngôi Sao

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Reference: Travel Guide by Mytour