Indulge in the Delightful Specialties of Con Dao Island - Perfect Gifts for Family and Friends

Con Dao is a beautiful island in Vietnam, an ideal destination added to the must-visit list of today's youth. Have you discovered the delectable Con Dao specialties when visiting this famous location? This is surely a dilemma for many young travelers exploring Con Dao tourist attractions. Today, Klook Vietnam will introduce you to the top special gifts from Con Dao that are worth buying and trying once for their irresistible taste.

Choosing the safest culinary option when traveling to coastal areas is seafood. Fresh seafood in coastal areas is easy to find, available everywhere, such as markets, restaurants, and street food stalls. In Con Dao, there is a whole fishing village catching fish, shrimp, or seafood. You can visit and buy fresh Con Dao seafood to enjoy on the spot.

Bàng, a hardwood tree mainly found in tropical regions, belongs to the cashew family; both Côn Đảo's climate provides an ideal habitat for its growth. The fruits of this tree in Con Dao are large, harvested by locals, dried, and the seeds separated, then marinated with salt or sugar. Bang seeds are big, plump, fatty, and very fragrant. However, consuming raw bang seeds may cause dizziness, so it's advisable to look for processed varieties. Con Dao is one of the few places with the specialty called Seed Candy, so if you have the chance to explore the island, try indulging in or buying it as a gift. You can visit dry food stores in the market or big shops, Con Dao market to buy, usually priced around 500,000 VND/kg.

Mentioning Hàu Fish Sauce from Con Dao might sound unfamiliar to some of you in Saigon, but in reality, it's a famous local specialty. Con Dao's Hàu Fish Sauce is entirely handmade. After preparing the clams, locals process, marinate them with spices, and put them in tightly sealed jars for fermentation - the longer it ferments, the more aromatic and flavorful it becomes. The price of Con Dao's Hàu Fish Sauce is around 165,000 VND/bottle.

With a rich and familiar sea flavor and high nutritional value from clams, add a slice of lime, a dash of spicy chili, if you have the opportunity to taste Con Dao's cuisine once, you will remember it forever.

Con Dao's Nhum Fish Sauce is a specialty originating from Quang Ngai, spreading to the islands around the sea. The process of catching and processing nhum is quite challenging. The nhum catching season starts from the Spring Equinox and ends in the Autumn Equinox. Care must be taken not to stir the water vigorously during catching, as the nhum will stick to the body and be difficult to remove.

Depending on individual tastes, you may not need to add any additional spices. The flavor of Con Dao's Nhum Fish Sauce is sweet and fragrant, rich and fatty from the nhum meat, salty and sour from the spices, with a deep aroma from the fermentation process. It can be enjoyed with boiled vermicelli, hot rice, and more. A jar of Con Dao's Nhum Fish Sauce ranges from 120,000 VND to 135,000 VND and can be purchased at specialty stores, supermarkets, or Con Dao market.

Unlike the appearance of other sea crabs, Con Dao's Moon Crab has red spots on its shell resembling a moon face. The crab shell is often sun-dried by locals to create artistic products. In Vietnam, the moon crab usually appears during the southern monsoon season in the waters of Phu Quy island in Binh Thuan province and the Con Dao islands in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

According to locals, the meat of Con Dao's Moon Crab is at its best during the moonrise week - sweet, firm, and rich in minerals. The meat content is also higher than other crab species and can rival emperor crabs. Depending on your culinary preferences, you can prepare them in various dishes such as boiled, steamed, stir-fried, grilled, and more.

To find delicious and high-quality Moon Crabs in Con Dao, tourists should visit the Con Dao fishing villages or reliable quality restaurants. Typically, the price of moon crabs is calculated based on size: small ones weighing below 300 grams each range from just under 300,000 VND/kg, while larger ones are priced at over 400,000 VND/kg.

While strolling around Con Dao's fishing village in search of moon crabs, don't overlook the delicious dish called Lady Breast Snail. It's a rare and precious seafood, featuring a distinctive cone shape with a small nipple on top. The outer shell is gray-black, while the inside shimmers with a pearly glow. Lady Breast Snails are available year-round but are most abundant during full moon days. The tender and fragrant white meat can be prepared in various ways such as steaming, stir-frying, grilling, boiling, and more.

Con Dao's Razor Clam is an extremely rare seafood, challenging to catch as they typically appear only in March or July. You'll have the opportunity to savor Con Dao's Razor Clam if you travel during these golden times. This seafood is highly nutritious, cooling, and invigorating. You can enjoy both dried and fresh razor clams, both equally fantastic. This Con Dao specialty holds high value, with prices ranging from 3,500,000 VND to 4,500,000 VND per kilogram.

As one of the specialties from the islands across the open sea, Con Dao's Shark Salad is rich in nutrients, mild, non-toxic, and nourishing for the body, enhancing vitality. The dish is expertly prepared, mixed with finely chopped cilantro, served with fresh vegetables and rice paper rolls, complemented by a delicious dipping sauce that perfectly balances the salty taste of the sea. You can easily find this dish while strolling along the seaside eateries, with prices ranging from 130,000 to 150,000 VND per serving.

The Red Grouper, a rare fish often found in coral reefs, can only be harvested and supplied in Con Dao, making it quite expensive. Despite its cost, the nutritional content of the Red Grouper is beneficial for malnourished children, underweight adults, slow-developing fetuses, weak bones, edema, and fatigue. Notable Con Dao dishes made from this Red Grouper include steamed with soy sauce, Red Grouper salad with tamarind sauce, and Red Grouper hot pot. The firm, succulent, and sweet flesh of the fish will undoubtedly leave you regretful if you visit but miss the chance to savor it.

Along the fishing village or coastal roads, you'll come across the sight of locals sun-drying seafood, selecting spots with abundant sunlight for better flavor. True to its name, the squid is dried just 'one sun,' not multiple times. Con Dao's Sun-Dried Squid is favored by both locals and tourists. The price for a good quality Sun-Dried Squid is around 300,000 VND to 400,000 VND per kilogram. You can purchase this Sun-Dried Squid as a gift.

Dried 'one sun' and processed manually, the tuna still retains the salty taste of the sea, not fishy, and not excessively dry. Con Dao's Sun-Dried Tuna is prepared into various dishes such as stewed, sautéed, fried, and more. This makes for an ideal gift when you have the chance to visit Con Dao. The price of Sun-Dried Tuna ranges from 200,000 VND to 550,000 VND per kilogram. You can find this specialty dried fish at specialty stores, Con Dao market, or seaside shops.

The main ingredient is the ginseng root, successfully cultivated and harvested for years by the locals in Con Dao. Ginseng Liquor brings high nutritional value in traditional medicine, a unique specialty found only in this sacred land of Con Dao. Con Dao's ginseng is incredibly fragrant and rare, contributing to its relatively high price.

Swallow's Nest is undoubtedly a familiar dish to Vietnamese people, known for its high nutritional content and delicious flavor. You can find genuine Swallow's Nest when you have the opportunity to visit Con Dao. Prices are more reasonable in areas farther from the coast. Con Dao's Swallow's Nest is available at reputable large stores.

Nature has bestowed Con Dao with majestic beauty, featuring crystal-clear seas and a diverse ecosystem of plants and animals. The year-round tropical climate sets it apart from the bustling city life. Don't forget to check out self-guided Con Dao travel tips from A to Z, a 4-day 3-night Con Dao travel itinerary, and an interesting 3-day 2-night Con Dao review on the Klook Blog!

When traveling to the 'emerald gem,' don't forget to bring back some top-notch Con Dao specialties at affordable prices!