Indulge in the unique cuisine of Sa Pa with its extraordinary dishes.

Join Mytour to explore the distinctive and rich ethnic cuisine of Sa Pa. This will be an enticing highlight of your Sa Pa travel journey.

Experience the exceptional cuisine of Sa Pa with its unique dishes.

Sa Pa is a town located in Lào Cai province of our country. In the 1940s, when the French discovered this as an ideal destination to build resorts, they planned and built complete systems to serve various needs, including Western-style resort villas. This has given this dreamy mountain town the semblance of a city in Europe.

Since then, tourism in Sa Pa has flourished. Renowned not only for its unbelievably beautiful landscapes but also for its unique cultural aspects, the flavorful ethnic cuisine of Sa Pa has endeared tourists when they visit. Join Mytour to explore the unique dishes of Sa Pa cuisine right here.

Thắng Cố Sa Pa

Thắng Cố is a traditional dish of the H'Mong people, originating from the mountainous region of Ha Giang and gradually gaining popularity among all ethnic minorities in the northern mountainous areas. Unlike Thắng Cố Ha Giang, Thắng Cố Sa Pa is mainly made from horse meat.

A pot of Thắng Cố contains horse meat, heart, liver, lungs, horse blood pudding, and 12 spices: herbal fruits, cinnamon, lemongrass, ginger, and many other traditional spices, among which the thắng cố tree is the 12th spice. When eating, people scoop the broth into a hot pot, add sliced ​​horse meat, and add various dipping vegetables such as watercress, water spinach, etc.

Bamboo Rice

Bamboo rice is particularly popular among the ethnic minorities of the Northwest provinces of our country, originating from the use of natural ingredients for easy cooking and carrying while working in the fields. They came up with a way to cook rice using utensils such as bamboo tubes, sometimes bamboo cylinders, or bamboo joints. Nowadays, the people of Sa Pa consider bamboo rice as a specialty to welcome guests or use during village festivals.

The rice used to make bamboo rice must be the type of rice grown on the terraced fields in Sa Pa because rice grown downhill will break when cooked in bamboo tubes. Although terrace rice is plain rice, it has a sticky texture like glutinous rice, still used to make sticky rice in the plains.

Mèn mén

Mèn mén is a traditional dish made from corn kernels, undergoing meticulous processes. The corn is husked, ground finely, and sifted to obtain a smooth flour, then mixed with water, not too dry, nor too sticky, then kneaded twice. The first time helps the flour expand softly, then allowed to cool, then kneaded a second time until cooked, emitting a fragrant, elastic, and soft aroma.

Piglet in Armpit

At the markets in Lào Cai, you'll easily catch sight of locals selling small pigs with not much weight, easily fitting into bags, carried by hand, or even tucked under armpits for convenience, hence the name 'piglet in armpit.'

In essence, the piglet in armpit is a hybrid between wild boar and Mường pig. This type of pig is raised freely in the forest, so the meat is very firm and rich in fat, whether boiled, grilled, or prepared in any way, it is incredibly delicious.

Bitter Bamboo Shoots Spring Rolls

Bitter bamboo shoots are prepared in the traditional way of the Tày ethnic minority, carrying a unique and appealing flavor right from the outer shell. Villagers will choose young bamboo shoots for their crispness and sweetness, then boil them with a little salt to reduce bitterness, then slice them into thin slices large enough to wrap spring rolls.

Chicken meat, onions, chives, and squash are finely chopped, seasoned with pepper, fish sauce, then mixed evenly to make nem filling. To wrap the filling in bamboo leaves, meticulousness is required to prevent the bamboo slices from tearing. The rolled nem, after being wrapped, will be evenly golden-fried on all sides, extremely enticing.

Sa Pa Marble Salmon

Sa Pa is one of the rare places in Vietnam with suitable climatic conditions for successful salmon farming. Unlike imported salmon which is often fatty and soft, Sa Pa farmed salmon has firm, beautiful pink meat, tight texture, low fat, and high nutritional value, which can be prepared into various dishes, prominent among them are salmon salad, salmon hotpot, grilled salmon... Therefore, Sa Pa salmon has become a specialty of Sa Pa cuisine.

Sa Pa Peach

The peach season in Sa Pa lasts from late March to late May. Sa Pa peaches are often mistaken for Chinese peaches. Unlike Chinese peaches, Sa Pa peaches are small, fit in the palm of your hand, with white fuzzy skin, not smooth, when unripe they are slightly sour, greenish, when ripe they turn red-purple, the flesh inside is pale yellow, gradually sweetening. When traveling to Sa Pa during peach season, you can visit orchards to explore and buy peaches right from the garden for enjoyment.

Apple Cat Wine

This type of wine is made from the apples grown in the Northern mountainous regions, carrying a unique sweet and sour flavor, intertwined with the bitterness of the apples, bringing you a refreshing sensation with its spicy and enticing aroma. The wine has a distinctive amber color, with the effect of treating headaches, dizziness, insomnia,... so it is sought after by many people as a souvenir when traveling back from Sa Pa.

Khang Gai Dried Meat

Khang Gai dried meat is a type of horse, cow, buffalo, or pig meat cut and hung up in kitchens by the H'Mong people for long-term preservation, up to 3 years. The meat has a delicious sweet and crispy taste. Usually, the meat hung up in the kitchen will be taken down, cleaned, and cooked with various vegetables. Travelers should try Khang Gai dried meat combined with red wine, as this is considered the iconic duo of Sapa specialties that can be enjoyed with friends or used as gifts for loved ones.

By Mytour

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Reference: Travel guide Mytour