Top 10 Famous Specialties of Lao Cai

Sour Pho is a renowned dish from the highlands of Bac Ha. To prepare it, you'll need ingredients such as pickled vegetables, finely chopped greens (lettuce, mint), roasted peanuts ground to a rough texture, a bit of fermented soybeans for extra flavor, and of course, pho noodles and broth. The sour broth is made by soaking and mixing mustard greens with sugar water, then extracting the sour liquid.

Before serving, it’s recommended to add a pinch of salt, as sour pho tends to be a bit bland for general tastes. It’s best enjoyed cold, making it a refreshing treat in the summer. In winter, finding this dish in Bac Ha may be difficult, as many shops don’t offer it during the colder months.

If you ever find yourself in Lao Cai, be sure to try this special Bac Ha Sour Pho—you won’t be disappointed!

Salted pork is a popular ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine, with many variations of preparation. One standout dish made from salted pork is the smoked salted pork from the highlands of Lao Cai. This dish has been a long-standing favorite among the local ethnic communities.

Salted pork is an everyday food for many Vietnamese and is one of the most versatile ingredients, used in a variety of dishes. In the mountainous region of Sapa, the unique smoked salted pork stands out not only for its rich fatty texture but also for the fragrant aroma of the special herbs used in its preparation.

When eaten, it offers a delightful contrast of spicy flavors from ginger and chili, and the warm scent of cinnamon. The salted pork helps balance the richness of the fat, providing a more satisfying taste after indulging in other dishes. It’s a perfect dish to cleanse the palate and restore your appetite.

Salted pork is a rustic dish that’s particularly enjoyed by the Tay and Dao ethnic groups in areas like Bao Yen. You can try this unique dish at Little Sapa 2 restaurant, located at 38 Cau May, Sapa, Lao Cai.

Price: 120,000 VND - 170,000 VND per kilogram

Bird's Foot Mushrooms, also known as split-petal mushrooms, are a unique delicacy found only in Bac Ha (Lao Cai). These mushrooms are not only highly nutritious but also serve as a prized medicinal ingredient. They are easily recognizable by their lack of stems and fan-shaped caps that resemble clam shells, covered in a fine, light gray fuzz. The mushroom's flesh is white, and as it matures, the underside turns from white to a pinkish hue. In addition to their nutritional value, these mushrooms have a distinct sweet aroma and a delicious taste.

These mushrooms are often gathered in baskets or laid out on cloths and grass mats for sale at affordable prices. Compared to other greens, bird's foot mushrooms sell out the fastest in local markets. They're commonly stir-fried or cooked in soups with meat. My favorite way to enjoy them is in a warm pork broth—sipping a bowl of this soup on a cool evening in the mountains always brings a sense of calm and satisfaction. If you visit Lao Cai, be sure to stop by the Bac Ha market to pick up some of these special mushrooms, a perfect gift to bring back for loved ones.

If you're in Sapa during the summer, be sure to visit Bac Ha market and buy some Bird's Foot Mushrooms as souvenirs!

The Bac Ha market is home to many unique products from the highlands, but one dish that particularly stands out to me is the Ginger Pork of the Nung Dinh people. As the name suggests, the dish is rich in ginger, giving it a distinctive, aromatic flavor that’s especially comforting in colder weather.

Every year during the Lunar New Year, the Nung Dinh people traditionally slaughter pigs to celebrate the spring festival. Each household prepares meat to cook a variety of dishes for the holiday. In addition to using pork as filling for dumplings, the Nung Dinh people also make ginger pork (known locally as 'Nut Sinh' in the Nung Dinh language). This dish is simple to make but packed with unique and delicious flavors.

The Nung Dinh people usually prepare ginger pork in two ways: steamed or boiled. If steaming, they add water, pepper, and aromatic herbs to enhance the fragrance. If boiling, the pork is simmered with enough water to cook the meat, seasoned with spices, pepper, or even celery. For those who don’t like bones, the dish can also be served with rice soaked in the flavorful pork broth.

If you ever visit the Bac Ha market, especially during the New Year period, don’t miss the chance to try steamed ginger pork, a fragrant and one-of-a-kind local delicacy. The market typically opens every Sunday from early morning until 2 p.m.

When you visit Lao Cai, you’ll easily come across baskets of seven-colored sticky rice that are both aromatic and vibrant. The sight of these colorful baskets is eye-catching, with each hue naturally derived from local plants and flowers. Don't hesitate to grab a packet of this seven-colored sticky rice and enjoy a taste of the highland's simple yet profound flavors.

Seven-colored sticky rice is a traditional dish of the Nung Dinh people (Muong Khuong, Lao Cai). Originally, it was only made during the Lunar New Year celebrations. This dish carries deep spiritual significance, with each color representing a different month in a battle that took place from January to July long ago.

In highland culture, the green color symbolizes spring, the deep red represents the blood of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives here, yellow represents sorrow and separation, and bright red stands for the victorious triumph of the Nung Dinh people...

Today, seven-colored sticky rice is widely available for tourists in Sapa. You can easily find it and enjoy this colorful, unique dish. It’s typically eaten with black sesame salt, or for a more indulgent treat, paired with roasted wild chicken.

Seven-colored sticky rice is commonly sold at the Bac Ha market, where vendors often gather in one specific area. You can spot them easily as they typically carry one or two baskets, one filled with sticky rice and the other with 'men men' (a local corn-based dish).

To make this dish, the bitter bamboo shoots are first boiled until tender, then the soft, flexible leaves are peeled off and used as wrappers. Interestingly, these bamboo leaves replace the usual rice paper commonly used in traditional spring rolls found in other regions.

The filling for bitter bamboo shoot spring rolls is typically made from finely minced chicken. For the best results, a young chicken is preferred, one that isn’t too large. The meat and bones are finely chopped along with shallots, chives, and seasonings like pepper and fish sauce. The filling is then wrapped in the bamboo leaves and fried to a crispy golden perfection.

Traditionally, this dish was only prepared for special ceremonies and village feasts. However, in recent years, many restaurants have added this unique dish to their menus to share it with a broader audience. If you have the chance to visit Sapa, Lao Cai, this is definitely a local specialty you won't want to miss.

Smoked buffalo meat is a unique dish from the Northwestern region, particularly embedded in the culinary culture of the Black Thai people. This dish is typically made from the shoulder of free-range buffaloes or cows grazing in the mountain regions. To prepare, the meat is cut into strips, marinated with wild herbs and spices like lemongrass, chili, ginger, and ‘mắc kén’ (a type of wild pepper), then skewered and hung above a charcoal fire to smoke, which allows the meat to dry and become tender. The smoking process leaves the meat with a distinctive smoky aroma, but without the harshness of overpowering smoke.

The result is a dark red piece of meat that appears dry on the outside, yet remains sweet and tender on the inside, with a rich, savory flavor that intensifies over time. The combination of the spices and smoky infusion makes this dish incredibly flavorful. When served, it is often lightly pounded to soften the meat further before being torn into small pieces, much like grilled squid, and dipped into spicy chili sauce for extra zest.

Today, as cultural exchange continues to grow, smoked buffalo meat is no longer just a dish enjoyed by the Thai people, but has spread to visitors from all over. You can find this delicacy available for purchase in many places.

When it comes to thắng cố, everyone knows this is a signature traditional dish of the H'Mong people. Thắng cố is made from a mix of beef, buffalo, pork, and horse meat, though in this region, horse meat is the most commonly used. The dish incorporates various internal organs such as the intestines, heart, liver, blood, bones, and meat. All of these ingredients are placed into a pot of water and simmered until tender. It is often served with a variety of vegetables to balance out the richness of the meat. As you eat, the pot remains on the stove, allowing you to scoop out hot portions like a traditional hotpot.

This dish is often prepared for special occasions like festivals, forest protection ceremonies, or any large gatherings such as village or clan festivals, or even at local markets.

"Shoulder Carry" Pig is a peculiar and charming name you’ll encounter in this region. The name comes from the fact that these pigs are tiny, weighing only 4-5 kg when fully grown. The pigs are so small that they can simply be carried under the arm, making transportation easy for both the seller and the buyer. These pigs are raised in a free-range environment, foraging for their own food, which makes them highly adaptable, resilient, and the meat remarkably firm.

Typically raised for about a year, the "Shoulder Carry" Pig is often prepared in a variety of ways, including roasting, stir-frying, and steaming. To perfect the dish, the meat is typically seasoned with local herbs like wild chayote leaves and forest spices such as dổi seeds or xẻn nuts.

The Tam Hoa plum, a specialty fruit, only grows in the Bắc Hà highlands of Lào Cai, at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level. From the first month of the lunar year, the entire Bắc Hà valley is blanketed in the white blossoms of these plums.

If you visit Bắc Hà during the plum harvest season in June, you’ll find the Tam Hoa plums at their peak, usually lasting until mid-July. During this time, visitors can hand-pick the ripe, fragrant plums right from the orchards, and take some home as souvenirs.