Top 14 Specialties of Ninh Thuan

When mentioning Phan Rang, in addition to grapes, green apples are equally famous specialties. Apples are fruits with high water content similar to grapes, but they are crunchier and more resilient, with a shiny green and yellow color and a sweet taste. The weather characteristics of Ninh Thuan, dry throughout the year with little rain and abundant sunshine, are ideal for the growth of apples.

Green apples are grown mostly in Ninh Hai and Ninh Phuoc districts, near Phan Rang - Thap Cham city. You can buy apples at orchards, fruit stalls along the street, or at supermarkets, with prices ranging from 25,000 to 30,000 VND/kg.

Bánh xèo, a delicious Vietnamese pancake, is a beloved dish enjoyed by many. However, when you visit the sunny and windy land of Ninh Thuan, you'll experience a unique version of bánh xèo that is distinctive to the region. Unlike pancakes from other provinces, Ninh Thuan's bánh xèo has its own charm in both preparation and taste.

The crispy pancakes are poured onto clay molds placed on a circular stove or open fire. This method differs significantly from the usual pan-fried bánh xèo seen on social media and in the press. Another unique feature of this dish is the dipping sauce. The sauce is made from ingredients such as roasted peanuts, chili, and fermented shrimp paste, or shrimp paste mixed according to each restaurant's recipe or the taste preferences of each chef.

To protect the precious medicinal resources of the squid egg tree, besides the efforts of forest rangers, it is recommended that we only use the fallen dry Flying Squid Eggs, also known as flying squid eggs, and avoid using green squid eggs taken from the tree for drying, as these are often harvested after cutting down the squid egg tree. Flying Squid Eggs is a somewhat unfamiliar name to many because few know it is a precious medicinal herb, collected under the squid egg tree when dry and fallen. It takes four years for a squid egg tree to mature and produce squid eggs once, making Flying Squid Eggs rare and valuable.

Flying Squid Eggs have many health benefits, such as treating dry coughs, coughs with phlegm, bronchitis, asthma, anti-inflammatory, vomiting blood, nourishing the lungs, cooling the liver, diuretic, stopping bleeding, red eyes, etc. It is especially important to note not to use Flying Squid Eggs for pregnant women and those taking Western medicine. People with digestive problems, abdominal pain, or diarrhea should avoid using squid eggs. Due to its miraculous properties, Flying Squid Eggs have a high economic value, with two types priced at around 490,000 VND/kg for type 1 and 350,000 VND/kg for type 2.

Originally a familiar dish made from readily available ingredients such as rice and fish in the coastal areas of Ninh Thuan, fish cake noodle soup is a dish that any tourist should try when visiting this land of sun and wind. A bowl of noodle soup steaming with enticing aroma, visually appealing with the yellow color of fried fish cake slices, steamed fish cake, and the green color of finely chopped cilantro.

The noodles are just chewy enough, the fish cake slices are flavorful, and the broth is sweet and clear, creating a simple yet flavorful coastal dish. This is a delicious and popular dish in Ninh Thuan. All the ingredients are freshly prepared, with rich flavors from the broth to the accompanying ingredients. The crispy and fresh texture of the fish cake maintains the deliciousness of the fish. Upon tasting, the flavor of the fish cake blends with the sweet and clear broth, leaving a lasting impression on diners. Fish cake noodle soup is easy to find and enjoy at roadside eateries in Ninh Thuan.

The name may sound unfamiliar, but wild velvet persimmons have long become a specialty fruit of this region. The Velvet Persimmon tree often grows on the high mountains of Ninh Thuan province and is harvested by ethnic minorities living around the mountains when the fruits ripen. Wild Velvet Persimmons have a sweet and more substantial taste compared to regular persimmons. They ripen from July to September in the solar calendar, and are sold in local markets near ethnic minority villages and sometimes in the large Phan Rang market.

Despite their small candy-sized appearance, the chewy and sweet flavor, mixed with the slight sourness of velvet persimmons, makes them more enjoyable with each bite. This rare fruit, similar to Kiwi or Cherry, comes with a relatively high price on the market. Fresh velvet persimmons are priced at around 150,000 - 250,000 VND/kg, while dried ones can reach up to 500,000 VND/kg.

When mentioning Ninh Thuan, in addition to recalling the land of sun and wind, one often remembers Ninh Thuan as a region with famous and delicious specialties. Among them, the sea urchin in Ca Na cannot be ignored, one of the unique specialties that is nowhere else to be found.

Sea urchins are processed into various dishes, but the best is perhaps the sea urchin porridge or grilled sea urchin. The sea urchins are brought in, cut to extract the eggs, marinated with spices, and quickly fried in oil. The sea urchin eggs are cooked with plain rice porridge. The sea urchin meat is cooked with tamarind to reduce the fishy taste for those who are new to it, and dipping the sea urchin meat with a little salt and pepper maintains the fresh and delicious taste of the sea.

Blessed by nature with intense sunlight, Ninh Thuan produces many rare and unique specialty fruits, one of which is the stone fruit tree. This forest fruit is the rarest and least known in our country. When ripe, it has a sweet and refreshing taste, with a rich fragrance. If picked just before ripening, it has a distinctly sour taste, different from lime or tamarind, accompanied by a strong aroma. In the past, people used stone fruit after meals to freshen their breath.

Stone Fruit is available for sale in villages such as An Xuân, An Hòa, Hộ Diêm, Thủy Lợi, and sometimes in the large market of Phan Rang, priced at 10,000 VND/kg. Note that stone fruit has a high water content, so it should be consumed within 2-3 days at a cool temperature. If left in a hot and humid environment, it is prone to spoilage.

When it comes to Ninh Thuan specialties, the divine grilled rice paper with shrimp paste is an absolute must. Each piece of this delicacy combines the rich flavors of shrimp paste, fatty and fragrant shallot oil, spicy-sweet chili sauce, crispy rice paper crust, and the nutty taste of sesame seeds. The grilled rice paper with shrimp paste in Phan Rang is considered one of the delicious dishes in Ninh Thuan's cuisine that every traveler should savor when visiting.

People seldom stop at just one piece because hardly anyone can resist the extraordinary taste of this local grilled rice paper. The best time to enjoy it is when it's hot in the late afternoon, with a lively breeze and surrounded by dear friends. The grilled rice paper with shrimp paste is a simple dish, yet it can bring delightful, rich, and unforgettable flavors. The rice paper is crispy, with a fragrant aroma when grilled, combined with the unique shrimp paste of Ninh Thuan, making it irresistible.

Ninh Thuan is the land with the largest area of garlic cultivation in the country. With extremely harsh weather and extensive coastal land with clean sand, it is very suitable for garlic cultivation. Therefore, garlic in Ninh Thuan is considered to have the highest commercial value in Vietnam (even surpassing Ly Son garlic). Each garlic bulb from Phan Rang has the characteristic of being quite round, with small cloves arranged evenly, and the flavor is warm. In addition, Phan Rang garlic is very easy to peel, much better than other types of garlic from different places. The garlic cloves have a white and slightly creamy color.

Phan Rang garlic is very aromatic and has high medicinal properties, especially the variety called Cô Đơn garlic (Orphan garlic), which is favored by many for consumption or as a gift. Phan Rang garlic is only planted once a year, so if you want to enjoy this specialty garlic from Ninh Thuan, it's best to buy it right after the harvest.

One of the representative fruits and also a characteristic of this land is grapes. The intense sun and the gentle breeze in Phan Rang provide favorable conditions for grape cultivation. Grapes are mainly grown in Ninh Son, Ninh Phuoc, and Ninh Hai districts. Unlike the famous vineyards in France, grapes in Phan Rang are grown using high trellis systems. There are two main types of grapes here: green grapes and purple grapes, which can be enjoyed fresh, used to make wine, or turned into grape honey for refreshing drinks. Passing through the ripe vineyards, when the bunches hang ripe on the branches, you won't resist stopping, taking pictures freely, and buying a few kilograms of grapes.

The people of Phan Rang are friendly and welcoming, but remember to ask for permission from the vineyard owners before visiting. Follow the footsteps of the lovely female farmers trimming the fruit in the orchard, and they will show you how to choose bunches of grapes that can be picked and eaten immediately. Nowadays, some grape orchards in Phan Rang are not only for harvesting but also serve as tourist destinations for those who love the orchard atmosphere to enjoy and buy fruits right at the orchard. This also provides an additional source of income for local farmers. Tourists can buy grapes at orchards, in supermarkets, or at roadside stalls in Phan Rang city. The price of purple grapes is around 50,000 - 60,000 VND/kg, and green grapes fluctuate around 70,000 - 80,000 VND/kg.

Dried squid is one of the must-have dishes on drinking tables, especially in coastal areas like Ninh Thuan. One of the famous specialties of Ninh Thuan and across the country is dried squid from Phan Rang. This has been a well-known specialty for a long time, always favored by tourists to enjoy and bring back as gifts from Ninh Thuan. To produce a standard batch of dried squid from Phan Rang, the makers must choose the freshest squid, clean it to reduce saltiness, and then sun-dry it.

There are many types of dried squid on the market today with different sizes, prices, and flavors, but dried squid from Phan Rang still has its distinctive features. Dried squid from Phan Rang has a thick white powder coating on the body of the squid. This is both a way to recognize a fresh squid and a way to identify a delicious, high-quality squid. Dried squid from Phan Rang does not have a dry and fishy smell, and it is not damp.

The unique and renowned cuisine of Ninh Thuan revolves around dishes prepared from goat or lamb meat. Popular dishes loved by many tourists include grilled lamb, lamb stew, and the seven-course goat feast, goat hotpot. While goat meat has long been a culinary highlight of Ninh Thuan, lamb meat is a newer but rapidly popular and beloved addition.

Goat meat is processed to reduce its strong smell by marinating it with white wine and then seasoning it with various spices. Depending on the preferences of each chef, goat meat may be marinated with different types of spices. Lamb meat is a newer dish but has quickly become popular and beloved. It is known to warm the stomach, enhance skin health, and provide excellent support for the digestive system, making it one of the few dishes that promote gastric function.

Ninh Thuan, a province of Vietnam with numerous sandy coastal areas, provides an ideal environment for the Dông (Sand Lizard) to thrive. Dông, also known as Sand Lizard, is a reptile that inhabits hot sandy dunes. Resembling the common lizard, the Dông is much larger in size. The Dông meat is considered one of the famous specialties of Ninh Thuan, and every visitor must indulge in it to truly experience the region.

The Dông meat is thick and incredibly sweet, making it a prized specialty of the area. Chefs in Ninh Thuan showcase their culinary skills by transforming Dông into delicious dishes such as Dông sausage, Dông salad, steamed Dông, and grilled Dông. However, the most outstanding Dông dish is undoubtedly the grilled Dông with Sa Te sauce on a charcoal stove. Enjoying Dông meat with grilled rice paper, a touch of raw vegetables, vermicelli, and dipping sauce enhances its exquisite flavor! When in Ninh Thuan, don't miss the opportunity to savor the delightful Dông meat!

One of the beneficial health and skincare products is Trôm Resin. It helps cool the body, purify, detoxify the liver, regulate blood sugar, promote wound healing, and soothe the digestive system.

With numerous valuable properties, Trôm resin has become a highly prized botanical with significant economic value. Trôm Resin is extracted from the resin of the trôm tree, then sun-dried into small or large pieces depending on the type, with prices ranging from approximately 250,000 to 400,000 VND per kilogram.