Top 15 Most Famous Specialties of the Southwestern Region

One of the most well-known specialties of the Southwestern region is Crab Vermicelli Soup. Although this dish did not originate from the Mekong Delta, it has been adapted and perfected by the locals here, offering a unique flavor that embodies the essence of Southwestern cuisine.

The broth for Crab Vermicelli Soup is typically made from pork or chicken bones, or sometimes directly from fresh river crab for a richer taste. To achieve a clear broth, it's important to continuously skim off the foam and keep the heat low. Once the crab is crushed, water is added to dissolve the crab meat, and as it simmers, it solidifies into a flavorful crab layer on top.

The dish is a colorful medley of ingredients, often topped with Vietnamese pork sausage, fish cakes, dried shrimp, or boiled pork leg, depending on personal preferences. A unique ingredient in Crab Vermicelli Soup is blood pudding, adding a deliciously rich, savory taste to the dish.

Crab Vermicelli Soup is typically served with a variety of fresh herbs such as water spinach, bean sprouts, tomatoes, and aromatic herbs. A key ingredient to enhance the flavor of the soup is fermented shrimp paste, which adds a distinctive aroma and deepens the savory taste.

You’ve probably heard of and tried the famous noodle soup, but with Shrimp Noodle Soup with Coconut Milk – a unique specialty from the Southwestern region – you’ll be delighted by the creativity and distinct recipe of this dish from the Mekong Delta.

The noodles in this dish are made from rice flour. After kneading the dough, it is cut into bite-sized pieces while still warm. The broth for this soup is cooked using pork or chicken bones to give it a natural sweetness. Additionally, dried shrimp or minced shrimp is formed into small balls and added to the pot. Once the noodles are just cooked, seasoning is added to taste, and the soup is simmered on medium heat to avoid overcooking the noodles.

The key ingredient that makes this dish stand out is the coconut milk. After grating the coconut meat, the milk is extracted and added to the soup, creating a rich and fragrant texture. It is important to cook the broth until it reaches the right thickness for the best flavor. Finally, a sprinkle of cilantro and pepper enhances the dish’s fragrance and taste.

If you are used to traditional pork knuckle or crab noodle soups, give Shrimp Noodle Soup with Coconut Milk a try – it’s sure to captivate you!

Sour Soup has long been considered one of the most iconic dishes from the Southwestern region. With its rich, tangy, and slightly sweet flavor, sour soup is sure to delight your taste buds.

The sourness in the soup typically comes from tamarind. The tamarind juice is extracted by briefly soaking the tamarind in hot water and straining out the seeds. The sweetness of sour soup is brought out by the natural flavors of fish, shrimp, and squid. In addition, ingredients such as pineapple, okra, tomatoes, bean sprouts, and cilantro are added to enhance the aroma and flavor of the dish.

When you taste the broth of sour soup, you'll immediately experience a gentle sweetness, followed by a light tanginess that’s refreshing without being overpowering. Pair it with a bowl of hot rice and a serving of sour fish soup with chili fish sauce, and your meal will be even more enjoyable and satisfying.

Another dish that embodies the flavors of the Southwestern region is Stewed Duck with Fermented Soybean Paste. The key ingredient is right in the name of the dish. Typically served as a hot pot, stewed duck with fermented soybean paste is commonly enjoyed at casual gatherings or family meals.

After cleaning and cutting the duck into bite-sized pieces, it’s briefly stir-fried with garlic and seasonings to keep the meat tender and prevent it from becoming tough or greasy. Then, taro is lightly fried until golden and added to the duck, along with coconut water, which is simmered on low heat. Once seasoned to taste, a bit of fermented soybean paste is added to enhance the dish’s aroma.

Stewed Duck with Fermented Soybean Paste is typically served with rice noodles and various herbs like water spinach and Malabar spinach. The dipping sauce is made from fermented soybean paste and fresh chili slices. The creamy texture of the taro, the sweetness of the duck, and the rich fragrance of the fermented soybean paste will make you fall in love with this dish. If you ever visit the Southwestern region, don’t miss out on trying this famous local specialty.

Known as a distinctive dish of the Southern region, grilled snakehead fish is highly favored by the locals and also attracts visitors from far and wide who visit the Mekong Delta to try this traditional specialty.

While it may seem simple at first glance, grilled snakehead fish requires proper preparation to truly shine in flavor. The fish, caught fresh from the wild, is not pre-marinated or seasoned. It is cleaned thoroughly and then skewered on a bamboo stick. The fish is then buried in dry straw and roasted until the straw burns down to ash. Once done, the fish's skin is scraped off, revealing the tender, aromatic meat inside.

Grilled snakehead fish is typically served with fresh herbs, rice noodles, and a garlic-chili fish sauce. For added flavor, you can also drizzle some fried scallion oil over the fish or sprinkle it with roasted peanuts to enhance the taste.

Though rustic and humble, grilled snakehead fish remains one of the iconic dishes of the Southwestern region, praised for its sweet, tender fish and the fragrant, earthy aroma that arises from the grilling process.

Fermented fish, a beloved ingredient in Southern cuisine, is often used to create a comforting dish known as fermented fish stew. To make the most of leftover fermented fish after separating the meat, people often stew it in a small bowl with duck eggs, making it a perfect dish for family meals.

While simple and unpretentious, fermented fish stew is considered one of the signature dishes of the Southwestern region thanks to its wonderful flavor. The fish is deboned, seasoned to taste, and combined with minced pork or fresh or salted duck eggs. It is then steamed until the mixture sets into a flavorful, savory consistency. This dish is typically enjoyed with fresh herbs, making it a great pairing with rice.

Pork Offal Porridge is a signature dish of Southwestern Vietnam, highly popular in the southern regions. If you've tried chicken, fish, or minced pork porridge, you should definitely explore this unique dish from the Mekong Delta.

To make pork offal porridge, roasted rice is cooked until the grains are soft and puffed. The pork offal is cleaned, boiled to remove excess water, then sliced into bite-sized pieces and cooked with the porridge. The dish is seasoned with just the right spices, and topped with cilantro and pepper to enhance its aroma and flavor.

Typically, pork offal porridge is served with fried dough sticks or fresh noodles. You can also add fried garlic or onions to make it even more fragrant and delicious.

If you ever visit the Mekong Delta, be sure to try the famous pork offal porridge from Cai Tac. The rich, savory flavor of the porridge will leave a lasting impression on you.

Braised fish in clay pot is a staple savory dish often served at Vietnamese family meals. It is also regarded as one of the delicious specialties of Southwestern Vietnam.

To prepare braised fish in clay pot, people typically use snakehead fish, which is both easy to find and affordable. The fish is cleaned and cut into small pieces, seasoned with a balance of spices, and placed in a clay pot or a small earthenware dish to simmer over low heat. Additionally, caramel sauce and fish sauce are often added to enhance both the color and aroma of the dish. Once the fish is cooked, the liquid in the pot thickens, creating a rich, flavorful sauce. You can also sprinkle green onions, pepper, or crispy pork skin on top for extra flavor.

Braised fish in clay pot is incredibly satisfying when paired with steamed rice, making it a perfect dish to complement any meal.

The fertile land of the Mekong Delta, with its year-round pleasant climate and rich soil, is no surprise when it comes to its reputation as a "fruit basket" of Vietnam, offering a wide variety of delicious fruits. In addition to using fruits as desserts during meals, the locals have also mastered the art of turning them into delectable cakes, attracting both domestic and international visitors. One of these beloved cakes is the Thot Not Sugar Cake, a local specialty that's simply irresistible.

Thot Not sugar, originating from An Giang, is famous throughout the region, and it's not surprising that it is often used in many local dishes. Among these, the Thot Not Sugar Cake stands out as one of the most cherished treats in the Southwest, enjoyed by both locals and tourists alike for its enticing appearance and delightful taste.

The Thot Not Sugar Cake is made from fragrant, chewy dough, with a small size that makes it easy to finish in just a few bites. Despite its modest size, the sweet, aromatic flavor of the cake makes it a popular breakfast snack for children in the Mekong Delta.

If you are a traveler seeking something unique and willing to challenge your taste buds, then the local specialty of the Mekong Delta, coconut worms, is an intriguing option for you to try.

This somewhat unsettling dish is actually quite famous in the region. Among the 13 provinces of the Mekong Delta, the province of Ben Tre is known for having the most coconut worms. The reason is simple: Ben Tre has an abundance of coconut trees, and these worms thrive on the trunks of coconut palms and mangrove trees along the riverbanks.

Coconut worms typically live on the top of coconut trees. They have soft, white, silkworm-like bodies, plump and round. To enhance the flavor, the worms are often served in a small bowl of spicy, salty fish sauce.

The sight of the worms squirming in the fish sauce can be quite pitiable, but for the locals, this is a delicacy. For those who aren't from the area, it’s likely a difficult dish to stomach.

The people of the Mekong Delta are mostly farmers, down-to-earth and straightforward in nature. As such, their dishes are simple yet packed with rich flavors. If you ever visit Dong Thap, besides exploring the Sa Dec flower village, make sure to try the famous Sa Dec noodles – a local street food that has become a symbol of both the province and the entire Mekong region.

Sa Dec noodles have a soft texture, not too mushy or chewy, with a creamy white color and a delightful aroma. The broth is fragrant, lightly sweet without being too greasy. Typically, each bowl of noodles comes with a side of Vietnamese sausage, crispy fried dough, fresh herbs, soy sauce, and pickled chili slices. To enjoy, simply add the noodles to a bowl, top with minced pork, fried pork, heart, liver, and chopped scallions, then pour in the broth. Once you’ve tasted the Sa Dec noodles, the unique flavor is hard to forget.

Another well-known and distinctive fruit in the Mekong Delta region is the Ca Na fruit, a popular snack among the children of the area.

The Ca Na fruit is green in color, and when eaten raw, it has a sour, tart taste. Locals often soak it in salt, chili, and sugar, or use it to make preserves.

Making salted Ca Na may seem simple, but it requires a bit of technique to get the perfect balance of flavors, ensuring the fruit’s flesh and seeds are properly separated. As for Ca Na preserves, the process is more intricate, especially when it comes to the correct way of simmering the syrup to avoid an overly sweet result. Other steps, such as peeling, soaking, boiling, rinsing, and draining, are similar to preparing the salted version.

Regarded as one of the signature dishes of the Mekong Delta, and a true Vietnamese delicacy, Vietnamese sizzling pancakes have long been beloved by locals and visitors alike, both domestically and internationally. While the dish didn't originate in the Southwest region, it was here that it gained its full development, evolving into an even more delicious and enticing treat.

Sizzling pancakes consist of two key components: the crispy outer shell and the savory filling. The batter is made from finely ground rice flour, seasoned to taste. While pre-packaged rice flour can be found in many stores, freshly milled rice flour adds a richer and more fragrant flavor. The filling is typically a mix of ingredients, such as stir-fried cassava with bean sprouts and chives, followed by shrimp and pork, all seasoned just right. Variations of the filling may include stir-fried bamboo shoots or minced duck, depending on the preference of the cook.

A must-have when enjoying sizzling pancakes is a plate of fresh herbs and dipping sauce. The herbs used vary, often including lettuce, mustard greens, coriander, and young mango leaves. The dipping sauce is usually a mix of fish sauce with garlic, chili, and a dash of lime juice. The combination of all these elements makes for a mouthwatering experience that will keep you coming back for more.

If you ever find yourself in the Southwest region, make sure to try the sizzling pancake – it’s an experience you won’t regret!

When it comes to famous sweet pastries from the Mekong Delta, it would be remiss not to mention the soft, smooth, and irresistibly sweet pia cake. Originating from Sóc Trăng Province, this delightful treat is now widely enjoyed across Vietnam, though it remains especially popular in the Southwest region.

In Sóc Trăng, the pia cake is filled with a delicious blend of green beans, salted egg, and rich durian, making it a beloved snack for many. Originally brought to Southern Vietnam by Chinese immigrants, the unique flavor of this pastry soon inspired locals to make it a commercial success, transforming it into a renowned specialty of the Mekong Delta over time.

Making a perfect pia cake requires skill in balancing the dough and crafting the filling from durian and salted egg. For those with a sweet tooth, this cake is bound to become a favorite. The aromatic durian combines perfectly with the rich, salty egg filling, creating an irresistible taste.

One dish that cannot be missed when talking about the specialties of the Mekong Delta is fermented fish hotpot. While there are many variations of hotpots, such as sour hotpot, seafood hotpot, kimchi hotpot, or Thai hotpot, preparing a delicious fermented fish hotpot requires a deep knowledge of different fermented fish types and a precise balance of seasonings.

The broth for fermented fish hotpot is carefully prepared by blending various types of fermented fish, which is then strained to remove any fish bones. The key to a perfect broth lies in getting the right amount of each fish paste to create a balanced, flavorful base.

Once the broth is ready, ingredients such as prawns, pork belly, squid, snails, and fish cakes can be added, depending on personal preferences. One common addition is finely chopped lemongrass, which gives the hotpot a distinctive fragrance. The variety of ingredients makes each serving of fermented fish hotpot unique and flavorful.

Accompanying the hotpot are a range of vegetables like eggplant, bitter melon, water lily, and shredded water spinach, all contributing to the complexity of flavors. You can enjoy fermented fish hotpot with either rice noodles or steamed rice, based on personal preference.

If you find yourself in the Mekong Delta, don't miss the chance to try this famous dish in Cần Thơ, where some of the best fermented fish hotpot can be found!