Top 30 Irresistible Mekong Delta Dishes You Must Try

When it comes to the Mekong Delta, besides enjoying the fresh air and engaging in various fun and entertaining activities, you also have the chance to savor many incredibly enticing local dishes that everyone must try when setting foot in this region.

Top 30 Irresistible Mekong Delta Dishes You Must Try

1. Thác Lác Fish Hot Pot

Thác Lác Fish Hot Pot is one of the addictive dishes for many food enthusiasts. Beyond the fresh fish ingredients, this dish becomes even more unique with the refreshing taste of bitter melon and the sweet flavor of the hot pot broth. The fragrant and clear broth, combined with the goodness of Thác Lác fish and bitter melon, makes this dish incredibly flavorful and irresistible. Once you start eating with chopsticks, you'll want to keep enjoying it endlessly.

2. Mekong Delta Fermented Fish Hot Pot

This is a harmonious blend of delightful aromas from fish sauce and various ingredients for hotpot like pork belly, seafood, wildflowers, water lilies, morning glory, bitter vegetables, and a rich assortment of other ingredients. This hotpot caters to the tastes of almost every diner, even the most discerning palates, and those with high culinary demands. Mắm hotpot is perfect for chilly seasons, gathering around the hotpot and enjoying a leisurely meal.

3. Snakehead Fish Hotpot

It would be more fulfilling if you visit the Mekong Delta and experience the renowned snakehead fish hotpot here. The rich and chewy taste of snakehead fish, combined with the sourness of the hotpot broth and the freshness of accompanying vegetables, will leave you completely satisfied with this dish. Snakehead fish hotpot, when eaten with vermicelli, adds an extra delightful flavor to this dish.

This dish is humble with crispy golden rice and a fragrant dipping sauce. Locals also pair it with a plate of delicious boiled vegetables, creating an irresistible taste for this dish. Despite its simplicity, it is incredibly appetizing, offering diners a range of different emotions.

5. Duck Cooked with Fermented Tofu

Duck cooked with fermented tofu is among the representatives of Mekong Delta cuisine. With the main ingredient being free-range duck, meticulous processing, proper marination, the dish exudes an enticing aroma and an unforgettable taste. The choice of delicious fermented tofu is crucial to bringing out the delicious aroma of the dish, and when combined with taro, it enhances the richness, fragrance, and overall deliciousness of the dish.

To accompany this duck cooked with fermented tofu, you must eat it with vegetables. Vegetables enhance the dish's flavor, making it delicious and less overwhelming, allowing you to savor it slowly.

6. Grilled Snakehead Fish

Traveling to the Mekong Delta without trying grilled snakehead fish would be a significant omission. The fish is grilled on a bed of bricks using rice straw rather than charcoal. The fish is left whole, not scaled, skewered on bamboo sticks or bamboo stems, tail to body, then placed on the grill. The fish is grilled until crispy, with each side evenly cooked. It tastes even better if brushed with a layer of onion oil on the surface and sprinkled with peanuts to add extra richness to the dish.

Snails are abundant in the Mekong Delta. They are cleaned, marinated with pepper, MSG, and fish sauce, then grilled on charcoal. The dish features firm, flavorful snails with a sweet and slightly spicy taste, dipped in a bowl of tangy and spicy dipping sauce, creating a mouthwatering and appealing dish.

Delicious, fragrant grilled nem is golden in color. Eating grilled nem with rice vermicelli, aromatic herbs, and other ingredients such as cucumber, star fruit, banana flowers, etc., accompanied by a thick, rich peanut sauce, enhances the familiar but delightful components, making it irresistibly tasty.

One of the peculiar specialties, known as the 'tall girl,' has become a familiar dish for many people in the Mekong Delta. There are various ways to prepare this dish, each surprising you with the irresistibly enticing flavor of dried 'tall girl.' Some variations include grilled dried 'tall girl,' crispy fried dried 'tall girl,' fried dried 'tall girl' with garlic butter, and fried dried 'tall girl' with fish sauce.

One of the legendary noodle dishes in the Mekong Delta is Sa Dec noodle soup. A bowl of Sa Dec noodle soup includes pork, heart, liver, spleen, beef balls, and is enriched with a fragrant and clear broth simmered from bones. It's a dish that no traveler can resist when visiting Dong Thap.

11. Wax Coconut

Renowned in Tra Vinh, the specialty of the Mekong Delta is wax coconut. While it may not look much different from regular coconuts on the outside, it has a unique creamy and delicious taste. Only about 20% of the fruits on a wax coconut tree are wax coconuts, so if you have the chance, don't miss this delicacy. A serving of wax coconut with rich coconut milk, a sprinkle of peanuts, and a bit of shaved ice will make this dish many times more enticing.

12. Fermented Fish Noodle Soup

Mentioning fermented fish noodle soup will make many people in the Mekong Delta praise it highly because it's their specialty. Fresh vermicelli is prepared with fermented fish sauce, accompanied by roast pork, shrimp, squid, and various aromatic herbs, creating a bowl of noodles with harmonious and delightful flavors. Squeezing in some lime and adding chili will make the dish burst with flavor and aroma.

13. Coconut Worms

While it may sound strange, this is a familiar dish for enthusiasts of unique Mekong Delta cuisine. Coconut worms are protein-rich and offer health benefits. There are various ways to prepare this dish, from eating it raw with fish sauce to roasting, grilling with salt and chili, or steaming. If you enjoy novelty and unique experiences, give this dish a try.

14. Fried Rice Flour Cake

Fried rice flour cake is highly praised for its flavor and quality. The crispy and golden exterior, topped with shrimp, is visually appealing. To fully enjoy this dish, pair it with fresh vegetables. The soul of this dish lies in the dipping sauce—sweet and sour sauce with pickled vegetables, elevating the flavor and making it much more enticing.

When in the Mekong Delta, trying the rustic village-style sizzling pancake is a must. Crafting a plate of crispy, fragrant pancakes involves a meticulous process of pouring, frying to a golden crisp, and filling them with various fillings such as beans, meat, and taro. Mekong Delta sizzling pancakes become even more irresistible when eaten with wild vegetables and dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce, enhancing the dish's deliciousness and exploding with flavors.

16. Steamed Rice Cakes with Pork Skin

For people in the Southwestern region of Vietnam, steamed rice cakes with pork skin have been a part of their childhood for a long time. The main ingredients include the rice cake, coconut milk, pork skin, and fish sauce. Though simple, this dish captivates many travelers when exploring the Southwestern region.

Dried snakehead fish is a familiar delicacy in the Southern region. Not only delicious, this specialty is also lightweight, making it ideal as a gift for long journeys. Besides dried snakehead fish, the Mekong Delta offers various other dried fish specialties such as golden ponyfish, dried gourami, and dried catfish. Fried golden dried snakehead fish paired with white rice is delectable and quite satisfying, so when you're here, give this dish a try.

18. Seven-Mountain Beef from An Giang

Dishes made with this type of beef include boiled beef with rice vermicelli, beef porridge, beef shredded with banh mi, stir-fried beef with galangal leaves, shaking beef, and beef steak. Each beef dish, with its unique preparation, encapsulates the distinct flavor of Sam Mountain beef. Considered a specialty of An Giang, every visitor to this 'seven-mountain' region must indulge in these culinary delights.

19. Cylindrical Sticky Rice Cake with Magenta Leaves

This cake has a vibrant green outer layer, with the sticky rice dyed in magenta, complemented by yellow mung bean filling and red meat. The delightful taste of the cake is enhanced by the richness of coconut milk, providing a chewy texture, and a sweet and fragrant flavor. If you have the opportunity to visit the Mekong Delta, don't miss trying this unique cylindrical sticky rice cake to experience its delicious taste.

Flavorful broth with the aroma of fresh coconut, combined with the tanginess of tomatoes and ripe bần fruit. Typically, bần hotpot is served with various Mekong Delta specialties such as basa fish and snakehead fish. The sourness of bần hotpot, enjoyed with sweet and tender fish, makes this dish even more enticing.

Fish linh hotpot is often enjoyed with wildflowers and various accompanying dishes, creating a dish with a sweet, slightly sour, and simple taste, yet infused with the essence of the Mekong Delta's nature. This hotpot can be flexibly paired with rice or fresh noodles. Fish linh hotpot is easy to eat, suitable for all ages, and undoubtedly, only in the Mekong Delta can you truly savor its authentic flavor. Considered a specialty of the Mekong Delta, this dish is a must-try.

22. Three Crab

Three crab, resembling crab, primarily inhabits mangrove forests. This small-sized crab with numerous spikes and firm meat, free from sticking, offers various specialties in the Mekong Delta, such as three-crab fish sauce, tamarind-flavored three-crab, salted three-crab, mango and papaya salad with three crab, and boiled three crab. Despite its small size, three crab meat is delicious and sweet, promising to deliver a delightful three-crab feast to travelers.

23. Kiên Giang Fish Noodles

Anyone visiting Kiên Giang should try the local specialty, fish noodles. The sweet and clear broth, simmered with coconut water, accompanies rice noodles, herbs, and caramelized shrimp. Though sounding simple, this dish is a labor of love, prioritizing quality. Enjoying a hot bowl of fish noodles on a chilly rainy day will surely energize you for the day ahead.

This dish is widely popular and available in Long Xuyên. It captivates international travelers with its unique and familiar taste. Unlike many provinces, Long Xuyên broken rice is typically fine-grained, served with caramelized pork and a side soup.

The chosen chicken for the clay-baked chicken dish is free-range village chicken. After cleaning the chicken, it is wrapped in a thick layer of lotus leaves and then covered with a thick layer of clay all over the chicken. The chicken is often buried in straw for roasting. Serving the just-cooked, piping-hot chicken with a side of vegetables, cucumber, and dipping sauce enhances the dish's flavors for the diners.

26. Sour Fish Soup

When it comes to family meals in the Mekong Delta, sour fish soup, with its sweet and tangy broth flavored with tamarind or vinegar, is a must. Sour soup is often cooked with various types of fish such as snakehead fish, tilapia, perch, salmon, etc., but snakehead fish is usually preferred for its delicious and tender meat. Adding a bowl of rice or noodles to the sour soup will leave you in awe of the delightful aroma it brings.

27. Peppered Braised Pork

Peppered braised pork is a rustic and familiar dish in every meal of the Mekong Delta residents. The pork is slightly fatty from the oil, with a mouthwatering sweet aroma. An indispensable part of this dish is pepper, which is the soul of the meal. Skipping pepper will make the dish lose its true delicious flavor.

28. Snakehead Fish Congee with Bitter Vegetables

For a long time, snakehead fish congee with bitter vegetables has been considered an unmissable dish when stepping into the Mekong Delta. The congee is delicately cooked, white and smooth, and the tender and sweet snakehead fish complements the bitterness of the vegetables. A special feature of this dish is that no matter how many bitter vegetables you eat with the congee, you will never perceive its inherent bitterness. Immersing the vegetables just before eating keeps them fresh, avoiding bitterness when cold.

29. Sóc Trăng Fish Sauce Noodle Soup

If you visit Sóc Trăng and miss the fish sauce noodle soup here, it's truly regrettable. Sóc Trăng's fish sauce noodle soup is memorable for its unforgettable taste of fermented herring. In addition, the bowl of noodle soup in Sóc Trăng also contains slices of brownish-white meat from naturally caught snakehead fish. It becomes even more delicious when you experience the spicy and sour taste of chili, vinegar (or lime) while enjoying it. A steaming bowl of fish sauce noodle soup, eaten right after it's served, will make you marvel at the irresistible aroma it brings.

When in the Mekong Delta, you must try the renowned field crab hotpot. The aromatic and flavorful hotpot, with the sweet taste of crab and the mildness of the broth, accompanied by various fresh vegetables and local spices, will leave every diner praising its excellence.

As per Mytour

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Reference: Travel Guide on Mytour