Top 9 Must-Try Specialties in Thai Binh

Thai Thuy is a coastal district, famous not only for its tourist spots and eco-tourism areas but also for its seafood dishes that capture the hearts of many visitors. Jellyfish Salad is made from freshly caught jellyfish, cleaned and processed before being soaked in alum salt to reduce the salty taste of the sea and create a crunchy texture. The jellyfish is sliced and mixed with lime, vinegar, sugar, garlic, chili, and spices, then combined with roasted peanuts, shredded green mango, and served with fresh herbs.

The Jellyfish Salad has a refreshing taste, the crunch of the jellyfish, the richness of the peanuts, the sweet and sour tang from the green mango, lime, and sugar, with a hint of spiciness from the chili. It is an incredibly addictive dish, especially in the summer.

Price: Around 30,000 VND per 300g bag.

Snakehead Fish is a type of fish that resembles an eel and can live in both freshwater, saltwater, and brackish water. The Snakehead Fish Salad is a specialty from Diem Dien, Thai Thuy, Thai Binh. The fish is cleaned using ash or lime water, bones are removed, and the fish is sliced, seasoned, and mixed with ground ginger and roasted rice flour.

To bring out the distinctive flavor of the Snakehead Fish Salad, each restaurant has its own secret mix of seasoning, and an essential part of the dish is the dipping sauce. This sauce is made from Diem Dien fish sauce, which has a unique sea flavor that will awaken all your senses. The salad is served with green bananas, sour star fruit, fig leaves, and other herbs.

Price: Fresh snakehead fish is approximately 500,000 VND per kilogram.

Visiting Quynh Coi town in Thai Binh, it would be a mistake to miss out on the local fish soup. Today, it is rare to find a place that uses wild snakehead fish for this dish, but the locals have their own secrets and seasoning techniques to preserve the delicate flavor.

The fish is cleaned, cut into pieces, seasoned with fresh turmeric juice, then grilled over charcoal to enhance the aroma. Afterward, it’s deep-fried to seal in the sweetness of the meat while keeping the skin crispy. The broth is made from pork bones and fish heads, giving it a sweet base. The rice noodles used are thick and resilient, not breaking when the broth is added. With its unique taste, this fish soup will win you over at first bite.

Price: Approximately 20,000 - 25,000 VND per bowl.

Turmeric Cake is a specialty of the Tien Hai region in Thai Binh. This cake is made from rice and turmeric root, offering a light flavor that is not overwhelming. The preparation of turmeric cake is quite elaborate. The rice is soaked for about 5 hours, then ground together with the turmeric root. After grinding, the mixture is steamed for about 40 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth, then blended again for a second time.

The filling consists of finely ground pork fat, onions, pepper, cinnamon powder, and rice flour. The rich taste of the filling is perfectly balanced by the light and fragrant turmeric flavor. Turmeric cake is often made during the Tet holiday, as a traditional treat enjoyed by the whole family.

Price: Only about 1,000 VND per piece.

In contrast to the usual filling of minced pork, wood ear mushrooms, and minced onions, the people of Diem Dien, Thai Binh, create their shrimp rice rolls using golden shrimp with thin, almost paper-like shells. The shrimp is sweet and fragrant, making it the perfect filling for the rolls.

The rice wrapper is smooth and white, and when dipped in pure shrimp sauce from the coastal region of Diem Dien, it creates a dish that charms every visitor to this coastal area. The shrimp rice rolls have won over countless travelers to Diem Dien, so much so that there's even a famous saying:

"Rice rolls filled with shrimp,
Eat them in the morning, and you'll crave them again by evening."

Ben Hiep Rice Cake (Quynh Phu, Thai Binh) is a beloved local delicacy, offering a unique taste that lingers in your memory long after you’ve had it! Ben Hiep Rice Cake is a favorite breakfast item for the people of Thai Binh. These rice cakes are carefully wrapped in fresh banana leaves, usually in bundles of 5 or 10, and are eagerly purchased by locals heading to the market.

The best time to enjoy these rice cakes is while they are still hot. The soft, smooth texture of the rice cake contrasts perfectly with the savory meat filling. You can eat them on their own or pair them with a little spicy chili sauce for an added burst of flavor.

At first glance, the soft, fragrant rice cake may seem simple, but behind it lies the meticulous craftsmanship of the artisan. Each ingredient must be carefully prepared and mixed in the right proportions to achieve the distinctive flavor of the Nguyen Village, Nguyen Xa, Dong Hung, Thai Binh.

The sticky rice is partially steamed with gac fruit to give it a pink hue, while another portion is steamed with gardenia fruit to achieve a vibrant yellow. The rice is then pounded until smooth. The ingredients include fragrant roasted peanuts and sesame, popped rice, carrot juice, fresh ginger juice, pomelo blossom essential oil, pork fat, candied pumpkin, sliced coconut, and sugar. The combination of these ingredients creates a cake that embodies the essence of the land and its people, all carefully crafted by the artisans of Nguyen Village.

On a chilly day, enjoy a slice of Nguyen Village rice cake with a warm cup of tea, and you’ll find yourself cherishing winter even more.

Price: Approximately 20,000 VND for 250g.

The people of Nguyen Village truly take pride in their local delicacies. In Thai Binh, when visiting someone's home, it is customary to be offered a cup of tea and a piece of peanut candy, especially during the Lunar New Year. This simple, yet elegant gesture is a cherished cultural tradition.

Along with the rice cake, peanut candy is also a popular gift during the Tết holidays. It is made from plump, roasted peanuts that are crispy and retain their rich flavor. The peanuts are mixed with fragrant toasted sesame seeds and combined with melted malt syrup, forming a sticky, chewy mixture. Once set, it is cut into perfectly sized pieces. The result is a crunchy candy with a smooth sweetness from the malt syrup and the nutty richness of the peanuts—a humble treat that leaves you wanting more.

Price: Approximately 40,000 VND for 500g.

Much like the Thanh Ha lychee or the Hung Yen longan, Bo guava from Thai Binh is a distinctive fruit of this land. Just as lychees taste best when grown in Thanh Ha, Hai Duong, and longans are sweetest when harvested in Hung Yen, the Bo guava also achieves its finest flavor when cultivated in Hoang Dieu commune, Thai Binh city.

The climate and soil in this region provide the ideal conditions for producing a variety of guava that is sweet, crisp, with thick flesh and minimal seeds. While Bo guavas can be grown elsewhere at a lower price, they can never match the unique flavor of those from Hoang Dieu.

Price: Approximately 35,000 VND to 40,000 VND per kilogram.