Vietnamese cuisine boasts a delightful array of street food, but for first-time visitors, some dishes might seem a bit too adventurous for their taste buds.
Among the traditional Vietnamese dishes that intrigue the most daring food enthusiasts are options like blood soup, organ soup, and the renowned fertilized duck egg. These culinary delights are common staples in Vietnamese eating habits and can be regularly found at street food markets, offering a unique and memorable gastronomic experience for the brave-hearted.
Are you ready to go through our top list of the most unusual foods to try in Vietnam
Trung Vit Lon – Balut
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Absolutely! Balut in Vietnam (Hột vịt lộn or Trứng vịt lộn) is a beloved delicacy among Vietnamese people, though it can be quite a challenge for international visitors.
If this is your first time hearing about balut, don’t worry—it’s completely understandable.
Vietnamese people enjoy balut everywhere, from restaurants and family meals to open streets, pavements, and random corners. It’s quintessential street food here.
Chan Ga – Grilled Chicken Feet
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Chicken feet are very common in Vietnam and can be found almost everywhere. While not expensive, they are still considered a delicacy. Boiled with ginger and lemongrass, chicken feet can be prepared as a side dish in large meals. Some popular dishes include sweet and sour pickled chicken feet with fish sauce, lemongrass, chili, and kumquat; grilled chicken feet with chili and honey sauce; and chicken feet salad, among others.
Grilled chicken feet are often served on sticks. Ly Van Phuc Street in Dong Da district, known as Hanoi’s BBQ chicken street, is famous for its grilled chicken. The aroma from the charcoal burners makes it easy to find your way there.
The chicken is sublime—moist yet charred, sweet and sticky. Besides chicken feet, gourmets can also enjoy delicious chicken wings and thighs.
Tiet Canh – Blood soup
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Blood soup (tiet canh) is a dish that’s not widely recommended anymore due to health concerns, as it involves a seasoned mixture of fresh blood from various animals which can easily carry infections. In large cities, this dish is only served in restaurants with a Food Safety Certificate. Typically, blood soup is made from the blood of goats, pigs, and ducks.
The blood is mixed with fish sauce and boiled water, then poured over chopped animal organs to form a jelly-like paste. It’s typically eaten with fresh lemon juice, roasted peanuts, pepper, and herbs.
Oc – Snail
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Snails are a beloved street food in Ho Chi Minh City, known for their unique texture and rich flavors. Here are some popular snail dishes you can find on the streets of Saigon:
- Oc Len Xao Dua: Mud creeper snails sautéed with coconut milk, lemongrass, and fried garlic
- Mong Tay Xao Rau Muong: Razor clams stir-fried with water spinach and garlic, creating an earthy and mouthwatering dish
- Ngao Hap Sa: Fresh clams steamed with lemongrass, cooked in just a few minutes until the clams open
- Oc Luoc: Boiled snails, often served with a dipping sauce made from fish sauce, garlic, chili, and lime juice
- Oc Huong Nuong Sa: Sweet snails grilled with lemongrass, offering a delightful combination of flavors
Snail restaurants and stalls are scattered throughout the city, making it easy to find and enjoy these delicious treats
Whether you’re a local or a visitor, snails are a must-try street food in Ho Chi Minh City
Bun Dau Mam Tom
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm, or vermicelli with fried tofu and shrimp paste, is a beloved Vietnamese street food known for its bold and unique flavor. The dish features rice vermicelli, fried tofu, shrimp paste, vegetables, and herbs.
Typically served in a bowl with a side of dipping sauce made from shrimp paste, sugar, vinegar, and lime juice, Bún Đậu Mắm Tôm is garnished with vegetables and herbs served on a separate plate.
This dish is perfect for sharing with friends and family, making it a very social meal. Everyone can customize their dish by adjusting the amount of shrimp paste in the dipping sauce and choosing their preferred vegetables and herbs.
Duong Dua – Coconut Worm
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Coconut worm is a type of snout beetle at its larvae stage. Also known as Duong Dua in Vietnamese, a coconut worm is light yellow in colour, generally sweet in taste, and about 3-5 cm long in size. Usually eaten live, a single coconut worm is sold at around 25,000 Vietnamese dong (US$1) in Vietnam. Duong Dua is certainly one of the strangest delicacies in the world.
Coconut Worms are considered to be a pest as they live inside a coconut tree trunk causing it to hollow out. The worm lays its eggs inside of the hollowed trunk and as soon as the eggs start to hatch into larvae, they start to live off the tree’s nutrition and the cycle continues, causing severe damage to the trees. This is the reason why coconut worms contain a significant quantity of nutrients (especially proteins) in them.
How to eat Duong Dua
This is the most common recipe that is followed to prepare coconut worms. The first step is to immerse the living worms in a bowl of alcohol. This step helps to remove all the contaminants that might be present in/on the worms.
Take them out after a while, clean them, and directly add them into the bowl of already prepared Vietnamese fish sauce. The dish is said to have a fatty texture and is believed to taste much like the mixture of cheese and egg yolk.
Thit Ech – Frog Meat
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Frog meat might not sound like the most conventional choice, but it’s surprisingly delightful. While it may be a bit cliché, it’s true that frog meat tastes somewhat like chicken, albeit with a smaller and more delicate texture. Whether fried, steamed, or grilled, locals in the region hold frog meat in high regard. Two popular dishes include frog curry and sautéed frog, often enjoyed with a side of rice. It’s also a favored snack or accompaniment while sharing a beer with friends.
Due to the numerous small bones, eating frog meat can be a bit challenging. However, with a little patience, you’ll soon appreciate the delicious, tender flesh that makes this dish such a beloved treat. So, don’t let the idea of eating frog meat intimidate you—embrace the adventure and savor the experience.
Cha Ruoi – Ragworm
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Ragworm is a type of mollusk belonging to the class of “fluff worms,” found only in the brackish waters of some tropical countries, including northern Vietnam. The dish is a mixture of the worms with minced pork, duck eggs, fish sauce, pepper, minced tangerine peel, dill, and green onion.
These worms have a rather unappealing appearance when alive: colorful, about half the size of a baby’s little finger, and covered in a soft fuzz, wriggling around a bowl.
Despite their appearance, ragworms are quite nutritious, and their rarity—harvested just once a year—makes them highly sought after. If diners aren’t quick to buy them, they’ll have to wait another year for the chance.
Thit Ran – Snake meat
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Eating cobra meat in the Mekong Delta is a unique and rare culinary experience, typically reserved for the most special occasions. It is not something people indulge in regularly. The tender and tasty meat is considered a delicacy, although it can be a bit tricky to eat due to the elongated rib cage of the snake. Just like other meats, cobra can be prepared and cooked in various ways, showcasing the versatility of this extraordinary ingredient.
Culinary enthusiasts visiting the Mekong Delta can find several restaurants and eateries offering a range of dishes featuring cobra meat. From grilled and fried preparations to soups and stews, the options are diverse and cater to a variety of tastes. The rich, flavorful meat is often complemented by a blend of local herbs and spices, enhancing the dining experience.
For the more adventurous food lovers, there are places that provide an even more exotic option: consuming the still-beating heart of the cobra. This ritual is usually accompanied by a shot of the snake’s blood, creating an intense and unforgettable experience. While this practice is certainly not for everyone, it adds an element of thrill and novelty for those willing to give it a try. The choice to partake in this unique aspect of the meal is entirely up to the individual, and it remains an intriguing option for the brave at heart.
In essence, the tradition of eating cobra meat in the Mekong Delta is deeply rooted in the region’s culture and offers a memorable gastronomic adventure. It allows visitors to immerse themselves in the local customs and savor a taste of something truly extraordinary. So, if you ever find yourself in the Mekong Delta, don’t miss the chance to experience this distinctive and remarkable culinary journey.
Chao Long – pig’s organ soups and other animal organ soups
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Cháo long, often described as a porridge or congee, is a hearty Vietnamese dish made with pork bone broth, rice, and various pork offal such as liver, kidney, spleen, intestines, or hearts. It’s always served warm, with sliced offal, pieces of quẩy (deep-fried dough), scallions, and chili flakes.
On the side, you typically find bean sprouts, lime, fresh vegetables and herbs, fish sauce, and ginger. Optional cubes of congealed blood can also be added for extra richness.
Cháo long is an affordable and beloved dish enjoyed throughout Vietnam.
Thit Baba – Turtle meat
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Another unique dish from the reptile family makes it to the list of the most unusual Vietnamese foods. There are numerous delectable and nutritious dishes made from softshell turtles. This meat is packed with nutrients that are beneficial to health. Additionally, it is tender and sweet, leaving a lasting impression on anyone who tries it.
The simplest way to prepare softshell turtle meat is by grilling it. After marinating the meat with spices, it is grilled over charcoal to retain its tenderness and flavor. Another popular dish is softshell turtle braised with banana and tofu. When indulging in this delicacy, diners will immediately notice the soft and nutty textures of green banana and tofu, enhanced by the aromatic blend of fried garlic and green onions.
In restaurants, you can find more sophisticated softshell turtle dishes such as those roasted with salt, steamed with lotus leaves, or grilled with guise leaves. Each preparation is equally delicious and offers a unique taste experience.
Thit Chuot – Grlled Rat Meat
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
In Mekong Delta region, the rat is the paddy rat, which primarily consumes grass, sweet potatoes, cassava, and rice. As a result, its meat is considered both healthy and delicious. There are various ways to prepare paddy rat meat, including grilling, frying, or stir-frying.
Paddy rats are a popular culinary choice throughout Vietnam, from the Red River Delta in the north to the fertile rice fields of the Mekong Delta in the south. This widespread consumption highlights the versatility and unique flavor of this local delicacy.
Special Sauces
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Shrimp paste sauce is a Northern delicacy, made from a simple combination of shrimp and salt. Following a fermentation process, the sauce turns a dark purple and develops a pungent aroma. While many people adore shrimp paste, there are others who are put off by its strong smell.
Mam Cai is another fish-based product, but it is quite different from the more common fish sauce. Traditional fish sauce is essentially the liquid extracted from fish and salt after fermentation. In contrast, Mam Cai uses whole fish bodies that have been salted and fermented. Once the fish is ready, it is mixed with a few additional ingredients, such as a powder made from toasted rice, pineapple, and sugar, to create a distinct and special flavor.
Goi Sua – Jellyfish Salad
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
Who doesn’t enjoy jelly, and most people are fine with the occasional fish. But jellyfish!? This local delicacy might seem unusual to visitors in Hoi An, but it’s definitely worth a try. The jellyfish is presented atop a bed of papaya, herbs, and assorted vegetables. Its cool and crunchy texture makes this salad truly unique and special.
Pha Lau
Weirdest foods to try in Vietnam
This dish is a firm favourite among locals yet avoided by almost all travellers. However, the brave are rewarded with a fragrant and tasty stew. The parts of intestines and stomach are dipped into a dipping sauce which matches the flavours well. The chewiness is probably the weirdest thing for most. A warm loaf of crusty bread used to soak up the soup makes this dish a little easier to stomach.
Are You Dare To Try Top 15 Weirdest Food In Vietnam
In Ho Chi Minh city – Vietnam we organize Ho Chi Minh cycling tour which show you to experience things to do in Ho Chi Minh city Off-the-beaten-path alleyways. If you are interested to try some of the listed weirdest food above, why not share with us or drop a commnet and book a cycling tour to experience Vietnam with us.
