Lap Thach raw fish fermented with maze powder (Photo: Tran Trung/VNA) Besides its must-see destinations of Tam Dao Town and Tay Thien Truc Lam zen monastery, the Red river delta province of Vinh Phuc attracts tourists thanks to its mouthwatering culinary delicacies.
1. Lap Thach raw fish fermented with maze powder (Lap Thach fermented fish)
Lap Thach fermented fish is originated from Van Quan commune, Lap Thach district, Vinh Phuc province.
Ingredients of the dish include raw fish (often snakeheads, barbs and rohus), maze, roasted soy beans, salt and guava leaves.
Firstly the fish is carefully prepared and seasoned with salt. The salted fish are put in a jar for four to ten days.
Then they are squeezed until dry and stuffed and covered with a powder of maze and roasted soy beans. In the meantime, a clean dry crockery pot and guava leaves are prepared.
Afterward, they are placed in the pot with guava leaves separating layers of the fish. Before sealing the pot, locals often stuff a coat layer of straws.
The fish could be unsealed after three months to six months. Then they are cut into thin pieces, grilled and wrapped in rice paper with lime leaves, herbs and cabbage. They are best served with fermented soybean dipping sauce.
2. Tam Duong pineapple
Pineapples in Tam Duong district are renowned for its juiciness and sweet favour.
Tourists to Tam Duong district could enjoy the nutrient-dense fruit right in beautiful green pineapple gardens.
3. Dam Vac brine shrimp
Dam Vac is a lagoon to the south of Vinh Yen city, Vinh Phuc province. The lagoon is renowned for not only its beautiful scenery but also an exotic specialty, brineshrimp. These tiny shrimps are only five to seven centimeters long. Dam Vac’s brineshrimps are in their best season from August to October, the species’ breeding season as the female individuals start carrying eggs in their bellies during this time.
Egg brineshrimps are often cooked with pickled lettuce or fried with fresh vegetables.
4. Tu Yen’s Che kho (mung bean and sticky rice custard)
Tu Yen's Che kho (Source: vinhphuc.gov.vn) 5. Tien Tuu Ngoc Hoa (literally Ngoc Hoa Fairy Liquor)
Ngoc Hoa Fairy Liquor is a signature alcohol drink of Yen Lac district in Vinh Phuc province. In order to make this liquor, firstly, distillers choose best quality coconut and clear the coir. Then they put rice yeast in for fermentation and seal the coconut.
This liquor has coconut scent and slight sweet flavour.
6. Banh Ngoa Lung Ngoai (literally Lung Ngoai village’s Ngoa cake)
Lung Ngoai is a village in Vinh Tuong district, Vinh Phuc province. The locality is renowned for its special Ngoa cake. The cake is made from glutinous rice and mung bean powder and molasses.
Mung bean is cook with molasses until thick for fillings while glutinous rice powder is mixed with water for crusts.
The round cakes then are boiled with water. Finished cakes then are covered with rice powder.
The cake is chewy, buttery and slightly sweet.
7. Banh Trung Mat Mia Vinh Tuong (glutinous cake with hot ginger molasses)
Glutinous rice is soaked overnight and grinded in the following morning. The powder is then molded into rhombus shapes and cooked in a mixture of molasses, ginger and sesame.
8. Banh gio Tay Dinh (Tay Dinh village’s sticky rice dumplings)
Sticky rice dumplings are a specialties in Tay Dinh village, Binh Xuyen district, Vinh Phuc province. In order to make ‘banh gio’, glutinous rice is soaked overnight with lye water, wrapped in tiger grass and boiled with water.
The finished ‘banh gio’ is dipped with molasses.
9. Bo tai kien dot (literally ant-bitten beef)
Forget any traditional beef cooking methods! Locals in Vinh Phuc province have a much more special way to process juicy beef. Pieces of raw tender and juicy beef are left in ant nest to be bitten by the insects.
The ant-bitten beef are then rinsed and grilled.
The dish is believed to ease joint pains.
10. Tam Dao town’s chayote
Climbing to Tam Dao is an unforgettable experience. The place is where many athletes chose to practise climbing. Many also come here to enjoy the winter stir-fried chayote bud, a specialty of the town./.
