Noodles with roasted duck is recommended to every tourists visiting Lạng Sơn Province. -- Photo LA Travel

Thanh Hà

Lạng Sơn is one of my favourite destinations, as the northeastern province has so much to offer. It is home to majestic nature, historical and spiritual relics and nearly 300 traditional festivals, along with a community of ethnic groups who have rich and unique customs and practices.

But this time I was back there for its delicious cuisine, which is being promoted as something new to attract more tourists.  

There were six tours to choose from, all designed to help me enjoy every dish available in Lạng Sơn throughout the different seasons. With a brochure and a food map in hand, I could find the best restaurants and discover places to eat all in just one day.

My team arrived in Lạng Sơn City when it was still a bit foggy and a little cold in the early morning. Most of us chose phở vịt quay (noodles with roasted duck) while the rest picked bánh cuốn trứng (steamed rice rolls with eggs). Both might be available in many cities and provinces in Việt Nam, but they are extra special here, a Lạng Sơn must-try.

Being familiar with noodles with beef and chicken, I was confused about duck as a topping. However, it really opened my mind, with an exquisite blend of flavours, succulent duck, aromatic Vietnamese noodles, all set in a rich tasty broth.

Adding some sour and spicy bamboo shoots, which were another specialty of Lạng Sơn, ensured that my breakfast was indeed great.

The dish of steamed rice rolls was made of a thin steamed layer of rice flour with the local and noticeable difference being the filling of minced pork and fresh egg, dipped in a special warm sauce, made of pork broth, sugar, minced pork and coriander.

Another choice for breakfast in Lạng Sơn was five-coloured sticky rice, standing out with eye-catching colours made from local herbs, which smells and tastes as good as it looks. This dish was often served with chicken, duck, sausage or simply a pinch of sesame salt.

After breakfast we walked around for some city sightseeing and visited landmarks such as the Tam Thanh Cave, visited the Mẫu Sơn Mountain and the Mạc Dynasty Citadel.

Time flew and we felt hungry again, so our tour guide took us to the next place for lunch.

Bún chả Lạng Sơn is something special. -- Photo vov.vn

Bún chả (noodles with grilled pork) is of course very famous in our 'home town' of Hà Nội but following a recommendation, we settled into a bún chả restaurant in Lạng Sơn.

With the same ingredients of bún and pork, the chef made this dish something different thanks to the marinade of local herbs and the skills of the grill. It went along with a small bowl of sour and spicy bamboo shoots.

Phở chua (sour phở) was also an option for lunch.

Phở chua, a unique dish in the province. -- Photo dulichvn.org.vn

A traditional bowl of sour phở contains more than ten special ingredients, including rice noodles, sweet potatoes, pig's liver, stomach, roasted pork belly with char siu, Chinese sausage, fermented bean curd powder, peanuts, cucumber and herbs.

A dazzling mixture of tastes and textures, under an elaborate preparation method, provided different flavours of sweet, sour, salty and bitter, all from one single bite.

After lunch, we moved to a local shop that sold coóng phù, a kind of sweet soup, which was a perfect dish for the winter months.

It had a wonderful aroma, thankss to the fragrance of khẩu pét (a kind of special glutinous rice only planted in the province), sweet from sugar molasses and nutty from roasted peanuts and sesame, all bound with the hot ginger, helping those who ate it feel healthier and warmer during the cold.

The next places to see were the Vàng Pagoda, the Kỳ Cùng Temple and the Đông Kinh Market where we could buy everything we needed for our families. Hands and shopping bags full, we were back on our coach and ready for dinner.

Khâu nhục (slow-cooked pork belly) was chosen this time. 

It was made from roasted pork loin marinated with spices and honey. It was the flavour, aroma and texture that set the dish apart.

The dish was commonly served during the celebrations for weddings, funerals and longevity celebrations of the local ethnic tribes. But today it is equally popular in people's daily meals and could be bought in many local restaurants and markets.

Lạng Sơn sausage is one of top picks for visitors when in Lạng Sơn. -- Photo vov.vn

Lạng Sơn sausage was one of the most delicious sausages that many people recommended.

Its unique flavour always makes diners remember it forever. This sausage is made from marinated lean shoulder meat, stuffed into pre-processed intestines and then dried in the sun or dried over a charcoal stove. It is typically served with steamed rice, sticky rice or just as a finger snack while visiting the bia hơi.

Bánh áp chao was ordered at the very last minute, as many of us had never heard of it.

Áp chao cake, a rustic specialty of Lạng Sơn. -- Photo vov.vn

It was made of sticky rice, soybean powder and taro threads, with a duck breast filling. The deep-fried duck was really so good that I had three, even though I was full.

"I have eaten more than 20 dishes in two days and I loved every dish. They were all delicious and gave me a new experience and a story to tell about my time in Lạng Sơn," said Hanoian visitor Phạm Thùy Dương, who also suggested that next time I extend my one-day tour for more time to enjoy the province. 

"The food map is great to point out where and what to eat. I am in love with the roasted duck and sour phở. I still have two days here for sightseeing and I will discover as many dishes suggested as possible," she said.

Content creator Nguyễn Minh Tân also on a visit, said he was really impressed with the culinary tour which helped him explore and learn more about a new land and new dishes, a truly enriching experience.

 VNS