The town of Mui Ne in Vietnam will be an entrancing locality for the visitor presenting lovely beaches, striking sand dunes, water sports opportunities, sightseeing attractions, a bustling fish market and other features of interest. However, the delectable foods to be found here with their distinctive flavours will delight the discerning foodie as well. Some of the outstanding foods that you should take the opportunity to experience whilst in Mui Ne are described below.

An attractive dish with which to start your sampling of Mui Ne’s culinary highlights is the unmistakable spadefish salad or goi ca mai. This light, refreshing salad consists mainly of spadefish, vegetables and herbs. Typically, the fish used in this salad is marinated with lime juice whilst also being flavoured with ingredients like herbs, onions and roasted peanuts. This healthy and flavourful salad features an ideal balance of sour, savoury and sweet flavours. Usually, this dish will be served with fish sauce and accompanied by a serving of rice, noodles or rice cake, making for a filling and satisfying meal.

A somewhat different kind of culinary creation is banh canh or thick noodle soup. Whilst the Vietnamese are very fond of noodle soups, banh canh may undoubtedly be considered a favourite. The highlight of this dish would be the chewy thick noodles, which happen to be composed of rice flour and/or tapioca flour. Meanwhile, the fish stock that flavours the soup’s broth is made from a kind of locally available fish. However, Mui Ne’s banh canh also includes ingredients like fish cake, cilantro, scallions, peppers, dried onion and lime which result in a heavenly combination of flavours.

Your experience of Mui Ne’s gastronomic favourites wouldn’t be complete without trying out the much-loved banh xeo or crispy fried pancakes which are readily available in the town. You will find that these delicious pancakes are stuffed with shrimp, pork fat, squid, herbs and bean sprouts. The batter for these pancakes contains rice flour as well as turmeric, which gives them their distinctive yellow colour. Often, banh xeo would be presented with lettuce as well as a special dipping sauce composed of fish sauce, garlic, chilli and lemon.

Food lovers visiting this locality should undoubtedly take the opportunity to try out the special fish hotpot known as lau tha. Whilst you would find that Vietnamese hotpot often combines a myriad of delectable ingredients, the version often served in Mui Ne is particularly outstanding; it features ingredients like shrimp, fish, pork, green mango, vegetables, rice noodles, banana flower, fried eggs and so on. Additionally, the broth is flavoured with chilli, peanuts and lime that enhance the taste. An accommodation choice to consider where you could base yourself as you enjoy the local foods and other rewarding things to do in Mui Ne is the appealingly located Anantara Mui Ne Resort.

Another mouth-watering delicacy for foodies is the distinctive sun-dried squid which you could readily find around Mui Ne. To prepare this tantalizing dish, the main ingredient used is fresh squid that has been sun-dried; it is then basted in lime and chilli, and later grilled above coals so that the flavour spreads and the meat turns pale yellow. Finally, the sweet and savoury squid would be eaten with a dip consisting of fish sauce.

A rather unusual yet flavourful dish that you would have the chance to enjoy during your visit to this area is oc huong or sweet sea snails! Whilst this speciality could rarely be found in other parts of Vietnam, it is popular and affordable in Mui Ne. Easily identified by their spotted shells, sea snails can be prepared in several different ways, be it baked, steamed, roasted in garlic or grilled. Try some of the variations and see what most pleases your taste buds.