Halong Food & Drink

Many tourists, who have visited Halong, are impressed by the delicious seafood served there. For Halong, this is a potential which has been well-developed and exploited for tourism by travel agencies in Halong.

The first one to be mentioned there is Ngán, a kind of Oyster, which is available in most region of Halong. However, the most delicious one can only be found at Bach Dang River outlet. Ngán can be cooked into different dishes such as: grilled, steamed, stir-fried or soup. For male tourists, the wine made with Ngán is really the most worth-trying drink since it has special taste. A cup of Ngan wine is pink in its color, a little bit salty and acrid, and especially aromatic in taste - that is truly the Ngan wine from Halong.

Besides, Halong offers guests a wide variety of seafood, among which, dishes made from shrimp are among the most popular ones. Halong Bay is home to various species of shrimp, among which prawn and lobster are the most precious ones. Lobsters have hard cover shell and strong claws with ferocious appearance. Their cover shells are often used as decorations in the restaurants, hotels, and in local fishing households in Halong. Prawns have softer cover shell and are often made into specialties in parties. There are two common ways to cook prawns: steamed or soaked with flour before frying. Steamed prawns are more popular since it can remain the original taste of the dish. This dish has long been considered “the best specialty” in Halong for its high nutritious value as well as good sense of looks.

Since Ngan and shrimp can be found in most places in Halong, there are several special kind of specialties such as sa sung can only be found in Quan Lan - Minh Chau (Van Don). The raw sa sung fried with fresh garlic is a special dish of local people in Halong. The dried sa sung is roasted, decorated with several kinds of fines herbs then enjoyed with chilly sauce and beers. That would be a pity if you missed this delicacy.

People in Halong have their own special ways of cooking for specific kind of seafood. Many specialties of Halong have become well-known brand names such as: Halong grill chopped cuttle-fish, Cai Rong fish sauce, Tu hai (a kind of clam) in Van Don, etc.

Nowadays, thanks to the convenient transportation system, seafood in Halong can be delivered to Hanoi and other provinces and cities. People in other areas outside Halong can have chance to enjoy such specialties, however, enjoying Halong’ seafood right in Halong will surely bring a different felling and taste. In Halong, tourists can choose to enjoy seafood in different places such as on tourist boats or ships, on floating houses, in restaurants, at friend’s or relative’s houses, etc. Recently, in Halong festivals, the cuisine culture of Halong has also been briefly introduced to tourists. It is expected that, in coming time, Halong’s cuisine will be brought to every tourists who visited or are planning to visit Halong.