What and where to eat in Can Tho?

1. Bánh Cống

A deep-fried pastry filled with meat and shrimp, Bánh Cống is a popular dish with the locals. Roll it up with some fresh greens and dip in a mixed dipping sauce made from fish sauce, sugar, garlic and fresh chilli peppers. It is a hearty and filling, yet fresh and vibrant flavor combination in your mouth - one you never knew you wanted. Bánh Cống Cô Út is regarded as the place to go for Bánh Cống in Cần Thơ.

Address: Bánh Cống Cô Út: 86/38 Lý Tự Trọng Str, Tân An Ward, Ninh Kiều District

2. Bánh Tét Lá Cẩm

An interesting twist on the regular Banh Tet, Bánh Tét Lá Cẩm is rolled with magenta leaves, resulting in a purple color on the cake. Bánh Tét Lá Cẩm’s filling is well-marinated pork, and salted duck eggs (yep, salted duck eggs). One bite, and you get the sweet taste of glutinous rice, the succulent pork and the strong and tasty salted egg. Bánh Tét Lá Cẩm made by the Huỳnh family is regarded as the best in Cần Thơ, and it is available at markets such as Xuân Khánh or An Thới Market.

Address: Xuân Khánh Market: 30/4 Street, Xuân Khánh Ward, Ninh Kiều District

3. Lẩu

Ah yes, hotpot. The delicious broth-based dish is considered one of Vietnam’s hidden culinary gems, and many provinces have their own creations on the broth base - so diverse in style, in fact, that it would be unfair to group them under one name. Cần Thơ is no exception. With an abundance of greens, and river-dwelling creatures, the hotpots that are a specialty of this region are all fresh and flavor-packed. The alley on 1 Lý Tự Trọng offers some hotpots that locals love such as Lẩu Cá Kèo (hotpot with mudskipper fish), Lẩu Thái (spicy Thai-styled hot pot), or Lẩu Vịt Nấu Chao (duck and bean curd hot pot) while Lẩu Mắm (Fermented fish paste hot pot) at Dạ Lý restaurant comes with nearly 40 types of fresh vegetables.

Address: Alleyway, 1 Lý Tự Trọng Str, Ninh Kiều District (next to Lưu Hữu Phước Park)

4. Nem Nướng Cần Thơ

Nem Nướng, or grilled pork rolls, are a staple of Vietnamese cuisine. And here in Cần Thơ, locals are proud to say that they have their own version of the dish. The pork rolls are rolled with some banh hoi (bundled rice vermicelli) and vegetables into a sheet of banh trang (rice paper), and then dipped in a soy-based sauce. Natives and expats gobble it up, and you will too. Nem Nướng Thanh Vân has long been regarded as the best place for nem Nướng in the city, and a favorite destination for tourists who are looking for delicious nem.
Address: Nem Nướng Thanh Vân: 17 Hòa Bình Boulevard, Ninh Kiều District

5. Bánh Tầm Bì

Bánh tầm, thin strips of rice cake, is combined with shredded pork, shallots, pickles and coconut milk, and drizzled with fish sauce to create Bánh Tầm Bì, a sweet yet savory dish found everywhere in Cần Thơ. Banh tam bi is eaten for breakfast, lunch or just as a snack. Xiu mai (Chinese meatballs) can also be added if you want more meat. Stalls selling Bánh Tầm pop up all over the city, but for the best Bánh Tầm, Bánh Tầm Ung Văn Khiem (from 6 am to 10 am only) and Bánh Tầm Phạm Ngũ Lão are the places to go.

Address: Bánh Tầm Ung Văn Khiem: 16B1 Ung Văn Khiem Street, Ninh Kiều District

6. Chuối Nếp Nướng

A homely, simple, yet ever so decadent snack from the country, Chuối Nếp Nướng in Cần Thơ has its own little twist. Fresh bananas are coated with a layer of glutinous rice, and then grilled over a hot coal stove, then served with coconut milk for a scrumptious bite. What is the twist here? The Chuối Nướng in Cần Thơ does not have coconut milk! No, it is mixed into the glutinous rice, creating a smoky and succulent flavor, and it is also less messy! Visit the corner of Trương Định and Xô Viết Nghệ Tĩnh Street for some Chuối Nếp Nướng, won’t you?

Address: intersection between Trương Định and Xô Viết Nghệ Tĩnh Street

7. Ốc Nướng Tiêu Xanh

Succulent water snails still in the shell are poached lighly, then grilled over a hot coal stove with a special blend of fish sauce and green peppercorn to create Ốc Nướng Tiêu Xanh, a delectable light dish from the Mekong Delta. The beauty of this dish lies in the fish sauce. Spicy, salty and sweet at the same time, it provides a punch of flavor to the juicy snails. Feel free to chow down some water snails and slurp up the sauce, as the locals do, in any roadside seafood stall in Cần Thơ.

Address: Corner of Trương Định and Xô Viết Nghệ Tĩnh Street, near Châu Văn Liêm School.