When you think of Vietnam’s culinary landscape, the first names that likely come to mind are Hanoi’s phở, Saigon’s bánh mì, or Hội An’s cao lầu. But venture northeast to Hai Phong, and you’ll discover an entirely different world of flavors—bold, briny, vibrant, and unapologetically local.

As Vietnam’s third-largest city and a major port, Hai Phong has long been a melting pot of cultures and cuisines. With abundant seafood from the Gulf of Tonkin and fertile delta farmland, the city’s dishes reflect a perfect marriage of ocean and earth. Whether you’re here for a day or a month, food will become a central part of your experience. In this blog, we will introduce to you the best dishes that the "phoenix flower" city has to offer.

Bánh mì cay (Spicy breadsticks)

At first glance, bánh mì cay might look like a snack rather than a signature dish, but don’t let its simplicity fool you. These slim baguette sticks, usually no longer than a ruler and about the width of a thumb, are filled with a rich liver pâté and drizzled with a fiery chili sauce, known by the locals as "chí chương." The bread is baked to a crisp, delivering a delightful crunch with every bite. Small, portable, and addictive, spicy breadsticks are often sold in batches rather than singles—and it's not uncommon to see someone order a dozen for takeaway or to snack on while strolling through the city. 

 Today, spicy breadsticks are more than just a snack—they’re a culinary icon. So much so that many people argue that a trip to Hải Phòng is incomplete without walking through the city’s central districts and following the aroma of freshly baked baguettes wafting from tiny street stalls. Vendors prepare bánh mì cay in small ovens or grills by the roadside. The bread is always toasted right before serving, ensuring a satisfying crunch that contrasts with the softness of the pâté. You’ll often hear the telltale snap of baguettes being broken and filled with deft hands, all while scooters whiz by and the street life buzzes around you.

Whether you're on your way to the ferry terminal or strolling around the old town, a bag of bánh mì cay in hand is the mark of a true Hai Phong experience.

Nem cua bể (Crab spring rolls)

Nem cua bể, or crab spring rolls in English, is a specialty that defines Hải Phòng’s food identity, a treasured staple that both locals and curious foodies across Vietnam hold in high regard.

Crab spring rolls are unlike the typical nem rán or chả giò found elsewhere in the country. While the latter may use pork or minced meats, Hải Phòng’s version features the sweet, delicate meat of blue swimmer crabs, caught fresh from the surrounding sea. The way Hai Phong people wrap spring rolls is also very unique, wrapping them in a square shape. Because of this, the dish is also called square spring rolls. 

When tourists cut the spring rolls, they will see the pink color of crab meat, the red color of carrots, the brown color of wood ear mushrooms, the green color of green onions, and the yellow color of eggs and crab roe. Tasting a piece of spring roll, the sweetness of crab meat spreads on the tip of the tongue; the crispy and fatty taste of rice paper, combined with the attractive aroma of meat and mushrooms and the sweet and sour taste of the dipping sauce, will make it unforgettable for even picky eaters.

Bánh đa cua (Crab noodle soup)

When it comes to Hai Phong specialties, no one can forget the crab noodle soup, a dish sold on every big and small street in this port city that can satisfy locals and tourists alike.

Crab noodle soups are elaborate from the form to the way of preparation. To cook Hai Phong rice noodles with crab requires a variety of ingredients. Of which, the three main ingredients that must not be missing when preparing are rice noodles, field crabs and water spinach. Without one of these three ingredients, the dish is considered to have lost part of the characteristic flavor of Hai Phong.

Later, when rice noodles with crab became more and more popular, the locals added many other ingredients taken from their hometown's sea, such as shrimp, mantis shrimp, crab, and crab spring rolls, to prepare the dish. Even though it has been varied with many different recipes, the flavor of Hai Phong rice noodles with crab remains unchanged, the same as in the early days.

A bowl of Hai Phong crab noodle soup must have enough eye-catching colors, large brown rice noodles, and smooth. When enjoying, you will truly feel the fragrant aroma of onions and the fatty but not greasy taste of crab fat. The harmonious combination of spices makes Hai Phong crab noodle soup a specialty that many people cannot refuse.

Bún cá cay (Spicy fish vermicelli)

When people speak about vermicelli dishes, if Hanoi is famous for its "bún chả" (vermicelli with grilled pork) and "bún đậu mắm tôm" (vermicelli with tofu and fermented shrimp paste) and Hue is known for its "bún bò Huế" (beef vermicelli), then Hai Phong has "bún cá cay," a spicy vermicelli with fish dish that anyone who has eaten it once will remember forever. The vermicelli with fish dish in Hai Phong has a perfectly blended flavor of ingredients from the countryside and the sea. That has made this dish a famous specialty of the city of red phoenix flowers. 

The appeal of spicy vermicelli with fish to tourists in Hai Phong comes from the strict selection of ingredients: mackerel for making meatballs, fried grass carp... In addition, this dish also attracts diners with the sweet, rich flavor of the broth simmered from fish heads, fish bones and pork bones.

In particular, Hai Phong vermicelli with fish is also served with raw vegetables such as water spinach, thinly sliced ​​banana flowers and cool elephant ear. In addition, this vermicelli dish also uses tamarind juice to enhance the attractive sour and spicy flavor.

A standard bowl of Hai Phong fish noodle soup when served must have the yellow color of fish cakes and fried fish, the green color of elephant ear leaves, the red color of chili sauce and the pure white color of noodles submerged in broth. This dish is very suitable to eat on cold days or days with bad weather.

Chả chìa Hạ Lũng (Ha Lung chia sausage)

"Chả chìa" (chia sausage) is considered a wonderful combination of fatty pork and crispy, chewy dried squid. There are many brands of chia sausages in Vietnam, but one of the oldest and most famous brands is Ha Lung chia sausage—known as one of the attractive delicacies of Hai Phong port city.

To make Ha Lung chia sausage, people must prepare 3 main ingredients: squid, pork and sugarcane. Fresh and clean pork is processed to remove all fat, only using finely ground meat. The selected squid is also a delicious type, selected from Cat Ba and Cat Hai, cut into small pieces, and then ground with lean pork. All ingredients are then marinated with fish sauce and MSG and mixed with shiitake mushrooms, pepper, wood ear mushrooms, etc. Next, the chef will peel the sugarcane, split it into small pieces and spread the mixture on top so that the meat sticks tightly, surrounding the sugarcane. Next, people will put the sausage sticks in a pot and steam them.

Unlike other common sausages, Ha Lung chia sausages are small, just enough to fit in the palm of your hand. The sausages have a golden outer layer, and with one bite you will feel the sweet taste of sugarcane, the rich aroma of meat, and especially the crispy, chewy, and rich taste of the sea of ​​dried squid.

The sausages are served with raw vegetables, sweet and sour fish sauce, chili sauce, or tomato sauce. If you don't know what to eat in Hai Phong when you visit the port city, you must definitely find and enjoy the attractive sausages. In addition, this is also a suitable specialty to buy as gifts for relatives and friends.

Bánh đúc tàu (Chinese rice cake)

"Bánh đúc tàu" is a dish originating from China. More than 50 years ago, when the Chinese community migrated to Hai Phong, they brought with them their traditional recipe and then used the local "bánh đúc" (rice cakes) in their own way. It is the combination of Chinese culinary culture and the typical cuisine of Hai Phong that has created a dish that is both strange and familiar.

The "bánh đúc" part is made from finely ground rice flour; add a little salt and water, stir until dissolved, then let it rest for about half an hour and then steam it in thin layers, layer by layer. The topping includes green papaya, boiled and diced, mixed with annatto powder to create an eye-catching orange color. After being cleaned, the shrimp and pork belly are marinated with salty and sweet spices such as seasoning powder, salt, sugar, and annatto powder and then stir-fried until cooked.

When eating, the owner will cut the "bánh đúc," add papaya, shrimp and meat, and pour a spoonful of warm broth. The special feature of "bánh đúc tàu" is the combination of sour, sweet, salty and spicy flavors. The light sourness from the mixed fish sauce, the sweetness from papaya or kohlrabi, the wood ear mushrooms, the saltiness from meat and shrimp, along with a little spiciness from chili, have created an extremely attractive and rich dish. Moreover, it can be eaten with many different spices and toppings to add more flavor. It is this flexibility that makes this dish especially attractive and has become a favorite dish of many people.

Nộm sứa đỏ (Flame jellyfish salad)

Flame jellyfish in Hai Phong is a "feverish" snack specialty in the culinary world. Many people are so addicted to this dish that when traveling to Hai Phong in the summer, they must find a delicious flame jellyfish restaurant to "eat to their heart's content."

Flame jellyfish is considered a "miracle drug" in the ocean thanks to its cooling effect, reducing itching and headaches caused by the heat. Therefore, red jellyfish is used to make many delicious dishes, but the best is still making salad. During the flame jellyfish season (from April to June), jellyfish salad becomes a "hot" Hai Phong snack, loved by many locals and tourists.

As soon as it is scooped up, the red jellyfish is immediately soaked in a bucket of water with the shell and roots of the mangrove tree and aromatic leaves, boiled and cooled. The secretion from this water will help remove the strong fishy smell, retain water and create an eye-catching pink-red color (like betel nut residue) for the jellyfish. What's interesting is that flame jellyfish by itself has no taste, but when combined with other ingredients such as coconut meat, mixed vegetables, tofu and dipping sauces such as vinegar, fish sauce or shrimp paste, it creates a dish with an indescribable appeal. Each piece of red jellyfish is chewy, crunchy, and juicy, bringing a refreshing feeling.

Nem chua An Thọ 

Nem chua is a snack but is quite popular. When mentioning it, people often think of Thanh Hoa or Yen Mac, but few people know that in Vietnam there is another delicious and equally outstanding Nem chua dish, which is Nem chua An Tho. This type of nem is gradually becoming more familiar to culinary connoisseurs.

Unlike the usual Nem chua that is wrapped in a round roll, Nem An Tho has a loose texture. To process, the meat is cleaned of tendons and fibers, then quickly sliced ​​into thin slices. Along with the pork skin that is processed cleanly and cut into thin, even strips, the ingredients and spices are also mixed in the correct ratio and naturally fermented. After a certain period of time, the anemone will turn a beautiful pink color.

The vegetables served with Nem chua An Tho are seasonal herbs such as perilla leaves, ginseng, cassava, and pickled cucumbers and pickled figs. The dipping sauce is a mixture of lemon, garlic and chili that enhances the delicious flavor of the dish. When eating, each layer of pork and skin is mixed together, blending the flavors; when eaten with fig leaves, perilla leaves, and a little fish sauce, garlic and chili, it couldn't be more wonderful. Therefore, this is a must-try dish when exploring Hai Phong for every tourist.

Bánh bèo Hải Phòng 

Along with crab noodle soup or spicy breadsticks, "bánh bèo" is also one of the delicious dishes of Hai Phong that attracts many tourists. Unlike Hue's version, which is round, served in small bowls, and eaten with scallion oil, shrimp floss and fried pork skin, "bánh bèo" in Hai Phong is a completely different variation.

"Bánh bèo" here has an outer layer made from rice flour, with a filling consisting of wood ear mushrooms, pork, and dried onions, and is wrapped in each banana leaf mold, curved like a small boat. When you open the wrapping, you will see the soft layer of dough along with the fatty and fragrant filling. The cake is usually cut into bite-sized pieces and sprinkled with fried onions to create a fragrant aroma

A plate of banh beo is considered to be authentic Hai Phong when the cake dough is soft but not crushed, the cake is firm but melts easily when you bite into it, The fatty cake dough, combined with the rich and fragrant filling, and adding a little spicy and sweet dipping sauce will create a flavor that you will never forget.

Chè dừa (Coconut sweet soup)

Every food journey deserves a sweet ending, and in Hai Phong, that comes in the form of "chè dừa." 

A cup of coconut sweet soup includes coconut milk, coconut meat, coconut jelly, fresh milk, condensed milk and homemade tapioca pearls. Some versions add jackfruit or lychee for extra texture and flavor.

Holding the cup of coconut jelly in hand, just scoop once and you will immediately get a spoonful of topping. The fresh coconut fibers are crunchy, the tapioca pearls are soft, and the coconut jelly is smooth and transparent. All the ingredients are covered in a layer of thick, fatty coconut milk, fragrant with coconut milk, creating a rich, refreshing, fragrant, but not overly sugary sweetness—ideal after a spicy seafood feast and to cap off your exploration of Hai Phong’s food scene.

Final Thoughts: Why Hai Phong Food Is Underrated

One of the most surprising discoveries for visitors is just how underrated Hai Phong is as a food destination. While cities like Hanoi and Saigon attract more attention, Hai Phong’s culinary scene is authentic, diverse, and refreshingly untouched by mass tourism.

Here, you’re not getting food made for foreigners—you’re getting food made for locals, by locals. Every dish, from snacks like spicy breadsticks to main dishes like spicy fish vermicelli and even desserts like coconut sweet soup, carries generations of tradition, rooted in the land and waters of the port city.

Eating in Hai Phong is about embracing the unexpected, diving into bold flavors, and experiencing the city with all your senses. So come hungry, stay curious, and let the flavors of Hai Phong guide your adventure.


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