Indulge in Son La: A Destination for Food Lovers

Son La is a land inhabited by many ethnic groups living together. It not only attracts tourists with the dreamy beauty of the Moc Chau Plateau and the sprawling terraced fields. Son La also has a rich culinary tradition with unique dishes that reflect the culture of its ethnic people. Currently, some ethnic dishes from Son La province have become products introduced in restaurants and hotels to serve tourists visiting Son La and are promoted in several provinces and cities nationwide.

What to Eat When Traveling to Son La?

I just returned from a trip to Son La and have saved the addresses of some delicious, affordable, and nutritious eateries in Son La I want to share with everyone. This time of year is the best for traveling to Son La, so after a tiring journey of fun and sightseeing, remember to try these famous specialty restaurants in Son La.

Five-Color Sticky Rice

Son La, a destination in the Northwest mountains, offers many delicious dishes that attract tourists from all directions. Five-color sticky rice is a specialty of the Northwest in general and the Son La region in particular. It is an irresistible delicacy if you have the chance to visit Son La.

Grass Carp Salad, a Specialty of Son La (Photo collected)

Today, the fish salad has become widely prepared and featured in the menus of restaurants, creating a unique brand for this dish. The fish salad of the Thai ethnic community has become a distinctive and cultural culinary highlight in the meals of every family from the past to the present, especially during festivals and Tet holidays.

Smoked Buffalo Meat

Smoked buffalo meat is a specialty dish of the Thai ethnic people. Buffalo meat is sliced along the grain into hand-sized pieces, marinated with spices such as chili, ginger, and especially mac khen – a type of wild pepper from the ethnic minorities in the Northwest highlands, and then smoked over the charcoal of rocks.

Smoked Buffalo Meat is one of the very delicious specialties of Son La (Photo collected)

Son La smoked buffalo meat is characterized by its dry exterior but tender, sweet inside, preserving its unique flavor. When eaten, it has a fresh sweetness mixed with the spicy taste of mac khen and the subtle smoky aroma of charcoal. Smoked buffalo meat is usually torn along the grain and eaten as is or briefly grilled over a fire, making it a popular snack.

Thai Sticky Rice in Bamboo

The origins of this unique dish remain unknown, but it’s well understood that mountain people often travel through forests, carrying some rice. When hungry, they would chop a bamboo or nua tube by the roadside, fill it with some rice and stream water, and cook these bamboo tubes of rice over a fire. This easy-to-make method has unexpectedly been elevated to a specialty of the mountainous region – sticky rice in bamboo.

This dish is common in many areas of the Northwest among the Tay, Thai, Nung, Hmong, Muong, etc., each having their version. However, it’s particularly famous in Hoa Binh for its unique aromatic upland rice.

Sticky Rice in Bamboo is a famous dish of the Thai people (Photo collected)

Today, the way of making sticky rice in bamboo has slightly changed from the past; it’s no longer made “just to get by” but has become a tourism product for people to enjoy “for fun”. However, the traditional value of this unique dish is still easily recognizable, fully retaining the essence of a local culture. To add variety, sticky rice in bamboo can be eaten with chicken, river fish, sour bamboo shoots… but the best way to enjoy it is still with sesame salt.

Cassava Sticky Rice

Anyone who has had the chance to visit the Northwest mountains will surely not forget the humble yet incredibly appealing dish, cassava sticky rice. Cassava sticky rice is a familiar dish of the Thai people in the Northwest. Although it is a simple everyday dish, the Thai people are always proud of it.

Cassava Sticky Rice (Photo collected)

For many years now, cassava sticky rice has become a popular dish not just among the Thai people but also among other ethnic groups. Nonetheless, the Thai people remain proud because they know how to combine natural produce to create the dish’s flavor, making the Thai cassava sticky rice retain its unique taste and distinctive characteristics that are unmistakable.

Pa Pinh Top

The grilled fish dish Pa Pinh Top originates from the Thai ethnic group, primarily residing in Lai Chau. It can be applied to grill various types of fish such as Carp, Tilapia, Catfish… but the best is the Hemibagrus because this type of fish has a fragrant, firm, and chewy meat that is very suitable for grilling. This is also the fish that Tran Luan and Cho Sach grill and sell to customers.

You should not try this dish if you’re not an adventurous type (Photo collected)

However, if you get to the second bite of Nam Pia, “It tastes delicious from the start, sweet from the juice, with a strong aroma of mac khen.” At this point, the bitterness softens, moving from the throat up to the base of the tongue, creating a “smacking” sound in the mouth that feels very intriguing.

Just a brief description like this might suffice to say what Nam Pia is and why it is so peculiar. If translated from Thai to national language, “Nam” means soup, while “Pia” refers to the slimy, viscous fluid found in the intestines of herbivores, aiding in digestion. However, because the food is not fully digested, it is referred to as “raw feces of herbivores.”

Mac Nhung Porridge

Visiting Son La this season, you won’t fear the cold because of the many famous delicacies available, including a porridge made from a fruit unique to the Northwest region. After each harvest season, the mac nhung fruits planted on the terrains begin to ripen. The people of Son La start to pick them, wash them thoroughly, and then prepare various dishes, among which mac nhung porridge is the most famous.

Mac Nhung Porridge is a famous dish from the land of Phu Yen (Photo collected)

Porridge made from “mắc nhung,” a unique fruit found only in the Northwestern region, is a renowned delicacy of Phu Yen, Son La. The “mắc nhung” fruit, belonging to the same family as tomatoes but only as big as ripe papaya seeds, has a complex flavor that blends bitter, sweet, and spicy notes. However, preparing a delicious pot of “mắc nhung” porridge requires several steps.

Nowadays, “mắc nhung” porridge has become a popular dish, appreciated not only for its unique culinary value but also for the meticulous and skilled preparation by the cooks. On cold winter days, the people of Son La only need to cook a pot of “mắc nhung” porridge, gather around a warm coal stove, serve bowls of porridge, and enjoy the warmth with their family. The mere thought dispels the cold and harshness of winter.

Buffalo Skin Salad

The Northwest land easily captivates visitors with its pristine beauty, warm-hearted people, and above all, its unique and distinctive culinary culture. Thanks to the creativity and dexterity of women’s hands, what seems like ordinary ingredients are transformed into delicious and unusual dishes. The Thai people’s Buffalo Skin Salad is one such dish.

Buffalo Skin Salad (Photo collected)

Buffalo skin is quite challenging to obtain because the entire skin is removed from the buffalo and then immediately sent to drum makers. However, the Thai people in Son La have turned buffalo skin into an indispensable delicacy on the dining table for special occasions.

While the Kinh people in the lowlands use buffalo skin to make drumheads, the Thai ethnic group has created their own unique specialty. Making Buffalo Skin Salad is not too complicated, but it requires patience and skill. Besides the main ingredient of buffalo skin, the Thai use a variety of spices, making the dish rich in both color and flavor, creating an impressive experience upon first tasting.

Sticky Rice Green Rice Flakes of Muong Tac

Visiting Muong Tac (Phu Yen), you might be curious about the aroma of green rice flakes with plump, sticky, and fragrant grains cooked over a charcoal stove. For generations, in this land, the Thai ethnic people in the valleys of Muong Tac and Muong Va have cultivated a fragrant, sticky rice variety, then processed it into the unique sticky rice green rice flakes dish, captivating diners from the very first taste.

Muong Tac Sticky Rice (Photo collected)

During the annual “Tet Xip Xi” festival of the White Thai ethnic group in Phu Yen, the feast is incomplete without little cakes, green rice flakes sticky rice, five-color sticky rice, chicken, duck, fish, home-grown vegetables, and bamboo shoots meticulously prepared by the villagers. Beautifully displayed to give thanks and pay homage to ancestors, the land, and water gods for blessing the community with a bountiful harvest, warmth, and prosperity, and also to pray for favorable weather in the new cropping season for fruitful harvests, fragrant, and sticky rice. Muong Tac’s fragrant sticky rice thus spreads far and wide.

Eating green rice flakes sticky rice during autumn, one finds it uniquely delicious. The rice grains are plump, glossy, and filled with the subtle aroma of fresh rice and the taste of ground rice bran. Visitors to Phu Yen who haven’t tried the green rice flakes sticky rice can hardly claim to have experienced Phu Yen.

Phu Yen Shredded Beef Tendon

It’s unclear who invented this recipe, but it has been a staple on the dining tables of the Muong Tac (Phu Yen) area for years. Initially prepared just enough for family consumption, due to its popularity, this dish suddenly became a hit and turned into the “mountainous dried squid” that is now found in many eateries and culinary restaurants.

When passing through Thuan Chau, don’t forget to buy Nam Lau Elephant Foot Yam as a souvenir (Photo collected)

The harvest season for Elephant Foot Yam in Nam Lau runs from October to the Lunar New Year. Every day, groups of motorbikes travel to and from Nam Lau, visiting households to buy yams for the market. Previously, these yams were mainly sold to traders in Thuan Chau town.

In recent years, with the increased quantity available, the market has expanded to include both within and outside the province. Nowadays, Nam Lau Elephant Foot Yams are piled up and placed into small baskets for sale at markets in Thuan Chau or along stalls by National Highway 6. Not only locals but also passing tourists buy a few baskets of yams as gifts.

Sticky Rice Cake of the Hmong in Hong Ngai

Chieng Mai Duck (Photo collected)

This duck can be prepared in various dishes such as boiled duck, steamed duck, charcoal-grilled duck, sour bamboo shoot duck stew, and bamboo shoot duck soup… Additionally, dishes suitable for children and the elderly are also made, such as duck sticky rice, duck porridge, lemongrass chili stir-fried duck, and galangal fried duck. Customers are satisfied and trust the quality after tasting.

Moc Chau Veal in Hot Pan

Thinly sliced veal, marinated with spices, ginger, and lemongrass, is ready on a high flame with a sizzling hot pan of oil. The sound of stirring, the pungent aroma of ginger, and the fragrant smell of meat spread intensely, making it irresistible.

Don’t forget to enjoy veal hot pan when traveling to Moc Chau (Photo collected)

The meat is golden, soft, and indescribably sweet. The outer skin of the meat puffs up dotted with white, and biting into it feels crispy yet chewy upon closer tasting. Occasionally, savoring additional slices of ginger and lemongrass, golden in the plate, brings a unique, delicious flavor without being too spicy.

Bang Stream Snails in Moc Chau

Bang Stream snails are typically found from April to August, during the rainy season when the weather is humid. These snails are different in shape from the common variety. Each snail is about the size of two finger segments, with a flaring mouth. These snails are seldom stir-fried as they become too slimy and less appetizing; they are mainly used in soups or simply boiled with lemongrass and served with chili sauce.

This snail dish appears only during the rainy season (Photo collected)

The rock snails here resemble the Black Virgin Mountain snails in Tay Ninh. They don’t grow vertically like apple snails or golden apple snails but horizontally, with a flat body, averaging the size of two finger segments, and a flaring mouth with a milky white color.

Upon catching the snails, people don’t stir-fry them because it becomes too slimy and less tasty; usually, they are cooked in soups or simply boiled with lemongrass and chili, served with chili sauce. Picking a snail and dipping it in a bit of sauce before tasting it introduces a spicy sensation on the tongue, and as it touches the teeth, it feels crunchy, with a sweet and cool flavor gradually spreading down the throat. The delicious, sweet, cool, and crunchy taste of the rock snails is unique; they are not fishy but also have a pungent, aromatic flavor from forest leaves…

Son La specialties to buy as gifts

Ta Xua Tea

Ta Xua’s ancient Snow Shan tea is a famous specialty of the high mountains in Northwest Vietnam. Snow Shan is a special type of tea with white downy hairs on the tea strands, resembling snow. The tea buds are large, full of dew, and covered with a shiny silver layer. The color of the tea remains a clear greenish-yellow after several brews. Drinking this tea, the initial taste is slightly bitter and astringent, which then transitions to sweetness, offering a uniquely aromatic and distinct flavor compared to other tea varieties.

Ta Xua Tea originates from Ta Xua commune, Son La, with its winding mountainous paths. The tea plants here are very special, having buds with white hairs and yellow edges, creating a unique flavor that is unmatched elsewhere. Ta Xua’s ancient tea grows in an area perennially covered in clouds, with high humidity and a cool, clean climate, making the Ta Xua tea buds more frosted and uniquely flavored compared to other ancient tea regions.

Son La Honey

Son La honey has long been famous for its delicious taste and reputable quality on the market. The quality of honey here retains its natural flavor with a high nutritional content. Benefiting from the natural advantages of Son La, with its mild climate, year-round fruit trees, thousands of hectares of fruit and industrial crops, and vast forests of natural flowers and pollen, Son La honey is exceptionally aromatic and tasty.

Son La Plums

The late-ripening plum is known as a characteristic summer fruit of the northern mountains, widely cultivated in the provinces of Son La, Lao Cai, and Lang Son. Each place gives the plums a different taste, but perhaps the land of Son La, favored by nature with many advantageous conditions, is particularly suitable for the growth of plum trees, creating the Son La plum brand.

Late-ripening plums are extensively cultivated in several northern mountainous provinces, including Son La (Photo collected)

With their petite appearance, crisp green skin, and slightly astringent taste, the late-ripening plums, also known as Moc Chau plums, enchant everyone who tries them. Every time the last cold snap of winter hits, these crisp, slightly sour, and astringent plums make people salivate.

Son La Peaches

Sour Apple

A species that thrives in cold climates, it is found in nearly all the high mountainous regions of Bac Yen district. Thanks to the high terrain and a cold winter season, these conditions are very suitable for the growth of this plant. The area cultivated with this sour apple tree is increasingly expanded due to its rising economic benefits. Previously, people only knew to consume sour apples fresh right after harvesting.

In Son La, sour apples are commonly used for fermenting in liquor (Photo collected)

There are two types of sour apples: the fresh type (which can be used to soak in liquor, make syrup, or vinegar) and the dried type (used for soaking in liquor or brewing for drinking).

Egg Mangoes of Yen Chau

Egg mangoes of Yen Chau are characterized by their early ripening, starting to sporadically ripen from early May and fully ripe by the end of May to June. The fruit is only slightly larger than a duck egg, heart-shaped. When ripe, the peel turns a golden yellow, the flesh is sweet and the aroma is very fragrant.

Yen Chau Banana Wine

Banana wine has long been famous as a specialty of the Yen Chau region and is traditionally distilled by the locals. Wild bananas are known for their detoxifying, blood-cooling effects, commonly used to treat back pain, muscle aches, kidney stones, and bladder stones. Therefore, when bananas are infused in alcohol, many of the active compounds in the bananas are extracted and dispersed into the wine.

Wild banana wine from Yen Chau is traditionally used to treat kidney stones, stomach pain, stimulate digestion, benefit the kidneys and urinary system, relieve back pain and fatigue, treat loss of appetite, insomnia, fever, constipation, and ringworm. Notably, this wine is also believed to enhance male virility.

Purple Garlic from Phu Yen

Phu Yen, home to the Muong Tac plateau with its delicious aromatic rice, also maintains the production of purple garlic… Many farmers have escaped poverty and become wealthy through garlic cultivation… However, the method of garlic cultivation is still limited, leading to not very high quality of garlic, and the cultivation area is scattered, so building a brand for “Phu Yen purple garlic” faces challenges.

Purple Garlic in Phu Yen (Photo collected)

Phu Yen has over 6,400 hectares of agricultural land, divided into 4 sub-regions. Among these, the rice focal area spans nearly 1,500 hectares. This area has over 1,300 hectares dedicated to two rice crops per year, with the remaining area only suitable for one crop annually.

Son La Bitter Melon

Bitter melon is planted by the Hmong people, intercropped with upland rice. The plant freely sprawls across the ground and over rock outcrops, without the need for a trellis like cucumbers. Seeds are usually sown in March and April each year; by June and July, it begins to bear fruit, and the season ends in August.

Bitter melon (Photo collected)

When visiting Son La in the summer around June, along National Highway 6, you will encounter the sight of the H’Mong ethnic group selling bitter melon at temporary stalls by the roadside. Bitter melon is known to be a clean food product without pesticides, delicious, crispy, and sweetly refreshing, making it popular among many people.

Strawberries of Moc Chau

Just about 1km away from Ang village, there is an area where both orchid gardens and tempting strawberry fields have been experimentally cultivated and started bearing fruit a few years ago. To date, strawberries have secured their position in the market. This fruit is no longer a new name to consumers in Hanoi. During the fruit’s ripening season, the delicious berries from the Moc Chau highlands often appear in fruit shops, clean food stores, or some supermarket chains.

Moc Chau Strawberries (Photo collected)

The quantity of strawberries sold is not fixed as it depends on the amount of ripe berries harvested by the gardens. Particularly, if the weather is favorable in any given year, the strawberry crop will be abundant, with fruits ripening to a sweet, aromatic red that attracts many customers.

Moc Chau Tea

Despite its long history, it was not until 1958 that tea became the main crop bringing fame to Moc Chau. Tea was first experimentally cultivated in the Moc Chau highlands by the soldiers and officers of the “Military Farm” in area 66, now known as Black Tea area. After nearly 60 years, the tea in Moc Chau has developed into a large, concentrated raw material area with many high-yield, high-quality tea varieties.

Tea Harvesting (Photo collected)

Tea in Moc Chau is primarily of the Shan Tuyet variety, covering an area of 2500 hectares across the two districts of Moc Chau and Van Ho. The Shan Tuyet tea provides a stable income for the locals, helping many impoverished families improve their livelihood. There are many lines of Shan Tuyet tea produced by various companies such as Moc Cha Lotus Tea, Moc Chau Century Tea, Tung Hac Tea, but the most famous and competitive with Thai Nguyen tea is the Chi Cho Long tea, made from 200-year-old ancient tea trees in the Cho Long area.

Products Made from Moc Chau Dairy Cows

With a large number of dairy cows raised right on the farm, dairy products are among the special items you should try when visiting Moc Chau. If you have the chance, enjoy a glass of fresh milk heated right after being milked.

Dairy Cows in Moc Chau (Photo collected)

Other dairy products that you should also consider buying as gifts include purple rice yogurt, fresh cow’s milk…

Moc Chau’s Purple Yam

Every September and October, women eagerly seek to buy Moc Chau’s purple yam (Moc Chau’s golden yam). This type of yam, with its yellow flesh, aromatic, rich, and sweet taste, has a certain appeal.

Moc Chau’s Purple Yam (Photo collected)

At first glance, Moc Chau’s purple yam resembles a ginger root with its nodules, unlike the smooth or elongated shapes of other yam varieties. Each yam can weigh from 300g to 1kg, enough for a family meal.

Secondly, the yam turns a turmeric-like yellow once peeled, and even more so after cooking. Typically, women slice it into matchbox-sized pieces, steam it in a rice cooker, and dip it in sesame seeds for a snack, or cook it in a bone broth with some dill and green onions.

The exquisite taste of Moc Chau’s purple yam (Moc Chau’s golden yam) comes from the blend of sweetness, richness, aroma, and its sticky soft texture that clings to your teeth irresistibly. Especially, its fragrance after cooking will surely make any man rush down to the kitchen to discover the source of such an enticing aroma.

Purple yam is usually sold by the locals from September to November and must be consumed quickly, as this variety does not store as well as the regular yam.

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