If you have the opportunity to visit Lang Son, a mountainous province with majestic mountains and picturesque scenery, don’t forget to enjoy its unique specialties and representative snacks that showcase the rich culinary culture of the area.
Lang Son offers a variety of enticing dishes, from savory to sweet, main dishes to snacks, that visitors should take the time to savor. If you are planning a trip to Lang Son and want to find out which dining spots are delicious and appealing, be sure to read this complete guide from RuudNguyen.com.
Delicious Dishes in Lang Son
Roasted Duck
This dish uses the Bau That Khe duck breed. After cleaning, it is marinated with spices like onion, pepper, star anise, and stuffed inside the duck before sewing it up. The outside is coated with honey and left for about 10 minutes. Then, the duck is roasted over charcoal for 15 minutes.
Roasted Duck is a famous dish in Lang Son (Collected Photo)
After roasting, the duck is dipped into a pan of fat and stirred back and forth before being placed on a rack to cool. Roasting the duck requires a technique to avoid burning it; ensuring the right level of heat, the longer it’s roasted, the more fragrant the meat becomes. The duck meat must absorb the honey color, giving each bite a rich, tender, and sweet flavor.
Lang Son Sour Pho
This specialty from Lang Son is elaborately prepared and has an incredibly enticing flavor. To fully appreciate the unique taste of Sour Pho, it should be savored with deliberate enjoyment.
Lang Son Sour Pho (Collected Photo)
Nowadays, sour pho is available in many northern mountainous provinces, but only the version from Lang Son is particularly famous. Be sure to visit the following places to enjoy this dish.
Lang Son Egg Rice Rolls
Similar to other Vietnamese rice rolls, Lang Son egg rice rolls are also made from plain rice flour on a steamer. However, the preparation of Lang Son egg rice rolls is much more challenging than one might expect.
Lang Son Egg Rice Rolls (Collected Photo)
The batter for these rice rolls is made from finely ground quality sticky rice, mixed with water in just the right ratio to avoid the batter being too dry or too runny, as this would affect the softness and taste of the rice rolls. The batter is spread on a steaming pot with a thin layer of fabric stretched over it, allowing the rice rolls to cook fully with the steam. A unique aspect of these rice rolls is the use of egg as a filling.
Another distinctive feature of the Lang Son rice rolls is that they are traditionally served with a dipping sauce made from a vinegar prepared from a specific type of ripe banana found only in Lang Son. This unique vinegar gives the dish its characteristic flavor.
In addition to egg rice rolls, Lang Son also offers plain rice rolls similar to those found elsewhere. These are for those who might not want egg rice rolls or wish to have something lighter after indulging in a few egg rice rolls.
Khau Nhuc
There’s a saying, “If you visit Lang Son and haven’t tried Khau Nhuc, don’t say you’ve been there.” If you are looking for a recipe for Khau Nhuc, you’ve probably heard about this dish. “Originally a Chinese dish, Khau Nhuc was adapted by the Tay ethnic people to suit local tastes, making it one of the most famous specialties of Lang Son for generations.
Khau Nhuc (Photo collected)
From its name, one can get a sense of the dish – “khau” means tender, and “nhục” refers to meat. This elaborate dish is typically served only on special occasions like festivals, weddings, or when hosting guests from afar.
Cao Sang Cake
Cao Sang cake in Lang Son city was once famous, particularly among the Chinese community. It was most prevalent in the city and neighboring districts where many of the Nung ethnic people live.
As the elders recount, back in the days when there were incursions from China into Lang Son, there was an attempt to assimilate our people in every aspect, bringing over dishes from across the border and making our people replicate them. Gradually, dishes like “khausi”, “banh man thau”… appeared in Lang Son and were adapted by the locals to suit their tastes.
Cao Sang Cake (Collected Photo)
There’s a saying that if you dislike someone, cook them Cao Sang cake, and if you really despise them, invite them to eat it. Perhaps for this reason, nowadays, very few people still make this dish. However, regardless of its reputation, Cao Sang remains an interesting and appealing dish, embodying the essence of a fusion between Chinese and Vietnamese cuisines.
Ap Chao Cake
Lang Son is famous for its duck Ap Chao, a must-try for many visitors. However, few are aware that there is also an equally exquisite Ap Chao cake to be found here. Just hearing its name is enough to drive curious travelers to seek out and try this unique culinary delight.
Ap Chao Cake, Lang Son (Collected Photo)
Ap Chao cake is made from a mix of sticky rice and plain rice, with the former making up three-quarters of the ratio. The rice is ground into a batter, which is then strained and dried to a semi-thick consistency.
Chopped green onions are added, along with a bit of soy sauce, mixed well into the batter. While the ingredients are quite simple, the highlight of this cake is its filling, which must be made from the delicious local duck.
In the cold weather of Lang Son, enjoying this cake with a bit of Mau Son wine is truly an experience not to be missed. The remaining parts of the duck, like the neck, wings, feet, and giblets, are marinated and roasted, creating a tantalizing flavor that’s hard to resist. If you ever visit this highland region, don’t hesitate to try the local cuisine, rich in mountainous flavors.
Lang Son Roasted Pork
This is a specialty dish indispensable at tables in Lang Son, not only delicious but also intricately prepared, embodying the unique flavors of the region. Lang Son roasted pork is cooked whole. Coloring the pork is one of the most crucial steps in making the dish visually appealing. To achieve the crispy skin, the cook uses a long needle, continuously poking the skin while roasting and evenly applying honey, until the pork skin turns a cockroach wing brown.
Roasted Pork is one of the delicacies in Lang Son (Collected Photo)
Traditionally, the Tay people used to roast pork directly over a charcoal fire from mountain wood, which took about 2-3 hours. Nowadays, this process has been modernized with automatic roasting ovens that are much faster, meeting the business needs of the locals. The quality of each delicious roasted pork depends on the skill of the cook as well as the roasting techniques unique to each family.
Despite the more advanced roasting methods, the flavor and color of Lang Son roasted pork still retain their distinctive characteristics with very simple ingredients.
Bac Son Black Chung Cake
Black Chung Cake (also known as black sticky rice cake) is made in a cylindrical shape, similar to the Southern Vietnamese Tet cake or the Giay people’s Gu cake. However, the unique cake of the Tay people in Bac Son district has a strikingly glossy black color, tightly binding each plump grain of sticky rice, piquing the curiosity of many.
Bac Son Black Chung Cake (Collected Photo)
From as early as the 10th lunar month, the Tay people begin preparing for the first steps in making Black Chung Cake. After the rice harvest season, they select thick, golden rice straws, dry them, and then burn them to ash. The ash is carefully sifted to obtain the finest particles, which are then mixed with fragrant sticky rice to create the glossy black color.
Each piece of cake encompasses the unique flavors of sticky rice, pork, the sweetness of mung bean filling, and the distinct taste of forest herbs… It truly leaves an unforgettable aftertaste. The uniqueness of the Black Chung Cake also lies in its nutty, refreshing taste, without causing heat in the throat or stomach like regular chung cake. Hence, locals also refer to it as a “cooling” dish.
In the past, this cake was only made for festivals, Lunar New Year, and commemorative occasions. However, it has now become a popular specialty that anyone visiting Bac Son can buy as a gift. Black Chung Cake can be preserved for a long time, remaining delicious even until the end of the first lunar month.
Purple Sticky Rice
Lang Son’s purple sticky rice gets its color from a leaf known as “cam leaf”, most abundant in April and May. After boiling, the leaves are used to soak the sticky rice overnight.
Bac Son Purple Sticky Rice (Collected Photo)
The pristine white sticky rice grains, after soaking, turn purple, a change that many jokingly attribute to being “dyed” with purple. The color of the purple sticky rice is exactly the same as the rice grains after they have been soaked.
The aroma that rises when cooking purple sticky rice is also quite distinct compared to other types of sticky rice, possibly due to the fragrance of the ‘cam’ leaves infused in the rice.
Bac Son Bamboo Rice
When people mention bamboo rice, famous regions like Hoa Binh, Son La, and Cao Bang often come to mind. However, if you ever visit Bac Son, Lang Son, and taste the bamboo rice prepared by the Tay ethnic people here, you are sure to remember its unique and rich flavor.
Bamboo Rice, a popular traditional dish of the highland people in Northern Vietnam (Collected Photo)
Unlike the plain rice cooked in pots and pans in the lowlands, the rice in the highlands can be cooked in bamboo tubes and is known as “bamboo rice”. Simply put, this is the familiar term used by mountain people for cooking rice in bamboo tubes.
‘Lam’ refers to the method of cooking food like rice, stream fish, meat, etc., in bamboo. This rustic cooking method results in a uniquely delicious flavor compared to rice cooked in a pot. It also represents a distinctive aspect of the culinary culture in many highland regions of our country.
Ngai Cake
Among the must-try specialties when visiting Lang Son is Ngai Cake, a humble delicacy of the Tay people, embodying their warm hospitality to travelers. Mugwort has long been known for its medicinal properties, effective in treating various ailments, yet it is not an easy ingredient to incorporate into food.
Ngai Cake in Bac Son (Collected Photo)
Despite the challenging nature of mugwort, the Tay ethnic people of Lang Son have mastered using it to create an exceptionally unique cake. It is not only visually appealing but also deliciously aromatic, offered to ancestors during the Qingming Festival or to celebrate the harvest season as a sign of reverence.
‘Good news travels fast’, and gradually this cake has become a renowned specialty, delighting even the most discerning palates. One bite of its sticky and fragrant texture can leave a lasting impression, making it a must-try for food connoisseurs who say that a trip to Lang Son is incomplete without tasting Ngai Cake.
Lang Son Bamboo Shoots with Chili
“Bamboo Shoots with Chili” is the concise name for the dish of bamboo shoots marinated with garlic and chili, a famous accompaniment to pho and noodles. Using readily available ingredients, the locals have created this simple yet delicious dish.
Marinated bamboo shoots with garlic and chili are common in many areas, so each place has its unique flavor, but the most outstanding is from Lang Son. With its uniformly delicious taste, bamboo shoots with chili are considered a specialty of this region.
Visitors to Lang Son often take home a jar of bamboo shoots with chili (Collected Photo)
For the people of Lang Son, bamboo shoots with chili and pickled “mắc mật” are familiar dishes that can be enjoyed with rice, pho, or any daily meal. Typically around June and July, when “mắc mật” fruits ripen and bamboo shoots in the forests reach their peak flavor after the early summer rains.
People choose plump mai or vau bamboo shoots, sliced into pieces. Ripe “mắc mật” fruits and small chilies are then pickled together with vinegar, creating a unique flavor only found in this northernmost region of the country.
Lang Son Mustard Greens
Mustard greens in Lang Son are the tender shoots of the plant, with yellow flowers that grow tall and, if eaten raw, are usually very bitter. Lang Son mustard greens, although just ordinary sweet mustard greens, become extraordinarily lush, sweet, and aromatic, perhaps due to the fertile soil or the skillful cultivation of the Lang Son people.
Mustard greens can be easily found in all markets of Lang Son (Collected Photo)
Mustard greens are particularly well-suited to the climate of Lang Son. These greens have thick stems, yellow flowers, and a sweet taste. They are prepared in various dishes like boiled, stir-fried with garlic, stir-fried with beef, or used in hot pots.
Although mustard greens are now grown in many places, none match the size, green leaves, and lushness of Lang Son’s mustard greens. Not only famous for being clean and healthy, these greens are also rich in vitamins B1, B2, and other nutrients beneficial for health and skin.
Lang Son Mustard Greens
Lang Son mustard greens are famous for being delicious and refreshing, with a distinct flavor characteristic of this region. Whether boiled, used in bone broth soup, or stir-fried, they offer a unique taste. Once someone has tasted these mustard greens, they can never forget the sweet flavor of this vegetable.
Lang Son Mustard Greens (Collected Photo)
Lang Son mustard greens, when stir-fried, are crunchy, including the stem, leaves, and flowering tops. Unlike the slightly bitter taste of Moc Chau’s “cải mèo”, these greens are sweet. The harvesting season for these greens is from April to August. After September and October, they become scarce and can be up to 4-5 times more expensive than during the main season.
Huu Lung Grilled Sausage
At first glance, this sausage might look similar to the well-known “nem chao” or “nem thinh” found in many provinces across the country. However, like the rice rolls, the sausage in each locality contains its unique ‘specialty’ characteristics. This uniqueness is evident in the shape, ingredients, and flavor of the dish.
Huu Lung Grilled Sausage (Collected Photo)
The Huu Lung Grilled Sausage from Lang Son is as thick as an adult’s wrist and approximately the width of a hand, wrapped in three layers of green banana leaves tied with bamboo string. Inside, the sausage contains pork (shoulder and belly cuts without too much fat) and thinly sliced pork skin. The meat, freshly bought when the pig is just slaughtered and still pink, is finely cut with a sharp knife. The pork skin is also blanched and thinly sliced.
Typically, each sausage contains about 0.3 kg of pork. The meat is cleaned, cut into small pieces, and the boiled pork skin is scraped clean of hair and also finely chopped. The meat and skin are mixed with roasted rice powder (a special powder used for making grilled sausage), seasoned, then wrapped in fresh banana leaves and tied with bamboo string. The string shouldn’t be tied too tightly, as it can make the sausage hard and prevent it from cooking evenly when grilled.
Wild Sour Soup Leaf
The wild sour soup leaf (also known as MSG plant, sang leaf…), a light-loving woody plant, grows naturally on the rocky cliffs of mountains over 100 meters above sea level. As a result, this plant is commonly found in the mountainous rocky regions of Lang Son.
Wild Sour Soup Leaf (Collected Photo)
When harvested, wild sour soup leaves are usually tied into small bundles about the width of a hand. They must be handled gently to avoid crushing the tender leaves and washed with care. The leaves are soft and sweet when eaten, the stems are crunchy, and the flowering tops have tiny little flowers. This plant only has a short growing season each year.
Fragrant Frog
Visitors to Lang Son will hear stories about the “royal tribute” delicacy, the fragrant frog, indigenous to the Mau Son mountainous region. These frogs are often referred to by tourists as “wealthy frogs,” “king frogs,” or “princess frogs.” The local Red Dao people commonly call them “Tong Keng,” which means “big frog” in their ethnic language.
Mau Son Fragrant Frog (Collected Photo)
At a drinking table in Mau Son, if a plate of crispy fried fragrant frogs is served, other delicacies like salmon, six-toed chicken, or smoked meat are often set aside to give the plate of frogs the most honored position. This is because the wild fragrant frog is considered the “king” of Mau Son’s cuisine.
Mau Son Salmon
Many seafood experts have noted that Mau Son has the ideal climatic and water conditions for breeding salmon and sturgeon. Moreover, the quality of salmon farmed in Mau Son is high, providing a nutritious product with tasty, beautifully colored flesh that rivals any imported salmon currently consumed in Vietnam.
Due to the cold climate, Mau Son is quite suitable for salmon farming (Collected Photo)
However, after several attempts and improvements in techniques, the people of Mau Son have successfully farmed salmon. The successful experiment in salmon farming not only brings a high-class culinary delight originally from Europe to meet the demands of tourists but also creates a new attraction in Mau Son.
Coong Phu cake
Coong Phu Cake (Collected Photo)
With an unusual name, “Coong Phu Cake” resembles the “Banh Troi Nuoc” (floating cake) commonly found in the lowlands. This type of cake originates from the Tay community in Lang Son.
The preparation of Phu Coong is similar to that of Banh Troi. It is made from glutinous rice flour, ground into a fine paste and kneaded until pliable. Importantly, the finer the flour is sieved, the more elastic and less likely to break apart the cake becomes when boiled.
Beyond the Ky Lua night market, wandering around Lang Son city, one can often come across signs selling Phu Coong cakes scattered about. It would be a real pity and a miss if you visit Lang Son and don’t try this special treat, which is especially popular during the winter days.
Lang Son Specialties to Buy as Gifts
Mau Son Wine
Mau Son wine is famous for its delicious, clear-as-spring-water taste. It’s gentle to drink, rich in flavor, and neither too spicy nor too bland. It carries a distinctive, subtle aroma of leaves and medicinal roots from the mountains of Lang Son, creating an unforgettable experience for anyone who has ever tasted it.
A Product of Mau Son Tourism (Collected Photo)
It’s distilled by the hands of the Dao ethnic people living atop Mau Son (Loc Binh-Lang Son) at an altitude of 800-1000 meters above sea level using traditional methods, a craft passed down through generations.
Wild Honey
Pure wild honey from the peaks of Mau Son has a unique flavor derived from various forest flowers. It has many uses in medicine and health care. Harvested manually, it retains its natural fragrance and sweetness, being completely pure. The honey has a clear brown color, with a refreshing sweetness – a distinct taste of the mountains and forests of Mau Son.
If you’re lucky, you can buy genuine honey in Mau Son (Collected Photo)
Mau Son Mugwort
This herb is a miracle of the high mountains, refusing to grow below an altitude of 600 meters above sea level. This naturally clean herb, rich in unique flavors, can help relieve cold symptoms, aid digestion, and prevent headaches. Using traditional preparation methods, you can create a variety of foods and medicinal remedies from it.
Mugwort has many uses in daily life (Collected Photo)
Growing in any place with soil and mingling with other wild plants, what’s special is that Mau Son mugwort has a distinct sweet taste that lingers on the tip of the tongue after eating. You can use mugwort leaves to diversify your meals, like making mugwort noodles for breakfast, mugwort soup, or a simple dish like mugwort eggs. You can also ask hotel staff to teach you how to make Tay and Dao ethnic group’s mugwort cakes, or take them home as a unique travel gift.
Mau Son Peaches
Famous nationwide not only for their color but also for their unique flavor. Unlike other types of peaches that are bright red and fragrant when ripe, their flesh is soft and mushy. Dried in the sun and wind of Mau Son, these peaches seem sweeter, crisper, and firmer.
The outer skin is light green, but the flesh inside is sweetly addictive, crisp, with red juicy flesh and a mild aroma. This natural fragrance and sweet taste have captivated many tourists who visit Mẫu Sơn, leading them to buy these as gifts.
Mau Son Peaches bear fruit only once a year during the summer (Collected Photo)
Every year, Mau Son has only one peach season, lasting just a month. Therefore, these peaches become an extremely precious product, a gift of nature to this land. The peach variety here is delicious and unmatched anywhere else.
Mau Son peaches are both large and sweet. They have a white-green color, with a soft, velvety, and fuzzy outer skin. Each fruit has a pit in the middle, surrounded by yellow or white-tinged flesh. From the outside, Mau Son peaches look plump with a vibrant, beautiful pinkish hue, tempting everyone to taste.
Mau Son Wild Lemons
Unlike other types of lemons, these are quite small, only slightly larger than kumquats. When ripe, the lemon peel turns a beautiful yellow. Eating the peel gives a sweet and aromatic flavor, while the inside is slightly sour.
The small white flowers of the wild lemon tree bloom in the gaps between the leaves and branches, growing from the base to the very top. Each lemon usually contains 3 to 5 small seeds, very few in number.
Mau Son Wild Lemons (Collected Photo)
These Mau Son lemons only grow in the Mau Son mountain region of Lang Son, where the elevation ranges from 800 to 1541 meters above sea level. The average temperature here falls between 15 to 22 degrees Celsius, which is highly conducive to the growth and development of lemon trees.
Bo Khai and Sau Sau Vegetables
Bo Khai is an edible wild vegetable commonly found in the northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam. It is a regional specialty of Lang Son. Known by various names such as “bồ khai”, “phắc hiển”, “lòng châu sói”, “khau hương”, or “hiến”, this vegetable is used traditionally by locals.
People in these regions often use the fresh or dried stems and leaves of the Bo Khai plant to brew tea, which is believed to treat hepatitis commonly found in children and women. Regular consumption of this brew is also said to help dissolve kidney stones.
ang Son Bo Khai Vegetable (Collected Photo)
The Sau sau tree, also known as the white Sau, “Cổ yếm”, “Lau thau”, “Sâu cước”, or “Thẩu” tree, is a special plant. People often use its tender shoots and leaves as a unique food ingredient. These young parts of the Sau sau plant have a nutty, slightly astringent taste with a distinct aroma. Its ecological distribution is unique, and thus its culinary use is closely associated with the areas where the plant naturally grows.
In Vietnam, Sau sau is primarily consumed in late winter and early spring, when the new buds of the tree begin to sprout. The people in the mountainous areas of Lang Son and Cao Bang particularly enjoy this raw vegetable. They harvest the young shoots, wash them, and eat them like other raw vegetables, appreciating their exceptionally distinctive flavor that leaves a lasting impression.
Chi Lang custard apple
At the end of August and the beginning of September, as the cool autumn weather arrives, it is also the season for the custard apple fruit to ripen. Lang Son is considered one of the largest custard apple fruit baskets in the country. The limestone mountain region of Kai Kinh, located in the districts of Huu Lung and Chi Lang, is known as the kingdom of custard apple fruit here.
Chi Lang’s Pink-Eyed, Large and Round Custard Apples (Collected Photo)
Custard apples have been present in Chi Lang for over 40 years now. The plant thrives in the arid soil on the cliffs, slopes, and limestone mountain peaks of Chi Lang and Huu Lung districts. The fruit has contributed to improving the income of the locals, with many households prospering from cultivating custard apples.
Mac mat
The entire Mac Mat plant, especially its leaves and fruit peel, contains pleasantly aromatic essential oils. For a long time, the ethnic groups in the Viet Bac region in general and Lang Son in particular have been using Mac Mat as a spice for cooking traditional dishes.
Mac Mat Used in Many Lang Son Specialties (Collected Photo)
The star anise leaf is indispensable for dishes like roast pork, roast duck, grilled meats, and stir-fried bamboo shoots. The fresh fruit creates a unique flavor in spicy bamboo shoot dishes, leaving a lasting impression on those who try it. Dried star anise fruit is used to stew meats and fish; it can also be ground into a fine powder to be used as a spice like pepper.
Products from the Star Anise Tree
Star Anise Tree (Collected Photo)
Star anise is a precious plant characteristic of Lang Son province, mainly cultivated in the districts of Van Quan, Van Lang, Binh Gia, etc. Star anise fruit and its essential oil are valuable in traditional medicine and also serve as a unique spice essential in popular dishes like pho or used in marinating foods. Lang Son star anise is favored in international markets such as France, Canada, China, and more. Star anise from Lang Son accounts for over 90% of the national output.
Trang Dinh Rice Cake
The handcrafted Trang Dinh rice cake is not only a traditional dry food but also becomes a delicious and meaningful Tet (Lunar New Year) gift among the Tay and Nung people in Lang Son. In Trang Dinh (Lang Son), during the days leading up to Tet, almost every family makes rice cakes to place on the altar for ancestor worship, to serve to guests during the New Year, or to give as gifts to relatives and friends near and far.
Trang Dinh Rice Cake, Lang Son (Collected Photo)
Bao Lam Persimmons
In the border region near China, where many persimmons are grown, Chinese buyers consistently come to Vietnam every year to purchase Bao Lam persimmons. They favor this variety for its sweet, fragrant, crisp taste and seedless nature. These long-standing persimmon trees are cultivated using traditional methods.
Bao Lam Persimmons (Collected Photo)
Local people often choose large, beautiful persimmon trees with tall, sturdy trunks and cut a root segment about 30-40 cm long, then nurture it until it sprouts. With this planting method, it takes about 8-10 years for the tree to bear fruit; if grafted, it only takes about 3-5 years.
Bac Son Tangerines
The golden tangerines of Bac Son are considered a means of poverty alleviation for Kinh, Tay, Nung, Dao, and H’Mong ethnic groups in the area. The tangerine season peaks from late November to January of the following year, coinciding with the Lunar New Year period. Bac Son tangerines are primarily sold to traders who distribute them throughout the province, neighboring regions, and markets.
Bac Son Tangerines (Collected Photo)
Bac Son tangerines, favoring scattered light, moderate humidity, and the cold, dry weather characteristic of the tropical monsoon climate, thrive best in mountain crevices and valleys at altitudes of 500 – 700 meters above sea level.
The Bac Son mountain region, with its relatively fertile land, mainly consisting of red or yellow feralit soils, provides the perfect conditions for producing delicious tangerines with a rare, refreshingly sweet taste.
See more: Ultimate Guide to Exploring Bac Son, Lang Son: Top Tips for Travelers
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