1. Haiphong Delicacies – The Charm of the Port City in 2025
Hai Phong cuisine is diverse with many delicious dishes. (Source: Collected)
Hai Phong cuisine stands out thanks to the use of fresh ingredients harvested daily, ensuring the preservation of natural flavors. Seafood such as freshwater crabs, sea shrimp, and bloody clams are always fresh and delicious, while green vegetables, bean sprouts, and herbs are carefully selected, creating a perfect balance for each dish.
The characteristic flavor of the Port land is clearly evident in each dish. The broth for banh da cua (crab noodle soup) is simmered from pork bones combined with crab roe, offering an unforgettable sweet, clear, and rich flavor. Dishes like nom (salad) and nem (spring rolls) are appealing thanks to the exquisite blend of sour, spicy, salty, and sweet, combined with the natural aroma of fresh vegetables.
Skillful preparation is the key factor that builds the reputation of Hai Phong cuisine. Nem cua be (crab spring rolls) are uniquely wrapped in a square shape, completely different from the traditional round style, while the special red banh da noodles are unique to this region, creating an unmistakable characteristic. The simple yet attractive presentation style leaves a deep impression on diners, making every meal in Hai Phong an unforgettable experience.
2. List of outstanding Hai Phong delicacies 2025
Hai Phong is not only famous for its beautiful landscapes but also attracts tourists with its unique and diverse culinary scene. From traditional dishes like banh da cua (crab noodle soup) and bun ca cay (spicy fish noodle soup) to fresh seafood along the coast, each dish carries its own distinct flavor, promising an unforgettable culinary experience for visitors in 2025.
2.1. Hai Phong Banh Da Cua (Crab Noodle Soup)
Hai Phong crab noodle soup is a famous specialty of the port city. (Source: Collected)
Hai Phong crab noodle soup is a Hai Phong delicacy that cannot be missed when exploring the cuisine of the port city. The characteristic red noodle strands are processed from natural gac fruit extract, possessing an eye-catching color with a mild sweetness, moderate chewiness, and retaining their firmness when placed in hot broth.
The highlight of the crab noodle soup is its rich broth, simmered from pork bones combined with fresh crab roe. The natural sweetness from the crab blends with the richness of the roe, creating an unforgettable flavor. A standard bowl of crab noodle soup must be accompanied by fragrant betel leaf sausage, fresh shrimp, Vietnamese pork roll, pork ribs, fried tofu, and fresh green herbs.
2.2. Spicy Fish Noodle Soup from Hai Phong
Spicy fish noodle soup is a Hai Phong delicacy that impresses diners with its characteristic spicy yet balanced flavor. The main ingredients include fresh freshwater carp, lightly fried golden, retaining the natural sweetness of the fish. The broth is carefully simmered from fish bones combined with pork bones, bringing a refreshing yet rich taste, making each spoonful of noodles more appealing.
The blend of ingredients such as crispy taro stem, ripe tomatoes, fragrant dill, and fried garlic further enhances the flavor. The spiciness of fresh chili is just right, not overpowering the natural freshness of the broth, helping the dish maintain a perfect flavor balance.
2.3. Crab Spring Rolls
Hai Phong crab spring rolls are an outstanding specialty dish, notable for their unique square shape, with a thin crust that becomes crispy and fragrant with crab aroma when fried. The filling consists of fresh crab, minced pork, eggs, and glass noodles, offering a perfect combination of sweet, rich, and chewy flavors, creating a unique culinary experience.
When enjoying, the spring rolls are usually eaten with fresh herbs such as lettuce, fish mint, perilla, and dipped in a sweet and sour chili fish sauce according to each shop's secret recipe, adding to the harmonious, rich flavor. The combination of the crispy crust, the natural sweetness of the filling, and the mild sweet and sour of the dipping sauce makes crab spring rolls an unforgettable dish for diners.
2.4. Spicy Baguette from Hai Phong
Hai Phong spicy baguette impresses with its compact, long size. The baguette with its crispy crust, soft interior, combined with a fragrant, rich pate filling according to a traditional family recipe, is the soul that creates the characteristic flavor of this dish.
The highlight of the dish is the mild chili sauce, just enough to create a warm feeling without overpowering the taste. Some places also add cucumber and fresh cilantro, making the dish both refreshing and visually appealing, enhancing the Hai Phong street food experience.
2.5. Red Jellyfish Salad
Red Jellyfish Salad Hai Phong is cooling for summer. (Source: Collected)
Red Jellyfish Salad Hai Phong is an ideal cooling dish for summer, standing out thanks to the naturally crispy and cool taste of red jellyfish combined with roasted peanuts, slightly fatty coconut milk, and fragrant perilla leaves. This blend creates an experience that is both refreshing and nutritious, making the dish a favorite choice for both locals and tourists.
The best time to enjoy red jellyfish salad is from April to July, when jellyfish are in season and at their best quality. Red jellyfish are usually carefully prepared, stored on ice to maintain their crispness and completely remove any fishy odor.
You can easily enjoy red jellyfish salad at Luong Van Can Market, old streets, or lively street vendor carts in the afternoon and evening. When choosing a place, prioritize busy spots, ensuring the jellyfish is fresh, well-chilled, to preserve its natural flavor and appealing crispness.
2.6. Cha Chia Ha Lung
Cha Chia Ha Lung is a Hai Phong delicacy that perfectly combines fresh lean pork and sun-dried squid from the Hai Phong coast. This blend creates a texture that is both tender and chewy, offering a distinct and appealing taste experience. The unique highlight of the dish is grilling it on sugarcane skewers, adding natural sweetness, making each skewer unforgettable.
When cooked, the aroma spreads, blending the sweet taste of meat with the characteristic scent of sea squid, making it irresistible to diners. Cha Chia is best enjoyed hot, it can be paired with rice paper and fresh green herbs to enhance its appeal.
2.7. Stir-fried Sea Asparagus
Stir-fried razor clams offer a novel taste for tourists visiting Hai Phong. (Source: Collected)
Hai Phong razor clams are a characteristic seafood dish, small in size, with shiny white shells and a naturally sweet and refreshing taste. When cooked, the razor clams retain their characteristic crispness, blending perfectly with aromatic herbs such as Vietnamese coriander, sawtooth herb, and scallions, along with well-seasoned spices, creating an unforgettable, attractive flavor.
The stir-fried razor clam dish is best enjoyed hot, paired with white rice or bread to fully appreciate the natural sweetness of fresh seafood and the distinctive characteristics of Hai Phong cuisine. This is an ideal choice for quick meals that are still full of flavor and nutrition.
2.8. An Tho Fermented Pork Roll
An Tho fermented pork roll from Hai Phong is a prominent specialty, ideal as a gift for relatives and friends. The dish is made from fresh pork combined with moderately fermented pork skin, creating a pleasant mild sourness along with a characteristic chewy crispness.
The mild sourness of the roll harmonizes with the slight saltiness of the meat, blending with the natural aroma from the fermentation process, offering a captivating and unforgettable culinary experience. The rolls are usually carefully wrapped in banana leaves or dong leaves, both retaining moisture and absorbing the natural leaf aroma, making the dish more delicious.
An Tho fermented pork roll production facilities in An Lao still maintain the traditional recipe, ensuring quality and food safety. This is a meaningful gift choice, purchased by many tourists after exploring Hai Phong's cuisine and culture.
2.9. Do Son Seafood
Do Son beach is famous as a paradise for fresh and delicious seafood, where tourists can enjoy sea crabs, green crabs, tiger prawns, geoduck clams, blood cockles, and many other characteristic seafood types. The dishes are prepared in various ways such as steaming, grilled with scallion oil, stir-fried with tamarind, stir-fried with garlic and chili, helping to preserve the natural sweetness and the characteristic aroma of each type of seafood.
Crabs and green crabs in Do Son have firm, rich sweet meat, and rich, fragrant crab roe. Geoduck clams are often steamed with lemongrass or grilled, retaining their chewiness and natural sweet taste. Blood cockles are prepared in many ways such as steamed with lemongrass, grilled with scallion oil, or made into spicy and sour soup, offering a diverse culinary experience for tourists.
2.10. Hai Phong Snails
Hai Phong snails have many attractive preparation methods. (Source: Collected)
Hai Phong snails are a special snack enjoyed by many diners, with types such as escargot, screw shells, moon snails, scallops, milk oysters… each type possessing its own flavor, from delicately sweet to rich and aromatic. Snail seafood in Hai Phong is often prepared in various ways, such as steamed with ginger to retain natural sweetness, boiled with betel leaves for an aromatic scent, stir-fried with rich coconut milk, or stir-fried with sour and spicy tamarind to stimulate the palate.
The highlight of the snail dishes is the perfectly seasoned dipping sauce, balancing sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors, making the dish more complete. Streets like Le Lai, Dinh Tien Hoang, Cat Dai gather many famous snail eateries, with spacious, airy environments, friendly service and reasonable prices, suitable for groups of young friends, families, or food enthusiasts.
3. Reputable places to enjoy Hai Phong specialties in 2025
Cat Bi Market in Hai Phong is bustling with customers experiencing cuisine. (Source: Collected)
Hai Phong is not only attractive for its sea and sky scenery but also famous for its rich culinary scene, bearing the strong imprint of the port land. In 2025, a series of reputable dining addresses continue to assert their position, from long-standing eateries trusted by locals to vibrant culinary markets attracting tourists from near and far.
3.1. Famous crab noodle soup eateries, loved by locals
When talking about Hai Phong cuisine, crab noodle soup is always an iconic dish closely associated with the life of the port city's people. Among countless eateries, long-standing addresses loved by locals still maintain traditional flavors, becoming familiar stops for tourists whenever they visit this city.
Hai Phong crab noodle soup is a must-try specialty, among which Ba Cu 179 Cau Dat maintains its reputation with a broth simmered from pork bones and fresh crab roe, creating an unforgettable rich flavor. The eatery's space is simple but always crowded, especially during peak hours.
Address 48 Lach Tray stands out thanks to its stable quality and clearly listed prices. The eatery is open all day, serving both locals and tourists, with prices ranging from 40,000 – 70,000 VND depending on the topping.
When choosing a good crab noodle soup eatery, prioritize busy addresses, transparent pricing, clear broth, limited oil, with a natural red color, along with a characteristic aroma and a sweet, clear taste from crab roe, ensuring a complete culinary experience.
3.2. Crab spring rolls, spicy baguette
Hai Phong street food not only captivates tourists with its distinctive flavors but also by the simplicity and familiarity of each popular snack. Among countless options, crab spring rolls, spicy baguettes, and traditional snacks still hold their own position, becoming unforgettable "flavor imprints" of the port city.
Crab spring rolls at Tran Nhat Duat are an attractive destination with characteristic square spring rolls, a thin, crispy shell, fresh, sweet crab filling, served with fresh herbs and fish sauce mixed according to a secret family recipe, creating an unforgettable flavor.
Ba Gia spicy baguette eatery at 57 Le Loi has been a familiar address for over 30 years, standing out with its rich pate layer, mildly spicy chili sauce that suits the palate, and reasonable prices. The eatery opens early in the morning, serves quickly, and has a friendly attitude, suitable for both regular customers and first-time diners.
The common point of famous Hai Phong eateries is their fast, convenient service style, ideal for busy people. The eatery's space, though simple, is clean and comfortable, with enthusiastic staff ready to guide customers to fully experience Hai Phong's specialty delicacies.
3.3. Famous culinary market areas in Hai Phong
Cat Bi Market is an ideal culinary destination in Hai Phong, notable for its diverse snacks such as fermented pork rolls, jellyfish salad, water fern cake, fish cake... Reasonable prices along with stable flavors make this place always a favorite choice for both locals and tourists.
Luong Van Can Market attracts a large number of diners thanks to its long-standing stalls and the characteristic vibrant atmosphere of Hai Phong's traditional culinary culture. Just a stroll around the market, and you can enjoy many signature dishes without having to travel far.
4. Tips for a Complete Hai Phong Delicacy Experience 2025
Choose reputable addresses to enjoy delicious Hai Phong food. (Source: Collected)
To fully enjoy Hai Phong cuisine in 2025, choosing reputable and quality eateries is extremely important. Places crowded with locals usually guarantee traditional flavors, fresh ingredients, and standard preparation methods, offering a memorable culinary experience.
Choosing reputable eateries is a key factor to fully experience Hai Phong's delicacies. Places crowded with locals usually ensure quality, preserve the characteristic flavors, and are prepared correctly.
Prioritize eateries with clean spaces, transparent pricing, and always fresh ingredients, especially for seafood, vegetables, or accompanying toppings.
Clear broth and beautifully presented dishes are also signs of a place serving quality cuisine.
5. Suggested itinerary for a 1-day Hai Phong culinary exploration
Discover Cat Ba quickly and conveniently with Sun World cable car. (Source: Collected)
Exploring Hai Phong cuisine in one day offers the opportunity to fully enjoy the distinctive flavors of the port city. From breakfast with hot crab noodle soup, fresh seafood at noon, to afternoon snacks like crab spring rolls, red jellyfish salad, and spicy fish noodle soup, each moment promises a memorable culinary experience.
Start the morning with a bowl of hot crab noodle soup at famous eateries like Ba Cu or Co Yen. The rich, sweet broth combined with the characteristic red noodles is an ideal source of energy to start a day of exploration. The period from 7:00 to 8:30 AM is when the ingredients are freshest, ensuring the full flavor.
After that, visitors can travel to Cat Ba by Sun World cable car, taking less than 15 minutes from the mainland to the island. Upon arrival, visitors can freely swim in the clear blue waters, try water sports such as kayaking, surfing, and explore the characteristic cuisine of Cat Ba with its fresh, abundant seafood, imbued with the island's flavors. This is truly a destination that perfectly combines relaxation, entertainment, and local cultural experiences.
In the late afternoon, visitors can visit Luong Van Can and Cat Bi markets to enjoy crispy crab spring rolls, refreshing seasonal red jellyfish salad, and various snail dishes.
In the evening, conclude the journey with a bowl of hot spicy fish noodle soup, accompanied by a traditional spicy baguette at Ba Gia. The mild spiciness and rich aroma are sure to leave an unforgettable impression, completing the distinctive culinary experience of Hai Phong port city.
Exploring Hai Phong delicacies is a great way to understand the culinary culture of the port city. In 2025, specialty dishes such as crab noodle soup, crab spring rolls, or squid cake all promise an unforgettable taste experience. Plan to fully enjoy and discover the culinary essence of this place.
