Must-try Sapa Street Food for Memorable Vietnam Food Tours

Sapa Street Food is on the list of discovery things for adventurers traveling to the North of Vietnam. Sapa is so lovely and scenic that enchants photographers, nature lovers, adventurers, honeymooners, etc., and foodies. People who have a special passion on food, cuisine, or gastronomy find it happy to start Vietnam Food Tours to the northwest of Hanoi and stop at Sapa Town (around 380km from the capital city). Head towards the landmark and explore the top Street Food in Sapa below.

#1: Hot Pot with Salmon (Lẩu Cá Hồi) – Street Food for Cold Days in Sapa

This destination is gifted with the best salmon in the country, arguably. The Sapa’s salmon is fresh, sweet, and nutrient enough to make up the fantastic hot pot. Especially in the chilly town, nothing can replace and compare to the dining experiences in which you gather at the roundtable and share the delicious and well-spiced hot pot whose major ingredient is the salmon. The addition of various herbs enhances the taste and the remedial effect. It is definitely good for health and helps you regain the lost energy.

#2: Bamboo-tube Rice (Cơm Lam) – Most Popular Street Food in Sapa

This is the typical food of the ethnic groups in the Northwest of Vietnam. The main ingredient is the glutinous rice cooked in the bamboo tubes which are then made broken to remove the cooked rice. Often, it’s suggested to use your hands to remove the bamboo tubes and eat the rice inside. The bamboo fragrance, sweet glutinous rice, and colorful decoration make “Com Lam” a must to eat in Sapa.

#3: Seven-color Sticky Rice (Xôi Bảy Màu)

This is the traditional food of the Nung ethnic group in Muong Khuong area of Lao Cao Province. The seven colors of the sticky rice include pink, plain red, strong red, yellow, green, blue, and yellow–green are all extracted naturally from the leaves. The natural extraction brings this dish the sense and flavor of the Mountain. According to the hill tribes’ belief, eating the 7-color sticky rice will bring lots of luck and health. So, catch the opportunities to taste this memorable street food in Sapa!

#4: Grilled Dishes – Most Popular Street Food in Sapa

What could be more wonderful than eating the hot grilled food in the chilly Sapa? The destination owns a rich collection of the barbecued dishes of beef, pork, fish, sausage, potato, root vegetable, bird, quail, etc. Several ingredients will be combined on the stick which will be grilled directly on the coal stove to serve the customers on the spot. The prices for the stick of food depends on the ingredients you want. Just wait a bit, and you receive the hot, succulent, and fragrant barbecued pieces.

#5: Black Chicken (Gà Ác)

It’s proven that black chicken is good for health and can be used as the effective remedy for heart disease. The Hmong tribe’s black chicken is a perfect ingredient for grilling with honey. The grilled chicken is often served with the mint leaves, the sauce of pepper, salt, and lemon. This local delicacy can enchant even the most fastidious connoisseurs. Hence, travel to Sapa might be incomplete without the dish of the black chicken grilled with honey.

#6: Hmong’s Horse Beef (Thắng Cố) – The Most Typical Sapa Street Food

“Thang Co” sounds exotic and strange to most foodies. It is the specialty of the Hmong ethnic group and is popular in the hill-tribe markets. This Sapa food is mainly cooked from horse beef. The ensemble includes horse’s flesh, internal organs, blood, and 12 seasonings of which some are traditionally inherited. And, “Thang Co” is the name of the 12^th seasoning extracted from the tree. When serving, people will pour the broth into a pot, add the sliced horseflesh, and eat with some wild vegetables.

#7: Smoked Water-Buffalo’s Flesh (Thịt Trâu Hun Khói)

This is the specialty of the hill tribes in Sapa. The water-buffalo’s flesh will be smoked and hung on the stove to serve. In fact, the smoked food is on display for sales in many places of the town, but to get the best buffalo’s flesh, you’re advised to buy it at the tribal villages during the visit. Eating the smoked water-buffalo’s flesh and drink the local stem wine, you experience the real lifestyle of the hill tribes in Sapa. In particular, San Lung Wine is best partnered with the smoked food.

#8: Grilled or Roasted Pork (Lợn Cắp Nách) – A must-try Sapa Street Food

The Vietnamese name of this food “Lon Cap Nach” (means the putting the pig in the armpit) ignites the spark of curiosity in both local and international guests. This refers to a kind of pig in the local Hmong group who feeds the pigs on the free and extensive farms. Sometimes, the villager will catch a pig and put it in their armpit to bring it to the market for sales because the pit is quite small (around 4-5 kilograms). To be processed, the pig is made clean and then the ensemble gets grilled or roasted. This kind of grilled/roasted pork is very delicious, less fatty, and has the crunchy skin. It is a big must to eat when you are there. Often, the best partner of “Lon Cap Nach” is the “Ruou Tao Meo” (a kind of wine made from wild fruit named “tao meo” in the mountain of Sapa).

#9: Wild Chestnut (Hạt Dẻ Rừng)

The quality and taste of the Sapa’s wild chestnut are different and more outstanding than the ones of elsewhere. The Sapa Chestnuts are roasted with salt and cheese in the high temperature so that the delectable snacks come to life. The visitors tend to buy kilograms of the local well-spiced wild chestnuts as the eminent souvenir of the land. Also, some people prefer chewing this snack along their journey. That said, the wild chestnuts are good for the heart and provide vitamin E to the body. Just pinpoint the carts selling the Sapa’s wild chestnuts, try some reddish-brown nuts, and decide whether or not you love them.

With unique and fancy dishes, Sapa is competent for successful and memorable Vietnam culinary vacation. Come to hunt for the mist as well as the wonderful food of the destination in the Northwestern Vietnam! Lots of delightful surprises await you.

vietnam food blogger

Knowledge sharing about Vietnam food culture and traditional recipes.