My colleagues and classmates often choose Quy Nhon as their destination for any get-togethers as the city is not only convenient for their travelling but the home of many specialties, such as fermented pork roll, bun ca (rice vermicelli with fried fish), banh hoi, and banh it la gai.
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Cho Huyen fermented pork roll. Photo H.T/SGGP
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Fried or steamed fish is made from certain species of fish. It is then poured into a cauldron of boiling fat with other ingredients, like bamboo shoots and mushrooms, producing a fragrant smoke.
In Quy Nhon, enjoying bowls of rice vermicelli with fried fish at “bun ca” shops along the Nguyen Hue, Tran Phu, and Tang Bat Ho streets is part of the city dwellers’ life every morning.
Coming to Binh Dinh, the must-try Song Than rice vermicelli couldn’t be ignored. The soft noodle in thin small and white threads is very delicious when being cooked with shrimp, crab, or lean meat.
Binh Dinh’s specialties have been named in Vietnamese folk songs: “Muon an banh it la gai, lay chong Binh Dinh cho dai duong di” (If you wish to eat banh it la gai, marry a Binh Dinh man to increase your life expectancy) or “Ai ve Vinh Thanh que em, an nem cho Huyen, xem dem hat tuong” (Whoever comes to Vinh Thanh would enjoy Cho Huyen fermented pork roll and Tuong (classical drama)).
Vinh Thanh hamlet in Tuy Phuoc district’s Phuoc Loc commune is not only the birthplace of Dao Tan, an outstanding Tuong composer but the cradle of Cho Huyen fermented pork roll which has been well known for hundreds of years. Unlike fermented pork roll in Thu Duc, Lai Vung, or An Cuu, the Cho Huyen fermented pork roll is quite tough, sour, crunchy, and greasy.
It is more enjoyable to eating this kind of specialty over sips of Bau Da wine which is brewed at Cu Lam hamlet in Nhon Loc commune, An Nhon district. The making of Bau Da wine started here over 100 years ago. Once visiting Binh Dinh, the poet Tan Da called it the “second famous wine” after trying Bau Da wine.
Nothing is more interesting than touring Cham towers, Tay Son dynasty’s relics, and traditional martial arts villages of An Thai, Thuan Truyen, An Vinh and enjoying the art Tay Son war drumming, bun ca, Cho Huyen fermented pork roll, and Bau Da wine.
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