Hai Phong Restaurants and Dining

(Hai Phong, Vietnam)

As befits a major commercial city, the choice of restaurants of all styles and standards is huge in Hai Phong. Everything from traditional northern cuisine and other regional variations through a plethora of international dining options, right up to French cuisine with accompanying wines can be enjoyed in Hai Phong, as can various varieties of Western fast food. Vietnamese cuisine is very suitable as a base for a vegetarian diet and there are several popular veggie eateries in the city.

The Vietnamese love to eat out, although most dishes can easily be made at home. Vietnamese restaurants are usually known for a single dining speciality, such as one meat or one example of seafood, and trade on their reputation for that one staple ingredient. Eating out at street stalls, noodle stands and small restaurants in Vietnam is not as safe as it is in most other Asian countries, perhaps due to the lack of water quality.

What to Eat, and Where

The farther north in Vietnam, the more the dining and cuisine is influenced by Chinese, mostly Cantonese. Northern Vietnam restaurants are the cradle of the country's civilisation and some of the best-known Vietnamese dishes have their origins in Hai Phong. In general, northern cuisine uses fewer spices and is less diverse than in other regions as regards ingredients. Colonial influences in bread, baguettes and pastries is everywhere.

Many Vietnamese favourites such as 'banh kuon' - thin rice paper sheets filled with seafood or pork, fresh vegetables, garlic and a little sauce, have found their way to the West, so are not unfamiliar to visitors. Less familiar in local restaurants may be the huge pond snails as big as golf balls. Remember one pitfall with Hai Phong dining - the northern Vietnamese eat and enjoy dog and cat meat, something most Westerners are offended by. Be sure to ask what type of meat you have been served if you are uncertain.