5 dishes you should try when traveling to Sapa

Honey-grilled black chicken:

Also known as Silkie chicken, black chicken has very firm meat, and its black skin turns crispy when grilled. Honey-grilled black chicken is a dish you definitely must try when visiting here. The whole prepared chicken is brushed with a layer of honey on the outside, grilled over a charcoal stove, and turned regularly until cooked and aromatic. You can enjoy honey-grilled black chicken at Sapa Food Court with prices starting from 120,000 VND per plate.






Local hill-tribe pork:

Local pork, also known as cap nach pig, weighs around 7-10 kg per pig and is raised free-range by the Hmong people, resulting in firm and lean meat. Local pork is often prepared into attractive dishes such as steamed pork, whole roasted pig, grilled skewers... served with dipping salt pounded with green chilies and mac khen (wild pepper). Local pork costs from 80,000 VND per plate.



Grilled street food: Coming to Sapa without sipping wine and enjoying street BBQ in the freezing evening cold near the night market means you haven't fully experienced the flavor of this mountain town. In this cold climate, almost anything can be grilled and tastes delicious: mushroom-wrapped meat rolls, chicken wings, eggs, sweet potato cakes... Prices start from 10,000 VND per item.




Cold-water salmon hotpot: Cold-water salmon is highly rated for being low in fat, firm in texture, and rich in nutritional value. Tourists visiting Sapa can hardly resist a steaming pot of salmon hotpot with a rich, sweet broth simmered from salmon bones. Fresh mustard greens and chayote greens are also local specialty vegetables to dip into the hotpot. You can visit restaurants to enjoy it for about 500,000 VND for a salmon hotpot for 4 people.

Thang co This dish, which is not easy to eat for first-timers, is prepared quite elaborately by the Hmong people. Besides horse and beef offal, 27 different spices are added, such as cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, aromatic leaves... At fair market sessions, thang co is cooked in a large pot and simmered for several hours, then scooped into small bowls when served. Thang co sold in restaurants is somewhat simpler and easier to eat, costing around 30,000 VND per bowl.