In Vietnamese culture, eating and drinking is an art, it not only meets the basic requirements of people but also has a close relationship with the lifestyle and national traditions, which is very clearly shown through the tools used in the meal, how to behave with people while eating. Therefore, eating and drinking also proves the history and formation of the culture of Vietnam. The dishes through each stage speak to the life and people of that period and of the land – where each dish was born.

Food, in other words, eating is an indispensable activity in every travel trip. Traveling offers the perfect opportunity to try new and exciting foods from different parts of the world. You can enjoy for yourself the unique flavors that you have never tasted in your life. Tra Vinh foods & drinks are the link connecting the characteristics of the cuisine of the river with the tourists who have visited. Not only famous for its fruit-laden orchards, but this land also has countless delicious dishes that delight people to enjoy.

By Thomas Vietnam at vemekong.com | Official Tra Vinh Visitor Guide

1. Tra Vinh Street Foods

Like all Mekong Delta provinces, Tra Vinh is full of great food. The region has several specialities, one of which is bún nước lèo – a fish based noodle soup with lots of extras, such as roast pork. You’ll see signs for bún nước lèo all across the province. Tra Vinh City has lots of good street food. Rather than heading to a specific place, just explore the city centre until you stumble upon a streetside stall with lots of diners. For example, there are many food stalls in front of the central market (Chợ Trà Vinh) in the evenings, and around the night market (Chợ Đêm), too. Trần Phú Nối Dài street is lined with BBQ restaurants, beer joints and cafes – great for a night out if you’re travelling with friends. The shady grid of streets in the old quarter has lots of good local cafes, some serving Vietnamese-style iced coffee, others serving hot Italian-style machine coffee. I like Coffee 89. There are a couple of big supermarkets that are useful if you want to buy food for a picnic on the road: try GO! Mart. Thanks to the large Buddhist population, vegetarian food is quite common in Tra Vinh: look for signs saying Cơm Chay or just Chay.

Dong Khoi Noodle Soup: at Dong Khoi Street, Tra Vinh, or No.4 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Tra Vinh.

Tra Vinh Hu Tieu: at Pham Thai Buong Street, Tra Vinh

Dinh Y Restaurant: at 152 Tran Quoc Tuan Street, Ward 2, Tra Vinh

2. Cong Cake (Banh Cong)

It’s called “Banh Cong” because people use a “Cong” to cook. A “Cong” has a long handle and looks like a small metal milk bottle. In the Mekong Delta, people still use “Cong” as a unit of measures in dealing at the market. “Cong” has many sizes:  ½ “xị”, 1 “xị” (4 “xị” equal to 1 liter), ½ liter, 1 liter and the biggest size is 2-liters Cống.

Banh Cong is made with rice flour mixed with wheat flour to keep Banh Cong soft and crispy. You can use rice flour or soak rice then grind to make Banh Cong. Rice flour grinded is always better than buying rice flour from the market because it keeps the fragrant flavor. If you don’t know how to select rice flour at the market you can easily get old, moudy flour and make your cake sour and bitter.

Banh Cong is always served with sweet-sour fish sauce, lime and minced chili. Fish sauce adds more shredded cucumber, carrot and radish. Aromatic herbs are fish mint, lettuce, basil, herb mint…

3. Bun Nuoc Leo Tra Vinh’s Noodle Soup

Bun Nuoc Leo Tra Vinh is a kind of rice noodle/ vermicelli with soup. People call Tra Vinh noodle soup as a dish of solidarity, because the dish is the quintessential combination of Kinh – Khmer – Hoa ethnic groups, shown in each dish ingredient is typical of 3 ethnic groups. The “soul” of the broth is a blend of lemongrass, fish sauce and ngai bun – a turmeric-like tuber, slightly darker than turmeric.

4. Sticky Rice Cake Tra Cuon

Coming to Tra Vinh, you not only can enjoy the beautiful scenery of ancient pagodas or participate in joyful and colorful festivals with the identity of the three ethnic groups Kinh, Hoa and Khmer, visitors also enjoy delicious cakes of this place. The most special thing to mention is the Banh Tet Tra Cuon (sticky rice cake from Tra Cuon village). Tra Cuon Tet Cakes are more delicious and tasty because of the good quality ingredients that are carefully chosen, from the quality of glutinous rice for making the cakes to the variety of banana leaves for wrapping them.

5. Free Itineraries from VeMekong

As a local travel expert, we have some ideas for you to think about.

From Tra Vinh city center:

Route 1:

Route 2:

Route 3:

If you do not have much time left, it is easy to check out spots in one full day by boat or with bike or with motorbike and car. But there are much more than tourist sites like these in Tra Vinh. Make sure you have more time to feel and explore more about the hidden gems and the culture, food, night life, wildlife and forest as well. Top tip: Stay in a homestay nearby, so you have more chances to visit it and surroundings. If you are looking for the package Tra Vinh daily tours or Can Tho daily tours with local, you can contact www.vemekong.com or Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559; email: hello@vemekong.com

Pro Tips

Here are our tips for easing your mind (and stomach) around food-handling environments that you may not be used to.

Make sure the food is freshly cooked. If you’re eating hot street food, it’s always safest (not to mention more delicious) to eat food you can see being cooked to order.

Look for lines and busy stalls. Busy street food stalls are an indicator of popularity, and their high turnover rate means the food is never sitting out for hours and developing dreaded bacteria. Yes, long lines can be discouraging when you’re hungry after a full day of exploring, but it’s not worth the risk of grabbing precooked food from the empty spot next door.

Eat when the locals are eating. The last and most important element here is when to eat. You’re likely already on a weird eating schedule while you’re traveling, but it’s important to try and adjust to the eating times of where you are. A bowl of pho might be lunch for Americans, but it’s breakfast for the Vietnamese. This ensures that you’re eating freshly cooked food and that you can find the best and most popular places to eat.

If you can’t drink the water, then you can’t eat the salad. Most people get so hung up on not drinking the water or skipping ice in drinks that they don’t think about all of the other ways in which water is used in food service. Fruits and vegetables tend to be washed with tap water in most places, rather than the filtered water that locals drink—or sometimes it’s not washed at all. If you’re really craving some produce, try fruits you can peel or cooked veggies.

Trust your gut. If you’re unsure about the food or the way that it’s being prepared, then keep moving. Eating street food all over the world doesn’t make you an expert. Every stall and every country are different, and sometimes the rules can be harder to follow. When something doesn’t look, smell, or feel right, don’t eat it! Trust your judgment. Chances are that there’s another spot close by that’s making something more delicious.

Tra Vinh Khmer pagodas are solemn places, so you should choose beautiful clothes that are still polite and discreet. In the temple grounds, there are many animal statues such as elephants, snakes, etc. If you go with the children, please remind them not to climb because these are sacred symbols of the Khmer people.

The monks don’t ask for money, although donations won’t hurt.

Bring your hat, sunglasses, and sunblock, scarf to wear when visiting temples, pagodas, and the cathedral.

If you plan to extend your tour to Tra Vinh homestay, do not forget to bring mosquito repellent cream.

When visiting the Tra Vinh or doing any customized tours, choose reputable providers with boat trips equipped with lifebuoys, jackets, motorcycle and cycling tours with the helmets. Safety is a priority!

Tra Vinh tourist attractions are magnificent itself, but if you have enough time, don’t forget to put other places onto your bucket lists such as Hang pagoda, Nodol pagoda, Khmer minority people’s museum, Ba Dong beach, Ba Om pond, Ang pagoda, Vam Ray pagoda, Truc Lam Zen Monastery Tra Vinh, Cau Ke ancient house or Huynh Ky old house, Kampong Ksan pagoda, Con Chim islet – community-based tourism…

Tra Vinh food & drink guide ranges from street food, authentic, fancy to fusion foods. As a tropical land of many fresh vegetables and homegrown gardens, which always make Tra Vinh cuisines fresh, close to nature and very traditional. If you are a food lover, don’t hesitate to put other bites onto your food lists such as Cong Cake, Sticky Rice Cake Tra Cuon, Bun Nuoc Leo Tra Vinh’s Noodle Soup…

Bring the raincoat if you travel to Tra Vinh in the rainy season, as Tra Vinh always looks fantastic in the full rain and full sun.

Hopefully, the above tips will help you to come up with a great plan for your adventure in Tra Vinh, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Have a safe trip!

“Sleep less, travel more, respect more” – Thomas Vietnam – Local travel expert.

Thank you