The Northwest is a mountainous region with many unique and exotic tourist attractions. Moreover, after a long trip here, you can buy many delicious and meaningful specialties for your family and friends. Let’s discover the strange but delicious specialties of the Northwest through the following article!
1 Introduction to Northwest Tourism
The Northwest is famous for its picturesque scenery of sky, clouds, and mountains. The landscape is like a fairyland, and the people are friendly and welcoming, always attracting visitors.
The weather greatly determines the trip. You can refer to the beautiful and favorable weather conditions to visit this place as follows.
- Travel to the Northwest in spring (around the end of January to the end of April in the solar calendar). You will witness and feel the vigorous and abundant vitality of nature here after the cold winter. The buds sprout everywhere, and various flowers bloom splendidly across the hills and mountains of the Northwest. Peach, apricot, and banana flowers are pure and captivating.
- If you don’t like the feeling of hot and sultry weather, you can travel around May to August. At this time, the Northwest has a fresh, pleasant, and cool climate with countless delicious and sweet specialties such as peaches and plums.
- The slightly chilly autumn weather will make you love this place when traveling during this time. This is also the most anticipated season of the year (September – October) as the Northwest will don a golden coat of ripening rice terraces, captivating the hearts of visitors.
- Northwest winter (November to the end of January of the following year) is no less interesting, with the true cold weather of the North. As the Tet holiday approaches, everything here becomes bustling and lively. People are excited and dressed up to go visiting and celebrating, wishing for a peaceful and lucky new year.
Introduction to Northwest Tourism
You can visit at any time of your choice. But spring and autumn are usually the most beautiful seasons here, as you can immerse yourself in the festivals, singing, and playing with the locals throughout this period.
2 Top 15 Northwest Specialties to Try
Specialties to Try When Visiting the Northwest
Wood-fired Veal in Moc Chau
Wood-fired Veal in Moc Chau
This specialty is made from male calf meat, raised free-range on the Northwestern highlands’ grasslands. The skin is crispy, the meat is tender, and it’s infused with aromatic spices, best accompanied by slices of lemongrass and ginger.
Reference price: 100,000 – 200,000 VND/portion
Reference location: 70 Com Pho Be Chao Restaurant – Phieng Luong, Moc Chau, Son La, Vietnam
Pa Pinh Top
Pa Pinh Top
Pa Pinh Top is actually a dish of fresh stream fish, simply marinated with mac khen, ginger, lemongrass, and sa hin bamboo shoots, then grilled to perfection. The flavor of Pa Pinh Top is extremely rich and memorable, worthy of being called the “signature dish” of the Thai people.
Reference price: 150,000 – 200,000 VND/portion
Reference location: Dan Toc Quan Restaurant – Thanh Truong, Dien Bien Phu City, Dien Bien.
Horse Thang Co
Horse Thang Co
Horse Thang Co is a famous Northwest delicacy with a long history. This specialty is made from horse offal, fresh vegetables, and bones simmered with various characteristic spices. Thang Co has a dark color, a slightly fatty and bitter taste, and is best enjoyed hot, favored by the Hmong people.
Reference price: 80,000 – 100,000 VND/bowl.
Reference address: Thang Co LyLy Bac Ha – Nam Cay 1 Residential Area, Bac Ha Town, Bac Ha District, Lao Cai Province
Nam Pia
Nam Pia
Similar to Thang Co, Nam Pia is also a traditional dish of the Thai people in the Northwest. Nam Pia is a common dipping sauce for grilled meat, made from animal intestines and intestinal fluids (mainly goat, buffalo, or cow) simmered until soft. Nam Pia has a spicy, salty, and slightly bitter taste at first, followed by a sweet aftertaste.
Reference price: 30,000- 50,000 VND/bowl
Reference location: Moc Chau’s Thai ethnic villages.
Buffalo Skin Salad
Buffalo Skin Salad
Buffalo Skin Salad is a specialty of the Thai people in Son La. The most prominent feature of this dish is its mild sourness, not from vinegar or lemon, but from bamboo shoots. The bamboo shoots make the buffalo skin soft, crispy, and not greasy. This wonderful combination creates a unique and memorable dish for tourists visiting the Northwest.
Reference price: 50,000 – 100,000 VND/plate
Reference location: Thai ethnic villages in Moc Chau.
Northwest Specialties to Buy as Gifts
Smoked Wild Buffalo
Smoked Wild Buffalo is a famous Northwest specialty that anyone visiting the region must try and buy as a gift. Known as a national specialty of the Northwest, smoked wild buffalo has a unique flavor.
The buffalo meat is chosen from the leg portion, ensuring tenderness and flavor. At the same time, the meat is hung over a kitchen rack and smoked with firewood, slowly cooking the meat and infusing it with a natural aroma.
Reference price: 850,000 VND/kg
Reference location: No. 261, Luc Ba, Dai Tu, Thai Nguyen
Ta Xua Tea
Ta Xua Tea
Ta Xua Tea, also known as Ta Xua tea, is a favorite souvenir for tourists visiting the Northwest. Not only is it convenient to use, but its flavor is truly unique to the Northwest.
The tea is made from leaves plucked from ancient trees hundreds of meters high by the local people. As a result, its flavor is richer and more natural.
Reference price: 1,100,000 VND/kg
Reference location: Shops in Ta Xua Commune, Bac Yen District, Son La
Mac Khen Spice
Mac Khen Spice
Mac Khen Spice is an indispensable ingredient in the cuisine of the Northwest people. Due to its unique flavor, mac khen spice is also popular among tourists as a souvenir.
Mac khen has a small size but a strong aroma and a mild spiciness when used as a seasoning.
Reference price: 350,000 VND/kg
Reference location: Tan Hai Traditional Production Establishment: 6 Street 4, Thanh Binh, Dien Bien
Dried Bamboo Shoots
Dried Bamboo Shoots
Dried bamboo shoots are a traditional food of many people during festivals. However, it is also a familiar and common dish for the people of the Northwest. Dried bamboo shoots are made from young bamboo roots growing on rocky mountains.
Therefore, when dried and cooked, the bamboo shoots have a natural sweet taste and an attractive golden-brown color.
Reference price: 250,000 VND/kg
Reference location: Tan Hai Traditional Production Establishment: 6 Street 4, Thanh Binh, Dien Bien
Dien Bien Sausage
Dien Bien Sausage
Dien Bien sausage has a distinctive flavor different from the sausages commonly eaten in the South. It is a traditional dish of the Nung and Thai ethnic groups and other highland ethnic groups in the Northwest.
Dien Bien sausage is made from half lean and half fatty pork, marinated with spices, and dried by burning forest leaves. Then, the sausages are hung over a kitchen rack to slowly cook the filling.
You can directly slice and eat the sausage or fry it before enjoying it. When eaten, the sausage has a unique flavor of pork and the attractive aroma of the spices within.
Reference price: 450,000 VND/kg
Reference location: Shops or markets in Dien Bien
Sâu Chít Wine
Sâu Chít Wine
Sâu Chít wine is not only a specialty to buy as a gift when visiting the Northwest but also a precious medicine with health-restoring properties. Sâu chít contains high levels of calcium and phosphorus, beneficial for the bone health of the elderly.
Sâu Chít wine is delicious and aromatic and has significant health benefits.
Reference price: 450,000 VND/liter
Reference location: Sapa Quoc Cuong Wine Shop: 74 Thach Son, Sapa, Lao Cai
Dried Cat Apple
Dried Cat Apple
Cat apples are grown in the Northwest and harvested
