“Bun” (rice vermicelli or soft noodles) is considered to be one of Viet Nam’s popular comfort foods.  Vietnamese gastronomy showcases a wide range of “bun”, each with a distinctive taste.  Of all the types of this speciality food, “bun rieu cua” (vermicelli and sour crab soup) is famous for its uniqueness.  The scrumptiousness of this dish is mainly attributed to its secret recipe as well as the meticulous selection of seasoning.

In Da Nang, restaurants which serve this speciality food are at 36 Nguyen Huu Tho Street, 31 Chu Van An Street, and 19 Nui Thanh Street, and they are drawing a large number of local gourmets and visitors.

A bowl of “bun rieu cua” served with fresh raw vegetables

The restaurant on Nguyen Huu Tho Street is often crowded with customers at weekends.  A bowl of “bun rieu cua” is priced at between 20,000 VND and 22,000 VND.  The owner of the restaurant affirmed that freshwater crab is an indispensable ingredient of this delicacy.  She added that the crab’s roe needs to be taken away from the body, and the crab meat is then completely crushed.  Special attention has to be paid to making delicate and refined soup from pig bones.  In addition, sliced tomatoes, fired crab’s roe, and a dollop of tasty “mam tom” (shrimp paste) will be added to the steamy soup for this type of “bun”.

To satisfy customers’ personal tastes, this speciality food can be served with black, medium-sized, edible snails, turmeric, ginger and pieces of fried tofu. In addition, a bowl of “bun rieu cua” will be garnished with small spring onions and a little white pepper to make the dish more eye-catching.

Customers enjoy this delicious dish accompanied by fresh raw vegetables including perila, marjoram, water morning-glory, aromatic herbs, sliced unripe bananas, and red chillies.