Not only is the Northwest region of Viet Nam famous for its majestic natural beauty, but it also impresses visitors with its unique culture and cuisine.

An attractive Sapa ethnic pig tray at Mai Chau Restaurant. Photo: H.L

Coming to this area, diners can enjoy specialties such as pork served on a tray, sticky rice, charcoal-grilled eel, Da River catfish or trionychidae with banana and bean. Among them, pork served on a tray is one of the outstanding dishes in the northwest mountainous region.

The dish impresses with its richness in preparation methods, from steaming, grilling to grilled pork contained in bamboo shoot stews, along with sticky rice with shredded pork. There are about 8 dishes displayed on a round tray, with sufficient portions, divided by wild vegetables and typical dipping sauces.

Pick up a piece of grilled meat with wild vegetables and dip it into a bowl of ‘cham cheo’ - a dipping sauce that encapsulates the essence of the Northwestern mountainous region, enticing anyone to savour its flavour at least once, you will feel the sweetness, fatness, and aroma of the meat, the sourness, and astringency of wild vegetables mixed with the spicy, unique taste of ‘cham cheo’.

“Cham cheo” is a traditional seasoning of the Thai ethnic people in Yen Bai province. In the Thai language, “cham” is understood as dipping sauce, while “cheo” refers to the aroma of various herbs and spices combined. To create a delicious bowl of “cham cheo”, the basic ingredients include dried or fresh chili, garlic, salt, and seasoning powder. The condiment has also made a mark, being listed among the top 100 outstanding gifts in Vietnam’s 63 cities and provinces.

In particular, the dish of pickled cabbage mixed with fresh onions, although a side dish, is also memorable to many diners because of its moderate sourness mixed with a crunchy, chewy feeling in the mouth. This combination not only creates a diverse meal but also demonstrates the ingenuity and sophistication of the Northwest cuisine.

To experience the taste of pork and other Northwest specialties right in Da Nang, you can visit Mai Chau Restaurant, located on Ho Nghinh Street, Son Tra District. The restaurant stands out with a rich menu including Sapa pork, black chicken braised with lemon leaves, Da River catfish, wild vegetables and other specialities. In particular, many dishes at Mai Chau are prepared in combos, bringing a quite interesting experience.

For example, the Norwegian salmon combo will include salmon sashimi, salmon spring rolls, grilled salmon from the Northwest, salmon with passion fruit sauce, salmon braised with bamboo shoots, wild bamboo shoots stir-fried with vegetables, pickles, salmon porridge/grilled sticky rice and vermicelli...

In addition to ingredients imported from the northern province ofLao Cai, before processing, most dishes are marinated with onions, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, ‘mac khen’ seeds and ‘mac mat’ leaves to preserve the flavour as well as the traditional recipe of the Northwest people.

Reporting by HUYNH LE – Translating by A.THU