Not only possessing majestic and lyrical landscapes, Ha Giang is also famous for its rich cuisine. Blessed by nature with precious raw materials and fuels, Ha Giang cuisine has become its own unique feature.

Ha Giang specialties therefore always “touch the hearts” of tourists from near and far because of the diverse and rich culinary culture of the locality. Let’s join us in checking out the 10 most delicious dishes of Ha Giang to discover the specialties of this land of buckwheat flowers!

Check out 10 Ha Giang specialties that captivate tourists @shutterstock

Ha Giang is a province in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam. It is located 23 km from the Vietnam-China border and 320 km from Hanoi.

With its unique geographical location and natural highland terrain, Ha Giang is not only famous for its terraced fields, triangular flower fields, and ethnic cultural identity, but also a rich culinary paradise. These factors blend together to create Ha Giang’s outstanding delicacies that captivate people’s hearts.

1. Thang Den

Delicious late night snack in the highlands @internet

The main ingredient of Thang Den is fragrant sticky rice from Yen Minh district. This type of rice has large, round, white and firm grains. When cooked, it is fragrant and has a delicious sweet taste.

Inside the sticky rice balls are different types of fillings, from green beans, red beans, etc. When you put them in your mouth to chew, you will feel the chewiness and light sweetness along with the faint aroma of sticky rice.

To make it more delicious, you can add a little ginger-cooked plum syrup or coconut milk, sesame and roasted peanuts.

Suggested address: 154 Tran Hung Dao – Thang Den Ba Beo.
Reference price: 25,000 – 50,000 VND/bowl.

2. Thang Co

Traditionally, Thang Co is made from horse intestines. But now, to serve tourists and ensure the taste is suitable for everyone, the restaurant owners here have used buffalo, beef, and pork instead. Because the main ingredient is meat, Thang Co means meat soup.

Thang Co @internet

The most quintessential part of Thang Co is the broth – simmered from bones and internal organs. If you try this dish for the first time, it will be a bit difficult to eat because Thang Co has a strong smell of beef and pork organs. But the more you eat, the more addicted you will be!

To create delicious and nutritious Thang Co, local people often combine 12 typical mountain spices: lemon leaves, star anise, cardamom, etc. With the sweet taste of meat, the spicy taste of the broth and the unique aroma of the blended flavors, it has captivated many tourists from all over the world.

Suggested address: Dong Van Market – Dong Van Town, Ha Giang.
Reference price: about 30,000 – 50,000 VND/bowl.

3. Buffalo jerky

Thai ethnic specialty – buffalo jerky @internet

Smoked buffalo meat is the traditional dish that makes up the brand of Ha Giang specialties . Smoked buffalo meat has a strong culinary style of the Thai ethnic group.
This is not only a daily dish of the people living in the northern highlands but also often appears in festivals or offerings and as gifts for distinguished guests.

The taste of the smoked buffalo meat is exactly as its name suggests – the spice marinated with mac khen seeds is spicy, the fresh buffalo meat is sweet and rich with the typical smoky smell of the mountains. The meat is dark brown on the outside but the inside is an eye-catching red color and rich in flavor.

The average price of one kilogram of buffalo jerky ranges from 800,000 to 1,100,000 VND. Reference address: Market or ask to buy from households.

4. Smoked sausage

Locals here often hang Chinese sausages on the stove to preserve the meat longer. The main ingredient of Chinese sausages is pork shoulder without skin. The filling is made from minced pork loin, lean shoulder or lean rump, marinated with spices – fried finely chopped onions and mac khen seeds.

Therefore, the fatty meat dish has a strong smoky smell and the sweet flavor of kumquat. To produce the finished product, people have to smoke it continuously on the kitchen loft for 12-14 hours to let the spices permeate the meat.

Smoked sausage @internet

Suggested address: Xin Man Market – Coc Pai Town Center, Ha Giang.
Reference price: 250,000 – 300,000 VND/ 500gr.

5. Sour Pho

In the past, Pho Chua was a Chinese breakfast dish. It was then introduced to Vietnam, especially in the northern mountainous regions such as Ha Giang, Lang Son, Bac Kan, etc. The main ingredients of Pho Chua are fragrant sticky rice and sweet and sour sauce combined with char siu, roasted pork, Chinese sausage and stir-fried chili.

To have the characteristic flavor of sour pho, people often make sweet and sour sauce from a mixture of vinegar mixed with sugar, tapioca starch and mountain spices. When eating, visitors can use it with aromatic basil, fresh garlic, grated papaya, etc. to fully enjoy the specialty of Ha Giang .

Suggested address: Dong Van Market.

Reference price: 30,000 – 50,000 VND/bowl.

Sour Pho – a typical dish of the rocky plateau of Ha Giang @internet

6. Buckwheat cake

Buckwheat is famous as one of the symbolic flowers of the Northeastern region of Ha Giang. Buckwheat cake has therefore become a specialty of this land.

You can find these cakes anywhere when you go to the local market. Not only does it have a typical purple color, buckwheat cakes also come in different colors such as white, yellow, etc.

Buckwheat cake @internet

When you put it in your mouth, you will feel the fatty taste of the soft and spongy cake and the characteristic pungent smell of buckwheat flowers. To fully enjoy the flavor of the cake, you can eat it with Cap Nac Pig or Thang Co,…

Reference price: 15,000 VND/piece.

7. Five-color sticky rice

If you ask what Ha Giang has as a specialty , we would like to answer that it has five-color sticky rice. This is a dish that has created the identity of the highland people and symbolizes the majestic wilderness.

Five-color sticky rice is mainly made from fragrant and sticky rice, so if left for a long time, the sticky rice will easily become hard and when eaten, it does not need to be seasoned with other spices. For a long time, five-color sticky rice has become a traditional dish of the Tay people living in Ha Giang. During ancestral ceremonies, Tet, etc., this sticky rice dish is indispensable in every family.

Five-color sticky rice has 5 different colors: white, purple, blue, red, yellow corresponding to the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, earth. The coloring ingredients include: sticky rice, purple leaves, gac fruit, ginger leaves, grapefruit peel, turmeric, black rice leaves.

Address: Meo Vac Market or Dong Van Old Quarter.

Reference price: 10,000 – 15,000 VND/ portion

8. Dong Van Old Quarter Rice Rolls

Banh cuon is often eaten for breakfast and lunch by not only locals but also tourists. The rice paper is made from steamed white rice flour, thin, soft and very fragrant. Inside the rice paper is a filling of pork and wood ear mushrooms.

Dong Van Old Quarter Rice Rolls @internet

Unlike the lowlands, Ha Giang rice rolls are served with a dipping sauce made from stewed bones. When eating, you should use it with fried onions and herbs.

Address: Ba Ha Rice Rolls – 31 Old Quarter, Dong Van.

Reference price: 30,000 – 50,000 VND/plate.

9. Baby Tau Porridge

Au Tau porridge is made from Au Tau root soaked in rice water and boiled until soft. When cooked, the rice, minced pork and Au Tau will produce a light brown porridge with a strong aroma.

Originally, au tau is a highly toxic tuber, but with traditional processing experience, au tau becomes a special ingredient, rich in nutrients, good for health.

Baby Tau Porridge @internet

To make the broth more delicious, people often stew au tau root with fragrant sticky rice and pig’s feet. Therefore, au tau porridge not only has the typical flavor of Ha Giang but also helps to nourish the health. When eating, you can combine it with an egg, pepper, chili, …

Address: Group 5 Tran Hung Dao, Nguyen Trai Ward, Ha Giang.

Reference price: 30,000 – 50,000 VND/bowl

10. Humpback Chung Cake

Humpback Chung cake is not only a famous specialty of Ha Giang but also a cultural symbol of the Red Dao people. The image of “humpback” speaks to the hard work, diligence and perseverance of highland women who have to carry baskets on their backs every day to go to the fields to pick corn, harvest rice, etc.

With its profound national cultural significance, Ha Giang humpbacked Chung cake cannot be confused with any other type of Chung cake from other regions. The main ingredients to make humpbacked Chung cake are sticky rice, green beans and fatty meat.

Unlike traditional banh chung, humpback banh chung is only wrapped in one layer of leaves on the outside. In particular, humpback banh chung is wrapped in dong rieng leaves, so it has a characteristic green color and is very eye-catching.

Address: Meo Vac Market.

Suggested price: 20,000 VND/piece.

Specialties imbued with Ha Giang highland culture @internet

Conclusion

With detailed sharing about Ha Giang specialties , hopefully you will “pocket” more delicious dishes that you should definitely try when setting foot in this land.