Phan Thiet – Mui Ne isn't just beaches and dunes — it's a paradise of seafood and rustic local dishes. Here are nine to try.
Signature dishes
- Phan Thiet banh can — rice cakes from clay moulds, eaten with fish sauce, green mango, shrimp paste or braised-fish sauce. Usually sold mornings and afternoons.
- Lau tha — a Phan Thiet speciality: fish, egg, papaya, pork and more arranged in a flower-like circle, rolled in rice paper and doused with hot broth.
- Goi ca mai — raw herring salad with toasted rice powder, served with rice paper, wild herbs and peanut sauce.
- Sand lizard (dong cat) — a small reptile from the dunes, grilled, stir-fried or deep-fried — an unusual local delicacy.
- Banh canh cha ca — chewy noodles with mackerel fish cakes in a light, sweet broth.
- Banh xeo — small, crispy pancakes filled with shrimp and squid.
Seafood
- Grilled seafood — prawns, squid, crab, snails, scallops… at the Bo Ke seafront on Nguyen Dinh Chieu street or Mui Ne market. Choose places with posted prices and have seafood weighed in front of you.
- Oyster or squid porridge — warming in the evening.
Sweets
- Che, coconut ice cream and fresh coconut — perfect after a hot day on the dunes.
Souvenirs
- Phan Thiet fish sauce — famous across Vietnam.
- Dragon fruit, sun-dried squid, banh re and sesame rice crackers.
Tips
- Ask prices before ordering seafood, especially dishes priced by weight.
- Visit Mui Ne fishing village in the morning to watch the fresh fish trade — many eateries nearby cook seafood on the spot.
Mui Ne is only about 4 hours from Saigon. See our Saigon – Mui Ne route prices and book a private car with door-to-door pickup.
Cover photo: Trevor Mills · CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
