Chad is an American chef living in HCMC with his Vietnamese wife and children. He runs a YouTube channel with nearly 130,000 subscribers, regularly sharing videos of his street food experiences in Vietnam.

A follower of Chad’s YouTube channel recommended a Cao Bang-style banh cuon in Phu My, HCMC, describing the banh cuon as fragrant and delicious, served with bone broth. Intrigued, Chad brought his wife and children to try it.

The eatery owner explained to Chad that the banh cuon is made from local rice flour and steamed fresh, best enjoyed hot. The filling consists of minced pork, stir-fried until cooked, or a rich, runny steamed egg.

Banh cuon is a popular breakfast dish in many Vietnamese provinces and cities. However, Cao Bang banh cuon has a unique twist. Instead of dipping in sweet and sour fish sauce, it is paired with bone broth.

The broth includes one or two pieces of pork sausage, a runny steamed egg, chopped green onions, and coriander. Diners can enhance the flavor with chili paste, vinegar, pickled bamboo shoots, or other seasonings.

The filling of Cao Bang banh cuon doesn’t include wood ear mushrooms or shiitake, unlike other regions. Steaming the banh cuon is “an art” to ensure the wrapper is neither too thick nor too thin. 

“Instead of dipping in fish sauce, I dip the banh cuon in bone broth. It’s really interesting,” Chad said.

The American chef’s family also enjoyed Cao Bang-style roasted duck and pho tron (dry pho).

Pho tron is another Cao Bang specialty. The soft, chewy, and pliable rice noodles are tossed with a tangy-sweet sauce, paired with crispy roasted pork belly, flavorful roasted duck, shredded cucumber, Chinese sausage, fried taro, roasted peanuts, and mint leaves.

The secret of the pho tron lies in its sauce, made from various ingredients but notably featuring fermented banana vinegar, palm sugar (handmade from sugarcane sap without preservatives), tapioca starch, and liquid from the roasted duck’s cavity.

Chad and his children nodded their heads repeatedly while eating pho tron, loving this unique version of pho. “The sauce is rich, with a perfect balance of tangy and sweet. It’s truly amazing. The Chinese sausage has a smoky flavor, very distinctive,” Chad said.

Chad also repeatedly praised the roasted duck and the eatery’s sauce. Cao Bang-style roasted duck is flavored with mac mat leaves. The duck’s cavity is stuffed with various ingredients and spices, including mac mat leaves and fruit, onions, garlic, chili, pepper, cardamom, and star anise. The duck meat is tender, well-seasoned, with crispy skin and glossy fat but not greasy.

Linh Trang