During a culinary exploration of Hanoi, an American tourist did not hesitate to try dishes that many would be wary of, including balut, blood sausage, and fried sandworm cakes.
Mike and Ashley, tourists from the United States, have been traveling across Southeast Asia for over a year. During their time in Vietnam, they visited numerous destinations, including Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Hanoi, experiencing the local cuisine at each stop.
Mike experiences the food in Hanoi's Old Quarter.
They shared that Hanoi was their favorite city in the world due to its delicious and affordable food. The couple spent two days in the capital sampling traditional dishes.
Since Ashley was unwell, Mike embarked on a solo food tour around the Old Quarter, guided by a local expert, to try some of Hanoi's more adventurous street foods.
"This trip gave me an authentic local dining experience, but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. Still, I would recommend everyone try it at least once," Mike said on his YouTube channel, which has over 50,000 followers.
Mike tries fried sandworm cakes.
Mike, accompanied by his guide, visited a well-known eatery on Hang Chieu Street, near O Quan Chuong, to try cha ruoi (fried sandworm cakes). The restaurant has been in business for over 30 years and is a popular spot for both locals and international tourists.
"The dish looks like a pancake," Mike observed. "But the ingredients inside may make some foreign visitors sweat a bit — it’s made with sandworms."
Despite his initial hesitation, Mike found the dish quite tasty. "It was a bit salty for my taste, but the crispy exterior and creamy, rich filling were delicious," he noted. "I recommend trying it hot, with chili sauce. Even if the idea of eating sandworms scares you, don’t miss out on this delicious dish."
American YouTuber experiences hot blood sausage at a local market.
The next stop on Mike's food tour was a local market to sample doi lon (blood sausage). Despite being a popular snack in Vietnam, it often makes foreigners uneasy due to its key ingredient — pig’s blood.
Mike confessed that he wasn't initially excited about trying the dish. But after the guide described it as similar to sausage, he decided to give it a chance and was pleasantly surprised. "It had a unique texture and taste, and the chewy outer layer was what really got me hooked. I think this is a must-try when you visit Vietnam," he remarked.
Mike samples balut from a street vendor on Ma May Street. Photos: Mike & Ashley
After sampling doi lon, Mike moved on to trung vit lon (balut), a common street food in Vietnam that many foreigners find intimidating. He admitted it took a lot of courage to try the dish, even asking for extra chili slices to distract himself from the flavor.
The guide suggested he eat the yellow part of the egg first, then proceed to the rest, accompanied by sliced ginger and rau ram (Vietnamese coriander).
"It was very different but not as bad as I expected," said Mike. "The chili definitely helped overcome my initial hesitation." However, he still found doi lon to be the most unusual dish of the day.
"I think blood sausage is the strangest thing I tried today. Balut wasn’t as scary as it’s made out to be. The fear mostly comes from how it looks rather than its flavor or texture. My guide told me many foreigners back out of these culinary tours because they’re too afraid, but I’m proud that I went through with it," Mike shared.
Vietnamnet.vn
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