Fried fish has become a can’t miss dish for visitors to Hanoi. Among hundreds of fried fish restaurants in the capital, La Vong is the oldest and most famous, retaining its original taste over the past century.

Located at No 14 Cha Ca street, a busy street in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, the La Vong fried fish restaurant has been mentioned in hundreds of tourism guide books for Hanoi.

Patrons of the restaurant can enjoy the traditional dish which has been handed down from generation to generation of  Nguyen Thi Loc’s family, andview a rich cultural space.

Nguyen Thi Loc – Owner of La Vong fried fish restaurant

Our restaurant opened in 146 years ago. Previously, the street was named Hoang Son alley, after the opening of the restaurant and fried fish has become a Hanoispeciality, the street’s name was changed to Cha Ca or fried fish street.

Fish meat slices are marinated with galingale, rice ferment, pepper and fish sauce. Then the spiced fish pieces are placed into bamboo clips to be grilled on charcoal until both sides are almost cooked. After that, the fish is put into a frying pan with hot oil, together with dill and spring onion for a short time.

“Cha ca” must be served while hot with rice vermicelli, fried peanuts and coriander, all to be dipped into Vietnamese dipping sauce that contains fish sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar, garlic or “shrimp paste” - “mam tom” mixed with lime juice.

Although “Cha ca” can be found in many restaurants even around the world, the original “Cha Ca La Vong” is still open for locals and tourists after five generations.

Nguyen Van Hai – Visitor from Hai Phong

The fried fish dish here is very delicious and the atmosphere is very friendly.

Hanoi’s cuisine is known for its delicacy and elegance, and La Vong fried fish is famous for its delicacy in each step.

The dish deserves to be a must eat in every tourist’s journey to discover the capital city.

VNA