‘Bun lac’ (shaken vermicelli) and ‘hu tieu lac’ (shaken noodles) is the choice of many travelers for breakfast when they visit Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho, where sellers and buyers sit on a boat swaying back and forth in the middle of the river.

Established in early 20th century to serve demand for goods exchange in the region, Cai Rang Floating Market is a favorite destination for travelers. It is just five kilometers from Can Tho City.

The market opens at dawn, and the time from 6am to 8am is the most bustling. Tourists can take a boat ride to watch the sunrise, admire the market, and enjoy a typical breakfast with "shaken crab vermicelli” and "shaken noodles”.

People can hear merchants cry out for customers: “Wonderful hu tieu lac and bun rieu lac of Cai Rang Market here!” “You need to enjoy a bowl of bun lac when visiting Cai Rang." "Try a bowl of hu tieu lac to warm up your stomach please." 

Pham Thi Ngoc, a woman who has been earning her living at the market for 25 years, said people call ‘shaken vermicelli’ and ‘shaken noodles’ because both sellers and buyers sit on a boat which sways back and forth in the middle of the river and their bowls of vermicelli and noodle ‘shake’ in their hands.

“The diners who try bun lac for the first time may see their hands shaking and trembling when carrying the bowls. When a big ship passes by, the waves hit the side of the boat and shake people violently, making them feel dizzy. But people find it very interesting," Ngoc said.

The noodles, pure, smooth and chewy, are made from delicious, fragrant rice grown in the Mekong Delta. The broth has a sweet taste from simmered pork bones. A serving consists of dried squid, dried shrimp with scallion oil, white radish, fried onions and finely chopped green onions. There are also a lot of toppings, which can be boiled pork, thinly sliced ​​beef, a few bean sprouts and herbs.

Hu tieu at Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho was once praised on EBS TV channel by a famous chef from South Korea. The image of chef Jun Ho Kyun slurping soup, complimenting the dish, and asking to learn the secret to make such a delicious hu tieu excited Vietnamese audiences.

The dish also left a good impression on the world famous chef Gordon Ramsay in 2012. And it was once introduced by Skyscanner as a must-try dish.

The bowl of noodles has eye-catching colors: red from tomatoes, green from green onions, fennel, combined with meat, shrimp, blood, heart, liver and meatballs. 

Linh Trang