My Tho food guide

Mỹ Tho eats hủ tiếu at breakfast, lunch, and supper, dry or with broth, from strands of local Gò Cát rice. Cross to Thới Sơn for fried elephant-ear fish and straw-fired snakehead in the orchards, then finish at the night court on the pier with chè and shellfish.

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Photo: Trung geo · CC0

Hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho is the town’s bowl: rice strands that smell of rice and stay soft, topped with minced pork and crackling, and seasoned at the table with soy, lime, sugar, and chili or satay. Its fame is dated to the early 1960s, the noodle village reaches back to Hoa cooks at the end of the 19th century, and a hundred years is also claimed. One serving leaves off lettuce, vinegar, and herbs. Fresh greens are also put on the soup bowl. Hủ tiếu sa tế and hủ tiếu xương sit beside the dry and soup bowls.

On cù lao Thới Sơn, about 6 km across the river, the orchard table brings fried elephant-ear fish, grilled shrimp, linh-fish mắm hotpot with điên điển flowers, straw-fired snakehead, mussel bánh xèo, and green-skin pomelo salad. Ginger honey tea, handmade coconut candy, and fruit off the trees come with the music. Straw-fired snakehead is cooked two ways.

Back on the mainland, the Mỹ Phong noodle village makes bánh tét, bánh ít, bánh hỏi, and bánh tầm beside its hủ tiếu. The night court inside the tourist-boat pier on đường 30 Tháng 4 serves chè, sinh tố, sâm bổ lượng, nghêu, and sò: 18:30–02:00 as of 5 January 2019, or from 18:00 and busiest 19:00–22:00. Mắm tôm chà, mắm còng, and bánh giá belong to Gò Công, Tân Phú Đông, and Chợ Giồng, so eat them there.

My Tho specialties

Start with a bowl of hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho, then take the boat to the Thới Sơn orchard table. The Mỹ Phong cakes, the pier-court sweets and shellfish, and the plates from Gò Công follow.

Hu tieu My Tho Hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho

Mỹ Tho’s rice-noodle bowl comes dry, the strands tossed with pork crackling, fried shallot, and soy under minced pork, or wet, with sliced pork, liver, shrimp, squid, and quail egg under the broth. A good strand smells of rice and stays soft without going mushy or sour.

Hu tieu sa te Hủ tiếu sa tế

The satay version of Mỹ Tho’s rice-noodle bowl, made from the same Mỹ Phong strands and eaten beside the soup and dry bowls.

Hu tieu xuong Hủ tiếu xương

The bone bowl of Mỹ Tho hủ tiếu, made from the same Mỹ Phong strands and eaten beside the satay and dry versions.

Ca tai tuong chien xu Cá tai tượng chiên xù

A whole elephant-ear fish fried in plenty of oil until it is evenly golden, then pulled apart at the table and rolled with herbs, rice paper, and bún. Dip it in mắm nêm or tamarind fish sauce.

Tom nuong moi Tôm nướng mọi

Grilled shrimp on the Thới Sơn orchard table, served beside the fried elephant-ear fish and the islet’s other plates.

Lau mam ca linh Lẩu mắm cá linh bông điên điển

A hotpot of mắm with linh fish and điên điển flowers, one of the shared plates on the Thới Sơn orchard table.

Ca loc nuong trui Cá lóc nướng trui

Field snakehead skewered from mouth to tail, stood in the ground, and cooked under burning straw. The charred skin comes off, and the meat is rolled with rice paper, bún, herbs, unripe banana, and cucumber.

Canh chua ca loc Canh chua cá lóc

A sour-sweet field-snakehead soup, common across the South, with fish sauce and sliced chili, eaten with a bowl of white rice.

Banh xeo nhan hen Bánh xèo nhân hến

A bánh xèo pancake filled with hến mussels, one of the plates on the Thới Sơn orchard table.

Goi buoi da xanh Gỏi bưởi da xanh

A salad of green-skin pomelo, served with the fish and the hotpot on the Thới Sơn orchard table.

Xoi chien phong Xôi chiên phồng

Sticky rice pounded with garlic, cooled, and turned in a big pan of boiling oil until it puffs into a taut, round ball. It usually comes with roast chicken or gà xối mỡ.

Thoi Son orchard fruit Trái cây vườn Thới Sơn

Longan, rambutan, xoài cát Hòa Lộc, and mận An Phước, picked from the trees in the Thới Sơn orchards and eaten on the spot.

Keo dua Thoi Son Kẹo dừa

Handmade coconut candy, sold beside the honey as one of Thới Sơn’s OCOP products.

Banh tet Bánh tét

One of the cakes made in the Mỹ Phong noodle village, alongside its hủ tiếu, bánh ít, bánh hỏi, and bánh tầm.

Banh it Bánh ít

One of the small cakes made in the Mỹ Phong noodle village, alongside its hủ tiếu, bánh tét, bánh hỏi, and bánh tầm.

Banh hoi My Phong Bánh hỏi

Mỹ Phong’s own bánh hỏi, made in the noodle village alongside its hủ tiếu, bánh tét, bánh ít, and bánh tầm, and distinct from the Phong Điền kind.

Banh tam Bánh tầm

One of the rice products of the Mỹ Phong noodle village, made alongside its hủ tiếu, bánh tét, bánh ít, and bánh hỏi.

Sam bo luong Sâm bổ lượng

One of the light orders at the night court inside the Mỹ Tho tourist-boat pier, served beside chè and sinh tố after the noodle and rice bowls.

Che Chè

One of the light sweet orders at the night court inside the Mỹ Tho tourist-boat pier, served beside sinh tố and sâm bổ lượng.

Sinh to Sinh tố

A smoothie, one of the light orders at the night court inside the Mỹ Tho tourist-boat pier, served beside chè and sâm bổ lượng.

Ngheu Nghêu

Nghêu clams, one of the shellfish the Mỹ Tho pier night court is known for, alongside sò and dried seafood.

So Sò

Sò shellfish, one of the seafood orders the Mỹ Tho pier night court is known for, alongside nghêu and dried seafood.

Mam tom cha Mắm tôm chà

Gò Công’s pounded shrimp paste, eaten with bún, boiled pork, unripe banana, sour starfruit, cucumber, and herbs. Mixed into a dip, it should balance sour, sweet, hot, and salty.

Mam cong Mắm còng

A crab paste from Tân Phú Đông, and from cù lao Tân Thới in a 25 Dec 2018 introduction. The paste made from peeled crab is the one locals rate best.

Banh gia Cho Giong Bánh giá Chợ Giồng

A fried cake from Chợ Giồng, also called bánh vá, of rice and bean batter filled with bean sprouts, pork, and shrimp and topped with peanuts. Eat it with herbs and a fish sauce of garlic, chili, lime, and sugar.

The Thới Sơn table

Take the boat to cù lao Thới Sơn, about 6 km from town, and eat at the orchard stop around midday. The fish, the hotpot, and the salads come to the same table as the fruit, the tea, and the music.

Ca tai tuong chien xu Cá tai tượng chiên xù

Cù lao Thới Sơn

A whole elephant-ear fish soaked in salt water, then fried golden in plenty of oil. Roll it with herbs, rice paper, and bún, and dip it in mắm nêm or nước mắm me.

Tom nuong moi Tôm nướng mọi

Cù lao Thới Sơn

Grilled shrimp, served beside the fried elephant-ear fish.

Lau mam ca linh Lẩu mắm cá linh bông điên điển

Cù lao Thới Sơn

A shared hotpot of mắm with linh fish and điên điển flowers.

Ca loc nuong trui Cá lóc nướng trui

Cù lao Thới Sơn

Field snakehead cooked under burning straw, about 5 minutes, or left uncleaned and fired until it smells done. Peel off the charred skin and roll the meat with rice paper, bún, herbs, unripe banana, and cucumber.

Canh chua ca loc Canh chua cá lóc

A sour-sweet snakehead soup with fish sauce and sliced chili, common across the South and eaten with white rice.

Banh xeo nhan hen Bánh xèo nhân hến

Cù lao Thới Sơn

A bánh xèo pancake filled with hến mussels.

Goi buoi da xanh Gỏi bưởi da xanh

Cù lao Thới Sơn

A salad of green-skin pomelo, served with the fish and the hotpot.

Xoi chien phong Xôi chiên phồng

Sticky rice pounded with garlic and turned in boiling oil until it puffs into a taut ball. It usually comes with roast chicken or gà xối mỡ.

Thoi Son orchard fruit Trái cây vườn Thới Sơn

Cù lao Thới Sơn

Longan, rambutan, xoài cát Hòa Lộc, and mận An Phước. Pick and eat in the orchard, or buy some to take.

Tra mat ong gung Trà mật ong gừng

Cù lao Thới Sơn

Ginger tea sweetened with the islet’s OCOP honey, poured in the orchard while the musicians play. The hives on Lân and Phụng feed on longan blossom.

Keo dua Kẹo dừa

Cù lao Thới Sơn

Handmade coconut candy, sold with the honey as one of the islet’s OCOP products. Cồn Phụng, across the river in Ben Tre, makes it too.

Mỹ Phong village cakes

The Mỹ Phong craft village is where the hủ tiếu strands are made, and it turns out these cakes and bowls beside the noodle. The Hội Gia noodle yards open 07:00–18:00.

Banh tet Bánh tét

Ấp Hội Gia, phường Mỹ Phong

One of the cakes the noodle village makes beside its hủ tiếu.

Banh it Bánh ít

Ấp Hội Gia, phường Mỹ Phong

One of the small cakes the village makes beside bánh tét.

Banh hoi Bánh hỏi

Ấp Hội Gia, phường Mỹ Phong

Mỹ Phong’s own bánh hỏi, distinct from the Phong Điền kind.

Banh tam Bánh tầm

Ấp Hội Gia, phường Mỹ Phong

One of the rice products the village makes beside its hủ tiếu.

Hu tieu sa te Hủ tiếu sa tế

The satay version of the town’s rice-noodle bowl, eaten beside the soup and dry bowls.

Hu tieu xuong Hủ tiếu xương

The bone bowl of Mỹ Tho hủ tiếu, eaten beside the satay and dry versions.

Pier-court orders

The night court inside the tourist-boat pier also serves hủ tiếu, bún, phở, cháo, bánh cuốn, and dried seafood. These are the light orders and the shellfish it is known for: Hours are 18:30–02:00 as of 5 Jan 2019, or from 18:00 and busiest 19:00–22:00.