If the South has the "Pearl Island" of Phu Quoc, the North is no less competitive with Cat Ba - "The precious gem of the Gulf of Tonkin", in the melting heat of summer, what's better than white sand and blue sea? It's crystal clear on this island, isn't it? What to eat when traveling to Cat Ba? Let's explore 5 delicious dishes of Cat Ba!

1. Cat Ba shrimp vermicelli
The first dish that you must try when coming to Cat Ba is shrimp vermicelli. Shrimp vermicelli has long been a famous specialty in Cat Ba. Not only does it have a unique flavor, but this dish is made according to a unique secret that cannot be found anywhere else.
  Geoduck can be processed into many grilled dishes, salads, porridge... but the most delicious is still steamed geoduck that is crispy, chewy and fragrant, so why not try it.

3. Sam 7 dishes
Our folk often have the saying "Sticky like a crab", the reason is because this species of horseshoe crab often lives in pairs, the male and female always cling tightly to each other like a shadow on the female's shell, but when the crab is caught, , people often only take females and leave males because there is little meat. The meat is chewy and sweet, especially the bark is also a raw material for making souvenirs.
  After the crab is slaughtered for meat, over a dozen dishes can be processed, but the most popular dishes are soups, salads, grilled, stir-fried with lemongrass and chili, sweet and sour, vermicelli, sam porridge... Processing crab dishes always accompanied by spicy, sour, hot spices such as galangal, lemongrass, chili, vinegar and typical herbs such as lolot leaves, onions, laksa leaves... Turn the crab over and remove the bib and intestines. Use a knife to cut into the belly and you will see eggs. Sam eggs are very fatty, fragrant and rich in protein. People often like to eat grilled sam eggs with sour grapefruit, pickled radishes or lemon garlic chili fish sauce.

4. Grouper
Grouper is a type of fish that belongs to warm waters, the Pacific Ocean and has up to 37 species. In our country there are about 30 species, Cat Ba alone has 3 types: fat grouper, black grouper and fox grouper. Grouper is a ferocious fish that eats animal prey and has high nutritional value. From grouper fish, people prepare many attractive and nutritious dishes such as: salad, porridge, hot pot, steamed, sauced, grilled... During your trip to Cat Ba, put this dish on the list to enjoy immediately.
  5. Cat Ba Squid
Like other islands, typical seafood dishes such as fish, squid, and lobster in Cat Ba are very fresh and delicious and are indispensable in Cat Ba cuisine. In Cat Ba, squid dishes are prepared in a variety of ways such as: boiled, steamed, dipped in vinegar, stir-fried, deep fried, of which the most delicious and famous is still squid rolls.
  Delicious, nutritious, and cheap restaurants in Cat Ba
What to eat in Cat Ba when you don't have much money left in your pocket? Seafood in Cat Ba is very fresh and delicious, so if you want to eat delicious, nutritious, and cheap food, you can buy ingredients at Cat Ba market and ask the hotel to help you prepare it or cook it yourself. If you go in a group of people in the evening, you can walk around the pier and eat on the raft, there are two rafts about 100 meters from the shore (from the balcony of every hotel you can see these two floating rafts). You don't have to pay money to get to the raft. After eating, you will be transported back to shore.
 
If you want to enjoy delicious and cheap Cat Ba specialties, you can refer to the following addresses:
1. Bamboo Cafe (April 1st Street): in addition to seafood dishes, this is also an ideal place to enjoy both Vietnamese and European dishes.
2. Vien Duong (12 Ngoc Mountain): here there are freshly prepared crabs, squid and hot seafood hotpot at affordable prices.
3. Phuong Nhung restaurant (184-185 April 1st street): specializes in serving noodle dishes, pho, rice and some seafood dishes.
4. Yummy restaurant Cat Ba (180 Nui Ngoc): the restaurant's menu includes vermicelli dishes, fried rice, pho, spring rolls... similar to Phuong Nhung restaurant but a bit more affordable. If you're bored with seafood, you can go to this cheap, delicious popular restaurant for a change of taste.
5. Family Bakery (194 April 1st Street, open from 7 am to 4 pm): you should try Turkish-style breads and almond cakes. Here you will find the best caramel dish in Cat Ba.

In addition, there are some pretty good restaurants that you can refer to when traveling to Cat Ba:
1. Green Mango (April 1st Street). With the best wines, cocktails and espresso dishes in Cat Ba. Or delicious European dishes like pasta, pizza...
2. Flightless Bird Cafe (April 1st Street). This is a New Zealand style bar. Or Good Bar is also located on April 1st Street.