Halong City Seafood

Halong City Seafood: Authentic flavors and experiences from mr.hotsia

When talking about a tourist city famous for fresh seafood in Vietnam, it’s hard to missHalonga port city located in Quảng Ninh province, which besides having beautiful sea views andHalong Baya World Heritage Site, the seafood here is also one of the main destinations that travelers like me, mr.hotsia, must not miss.

On my latest trip, I chose to take a car from Hanoi directly to Halong, then continued by car to Cat Ba Island (Cat Ba), the largest island in Halong Bay, covering nearly 200 square kilometers. It serves as a good base for exploring the sea and the surrounding small islands. Before reaching Cat Ba Island, I stayed one night in Halong city to explore the nighttime atmosphere and fully enjoy the famous seafood.

Nighttime atmosphere and seafood restaurants in Halong

The day I visited coincided with Vietnam’s National Day. Locals came out to celebrate enthusiastically. Almost every seafood restaurant in the city was packed, mostly with Vietnamese people dining, not just foreign tourists. This allowed me to experience the authentic atmosphere of Vietnamese seafood.

What caught my eye was that some restaurants had Thai language signs, advertising Thai-style seafood dipping sauce. As mr.hotsia, I couldn’t miss trying it at least once. However, when I tasted it, I found the dipping sauce here wasn’t quite to Thai tastes because they usually use simple sauces without the strong spicy and sour flavors we are used to.

Food taste and prices in Halong

After ordering several dishes to share and taste, I found that the fried rice here was a bit hard and unappetizing, but the stir-fried vermicelli (or fried rice noodles) was well done with soft noodles and good flavor. The seafood ordered was truly fresh, but the prices were quite high compared to back home. I have compared before, and Thai prices are much cheaper. However, there are some shellfish and sea creatures not available in Thailand, making tasting here still worth the trip.

For those interested in trying Thai-style seafood dipping sauce, I recommend asking for fresh lime and chili to add yourself. This greatly improves the flavor; otherwise, the sauce provided might spoil the taste of the seafood ordered.

Local lifestyle and seafood markets

Another highlight I don’t want you to miss is visiting Cat Ba market (Cat Ba Market) in the morning. This market is full of a wide variety of fresh seafood, including giant squid still crawling in fish tanks, shrimp, shellfish, crabs, and fish freshly caught from the sea. The Vietnamese locals here consider seafood freshness a normal matter, but for me, it was very exciting. This is the key to the deliciousness of the dishes I tasted.

Since Halong Bay is a good shelter from waves and wind, it has abundant fish and diverse sea creatures. Locals engage in both fish cage farming and traditional seafood gathering. I believe experiencing a market like this helps understand the roots of Halong’s seafood more deeply.

Tips for seafood lovers at Cat Ba

If anyone plans to eat seafood on Cat Ba Island (Cat Ba Seafood), I have a small tip from my mr.hotsia experience: choose large restaurants with staff who can speak some English. This helps communicate about prices and menus more easily and reduces the chance of being overcharged. Also, when ordering fresh seafood, check carefully if they really bring fresh items for selection because sometimes the water weight in cages affects the price.

From my experience tasting unusual shellfish and sea creatures here, the taste was okay and truly fresh, especially some shellfish rarely seen back home. But regarding the dipping sauce, you still need to add your own seasoning following the Thai recipe I recommended above.

Travel and tours in Halong

Most visitors to Halong buy tours from Hanoi. Typical tours include same-day return or 2 days 1 night options, with prices varying based on boat quality and meals provided. When choosing a tour, pay close attention to accommodation and food for the best value.

In my trip, I stayed one night in Halong before heading to Cat Ba Island, which gave me a complete overview of both sides—the city atmosphere and the freshness of seafood there. For those interested in fully enjoying the views of the small islands in Halong Bay, I recommend taking a scenic flight to see the stunning beauty of hundreds and thousands of islands scattered more beautifully than by regular boat tours.

Summary of Halong seafood experience from mr.hotsia

From my real experience tasting Halong seafood, I, mr.hotsia, briefly say: “Truly fresh, truly expensive, ordinary dipping sauce, but better if you season it yourself.” The freshness of the sea and the local lifestyle at Cat Ba market and around Halong made this trip worthwhile. If anyone wants to experience this atmosphere, it’s recommended to spend a night in Halong before exploring Cat Ba Island.

For those who love sea and island views, don’t forget to check tour detailsHalong Bay Toursto see if they meet your needs. For those who love fresh seafood and want to try unusual dishes, Halong and Cat Ba Island are excellent choices.

Finally, for anyone interested in watching seafood clips and Vietnamese flavors, I recommend checking outVietnamese Grilled Button Squidor if you want to try other Vietnamese dishes, there are clips ofVietnamese Chicken BiryaniandVietnamese Fermented Pork in Strawfor you to watch as well.