Sapa salmon sashimi

Salmon sashimi, a new favorite dish in Sapa - Photo: Lam Van Son

Sapa Town in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, encapsulates the beauty of the mountainous north, with unforgettable views of terraced rice fields, misty mountains lined up into the distance, icy cold waterfalls and love markets. As a bonus, another specialty was added in recent years for visitors to Sapa to enjoy – dishes made from locally farmed salmon.

In Sapa, there are many restaurants that are dedicated to serve salmon. Salmon is made into a wide variety of dishes, such as salmon hotpot, salmon sashimi with mustard and wild vegetable, grilled salmon, fried salmon rolled in flour, salmon salads and steamed salmon with wild bamboo.

Of these the salmon sashimi prepared with mustard is recommended most for tourists. The dish delights by the sweetness of salmon, aroma of fresh wild vegetables and a hot bite of mustard.

The second dish that must be mentioned is the salmon hot pot made in a similar way to the sour soup of the South. The soup has pineapple, tomato and salmon. Then it will be served with Sapa-grown wild vegetables and watercress or pumpkin buds.

Salmon farming was piloted in Sapa since 2005 after the local authorities sent experts to Finland to research their aquaculture and buy salmon eggs to raise at Thac Bac Cold Water Fish Center at the foot of Fansipan Mountain. Currently, the center is doing research on salmon breeding and investigating what technology they need to produce salmon food so they can stop importing food and eggs from Finland.

Related Articles

• Sapa salmon sashimi

Sapa salmon sashimi

Salmon sashimi, a new favorite dish in Sapa - Photo: Lam Van Son

Sapa Town in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, encapsulates the beauty of the mountainous north, with unforgettable views of terraced rice fields, misty mountains lined up into the distance, icy cold waterfalls and love markets. As a bonus, another specialty was added in recent years for visitors to Sapa to enjoy – dishes made from locally farmed salmon.

In Sapa, there are many restaurants that are dedicated to serve salmon. Salmon is made into a wide variety of dishes, such as salmon hotpot, salmon sashimi with mustard and wild vegetable, grilled salmon, fried salmon rolled in flour, salmon salads and steamed salmon with wild bamboo.

Of these the salmon sashimi prepared with mustard is recommended most for tourists. The dish delights by the sweetness of salmon, aroma of fresh wild vegetables and a hot bite of mustard.

The second dish that must be mentioned is the salmon hot pot made in a similar way to the sour soup of the South. The soup has pineapple, tomato and salmon. Then it will be served with Sapa-grown wild vegetables and watercress or pumpkin buds.

Salmon farming was piloted in Sapa since 2005 after the local authorities sent experts to Finland to research their aquaculture and buy salmon eggs to raise at Thac Bac Cold Water Fish Center at the foot of Fansipan Mountain. Currently, the center is doing research on salmon breeding and investigating what technology they need to produce salmon food so they can stop importing food and eggs from Finland.

Related Articles

• Sapa salmon sashimi

Sapa salmon sashimi

Salmon sashimi, a new favorite dish in Sapa - Photo: Lam Van Son

Sapa Town in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, encapsulates the beauty of the mountainous north, with unforgettable views of terraced rice fields, misty mountains lined up into the distance, icy cold waterfalls and love markets. As a bonus, another specialty was added in recent years for visitors to Sapa to enjoy – dishes made from locally farmed salmon.

In Sapa, there are many restaurants that are dedicated to serve salmon. Salmon is made into a wide variety of dishes, such as salmon hotpot, salmon sashimi with mustard and wild vegetable, grilled salmon, fried salmon rolled in flour, salmon salads and steamed salmon with wild bamboo.

Of these the salmon sashimi prepared with mustard is recommended most for tourists. The dish delights by the sweetness of salmon, aroma of fresh wild vegetables and a hot bite of mustard.

The second dish that must be mentioned is the salmon hot pot made in a similar way to the sour soup of the South. The soup has pineapple, tomato and salmon. Then it will be served with Sapa-grown wild vegetables and watercress or pumpkin buds.

Salmon farming was piloted in Sapa since 2005 after the local authorities sent experts to Finland to research their aquaculture and buy salmon eggs to raise at Thac Bac Cold Water Fish Center at the foot of Fansipan Mountain. Currently, the center is doing research on salmon breeding and investigating what technology they need to produce salmon food so they can stop importing food and eggs from Finland.

Related Articles

• Sapa salmon sashimi

Nordic Week is back at Hotel Equatorial

From L-R) Three Swedish Chefs Martin Isaksson, Mårten Karlsson and Gert Klötzke

The Nordic Week featuring mouth-watering Nordic specialties by three celebrated Swedish  Chefs, Gert Klötzke, Mårten Karlsson and Martin Isaksson is at the Equatorial Hotel HCMC until Oct 8.

Three celebrated guest chefs will prepare a splendid six-course Scandinavian dinner at the hotel’s Orientica Restaurant including shrimp and lobster salad, horseradish pea crème, watercress & walnut vierge, cauliflower soup salmon quenelle with pickled cauliflower & almond sauce, lamb terrine and coffee spiced lamb loin and slow cooked root vegetables with potato garlic purée & course mustard lamb jus and for desserts - Crème de lemon & liquorice sauce, milk chocolate mousse and arctic raspberry marmalade & vanilla ice-cream served with specially matched wines. The price for the wine dinner is VND1.4 million ++ per person.

Or you can try the Dinner Buffet Scandinavian Smorgasbord at Chit Chat at the Café for VND680,000 ++ per person.

For further information, contact the hotel at 3839 7777.

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Life’s slow rhythm in Thi Tuong Lagoon

Thi Tuong Lagoon in Ca Mau Province - Photo: Phuong Kieu

Thi Tuong Lagoon, which spans the two districts of Cai Nuoc and Tran Van Thoi in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau, offers a slice of quiet rural life to tourists.

The lagoon covers about 700 hectares, is about 10 kilometers long and two  kilometers wide. It is divided into three parts - Dam Trong (Inside Lagoon), Dam Giua (Middle Lagoon) and Dam Ngoai (Outside Lagoon)

Dam Giua is the biggest part of the lake. The stilted houses of many shrimp farmers sit out on the lake’s surface while the surrounding shores of the lake are lined with water coconuts.

Early mornings at the lagoon are tranquil – the rays of the sun pierce the cover of palm leaves and the sapphire water that stretches for miles is as smooth as glass. Everything is silent except for the songs of birds.

Most of the people that live around Thi Tuong Lagoon have no idea about restaurants, resorts or entertainment areas. So it’s not the place to visit if you expect four star hotel doormen and modern facilities. But it is an Eden for nature enthusiasts. When you experience a visit to a stilt house on the lagoon you will feel the pace of life slow to a crawl.

The stilt houses are linked by old wooden gangways, that don’t look too safe, but when the friendly locals make it look easy, it helps you overcome your fear. After a few teas or wines the people that live in these stilt houses can tell some funny stories too and share about local customs. Or you can join them to go fishing.

The lagoon is named after Miss Tuong, one of pioneers of the area.

At night, by the light of the flickering oil lamp, hearing the sounds of crickets and insects and sitting together enjoying a meal made from the afternoon’s catch, you might imagine for a moment what it would be like to switch places with your host.

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Ceramic road opens with world record

People watch the inauguration ceremony of the mosaic mural (behind them) when The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes it as the biggest mosaic mural in the world - Photo: Kinh Luan

The Guinness Book of World Records on Tuesday morning presented a certificate recognizing the Ceramic Road along the Red River’s painting name called “Vietnam’s patterns in the historical flow” as the world’s biggest mosaic painting.

The record breaking section from An Duong Terminal to Tan Ap Terminal on Yen Phu Street is 810 meters long and covers 1,570 square meters.

A representative of the record book, Beatriz Garcia Fernande, made the presentation under Long Bien Bridge as part of the inauguration of the mural project coinciding with the Hanoi grand anniversary.

The whole ceramic mosaic mural is 3,950 meters long and has total area of 7,000 square meters. It was made as a celebration of the capital’s 1,000th birthday.

The mural spans the walls on Tran Nhat Duat-Tran Quang Khai-Tran Khanh Du streets and from An Duong Border Gate on Yen Phu Street to Van Kiep Border Gate.

The project was launched at the end of 2007 by journalist Nguyen Thu Thuy. It was made by 20 Vietnamese artists and 15 foreign artists from 10 nations including England, France, the U.S., Spain, Italy, Argentina, Denmark and New Zealand. One hundred artisans from pottery craft villages of Bat Trang in Hanoi, Phu Lang, Chau Dau-My Xa in Bac Ninh Province, Bau Truc in Ninh Thuan Province, Lai Thieu in Binh Duong Province and Vinh Long in Vinh Long Province also helped, along with 50 fine arts student and 500 students from Vietnamese and international schools.

The mosaic on the Red River embankment walls features traditional patterns from the Dong Son era and the Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen dynasties and Hanoi landscapes.

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Gone Fishing in Vam Nao

A fisherman in Vam Nao Canal with rthe sunset behind him

The Mekong Delta is inherently famous for immense rice fields, floating markets on alluvial rivers, colorful orchards and serpentine canals. The excellent fishing in the delta has become a tourism drawcard as can be seen in the many brochures on display at travel agencies – with tours that take you fishing one day and farming the next.

Fisherman set their net in Nam Vao Canal at night to catch bong lau fish - Photo: Lam Van Son

Every part of the Mekong Delta has its own peculiar fishing techniques. Locals use different types of fish traps, nets and fishing rods.

As we wanted to find out what it would be like to be fishermen, we decided to go to Vam Nao Canal that links the Hau and  Tien rivers in An Giang Province’s Tan Phu District. To get there turn off National Road 91A and travel 15km to Nang Gu ferry then ride eight kilometers to Tan Phu District’s Ong Chuong Islet.

Vam Nao canal is about 800 meters wide and 6.5 kilometers long. It is home to many kinds of fish such as ho fish, bong lau fish and even whales sometimes plus thu and doi fish and crocodiles.

For six months from early in the eleventh month of the lunar calendar is the season to catch bong lau fish. The best days to fish are the 14,15, 19 and 30 days of the lunar month.

Bong lau fish, whose scientific name is Pangasius krempfi, are found throughout the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. They live in fresh water and eat seaweed and crustaceans. They grow to 120cm in length and can weigh as much as 20 kilograms. The fish, which has been widely domesticated here, is sought after for its flavor and can be used to make a range of delicious healthy dishes.

After nightfall about 7 p.m., we set off in a wooden boat to Nam Vao. It was rather cool, but we were keen to catch some fish so the cold didn’t bother us.

It was a dark night and the river was dark, except for the red and yellow lamps of other fishing boats. The red glow on the water made us fancy that we were in the middle of a lantern releasing festival.

After setting the long fishing nets, we lay down on the floor of the boat and talked while we waited. We imagined what dishes we would make with the fish we’d catch. I recommended the bong lau fish sour soup with many kinds of vegetable such as pineapple, tomato, Indian taro, tamarind and okra. While my friend suggested fried bong lau fish with lemon grass and steamed bong lau fish with green mango.

The scene was totally still. After about one hour later, we pulled in a net full of fish.

On the way back down the dark river, our hearts were full of happiness because of all the fish we caught and the fun we had as fishermen.

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