Đồng Tháp Province

Grilled rice field mouse marinated in lemongrass and turmeric - fattened on rice grain during harvest season, with surprisingly clean, sweet meat that delta farmers have eaten for generations

Rice noodles made from Sa Đéc's famous noodle villages - silkier and more delicate than Mỹ Tho or Nam Vang styles, served in a clear pork bone broth with shrimp, pork, and fried shallots at dawn stalls along the Đồng Nai river

Thick silkworm-shaped noodles topped with shredded pork skin, crispy fried shallots, and coconut cream - the Sa Đéc version uses freshly made noodles from local workshops, far superior to anything packaged

Fermented pork rolls from Lai Vung district - wrapped in banana leaf and tied with string, tangy and garlicky with a distinctive sourness developed over days of fermentation, the most famous nem in the entire Mekong Delta

Lotus stem salad tossed with shrimp, pork, fresh herbs, and roasted peanuts in a tangy lime dressing - made with lotus harvested fresh from Đồng Tháp's own ponds, crunchier and more fragrant than lotus stems from anywhere else

Whole rice field mouse slow-roasted in a clay pot with lemongrass, turmeric, and coconut water until the skin crisps golden - a flood-season delicacy that Đồng Tháp farmers have perfected over generations, eaten with fresh rice and pickled vegetables