Hà Nam Province

Braised catfish from Vũ Đại village - slow-cooked in a clay pot for 12 hours with fish sauce, galangal, and pork fat until the meat falls apart and the sauce caramelises, a Hà Nam specialty famous across Vietnam

Steamed rice rolls filled with pork and wood-ear mushroom - the Phủ Lý version is thinner and softer than Hà Nội style, served with a sweeter dipping sauce and crispy fried shallots

Rice vermicelli soup with wild-caught climbing perch from Hà Nam's rice paddies - the fish is fried golden before being added to a light, sweet broth with dill and tomato, a humble delta dish that locals eat for breakfast

Mountain goat from the limestone karst hills around Tam Chúc - grilled, steamed with lemongrass, or served in hotpot, the meat is leaner and more fragrant from grazing on wild highland herbs between the rocky outcrops

Fermented field crab paste from Bình Lục district - intensely pungent and salty, used as a dipping sauce for boiled pork or stirred into rice, a centuries-old Hà Nam condiment that divides visitors but defines local identity