Quảng Bình Province

Hotpot with cá khoai - a soft, boneless coastal fish unique to Quảng Bình's waters that melts in the mouth - simmered in a light sour broth with tomato, dill, and lemongrass, the fish is so delicate it must be added at the last moment or it dissolves completely into the broth, eaten at Đồng Hới riverside restaurants

Sour soup with weaver ant eggs harvested from forest trees near Phong Nha - the eggs add a creamy, faintly citrusy richness to a tamarind and tomato broth cooked with pork ribs, a seasonal Quảng Bình specialty available only in spring when the ants breed, eaten by communities living near the national park

Crispy sizzling rice crepe unique to Quảng Bình - smaller and crispier than the southern bánh xèo, filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts with a distinctly more savoury batter, eaten wrapped in mustard leaves with fermented shrimp paste dipping sauce at street stalls throughout Đồng Hới

Salad made with sá sùng - a fat marine worm harvested from Quảng Bình's coastal sand flats - dried and toasted until crispy then tossed with green mango, herbs, roasted peanuts, and lime dressing, the worm has an intensely savoury, almost meaty umami flavour prized as a coastal delicacy

Charcoal-grilled free-range chicken dipped in muối chéo - a highland dipping salt of toasted sesame, mắc khén pepper, chilli, and wild herbs pounded together, a dish that bridges Quảng Bình's coastal and highland cultures, eaten at restaurants near the Phong Nha forest where highland and lowland ingredients meet

Crispy fried sea snake spring rolls from Quảng Bình's coastal fishing villages - sea snake meat is deboned, minced with lemongrass and glass noodles, rolled in rice paper and deep-fried until golden, the flesh is firm and mildly flavoured similar to eel, eaten as a specialty seafood snack at Nhật Lệ beach restaurants

Cactus shoot soup from Quảng Bình's sandy coastal scrubland - young cactus pads are de-spined, sliced, and simmered with pork ribs and dried shrimp into a light, slightly mucilaginous broth, a coastal survival food turned local specialty with a clean, slightly sour flavour from the cactus sap