Tiền Giang Province

The original hủ tiếu - Mỹ Tho's version uses sun-dried rice noodles with a distinctive firm, slightly chewy texture unique to this city, served in a clear pork and dried squid broth with shrimp, pork, and quail eggs, eaten dry or in soup, the benchmark against which all other hủ tiếu across southern Vietnam is measured

Crispy taro and shrimp fritters from Chợ Giồng market - grated taro mixed with whole shrimp and spring onion formed into flat cakes and deep-fried until golden and crunchy, a Tiền Giang market specialty eaten with fermented fish sauce and a mountain of fresh Mekong herbs

Snakehead fish rice porridge with bitter herb from Tiền Giang's Mekong tributaries - the fish is grilled over charcoal first to add smokiness then flaked into a silky rice broth, finished with rau đắng bitter herb that grows wild along the riverbanks, the bitterness cutting through the richness in a balance that defines Mekong Delta home cooking

A uniquely Tiền Giang noodle dish combining elements of bún and gỏi - rice vermicelli served in a light tamarind and fermented shrimp broth topped with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, and fresh herbs, then finished with a drizzle of coconut cream, the combination of sour broth and creamy coconut producing a flavour found nowhere else in the delta

Snakehead fish roasted whole directly in burning rice straw without any seasoning - the straw fire chars the scales into a protective crust that is peeled away at the table to reveal perfectly steamed sweet flesh inside, eaten wrapped in rice paper with fresh Mekong herbs, cucumber, and fermented fish sauce, a Tiền Giang riverside ritual