Ca Mau is the largest seafood hub in Vietnam — surrounded by the sea on three sides, intertwined with canals and vast mangrove forests that produce fresh ingredients found nowhere else. The question of "what to eat in Ca Mau" is actually very easy to answer: just follow your nose and you'll find delicious food. After enjoying the cuisine, don't forget to buy Ca Mau specialties as gifts for your family.
Top 5 "National" Ca Mau Specialties You Can't Miss
🦀 1. Salted Ba Khia from Rach Goc
Ba khia is a small crab living in coastal mangrove forests, salted using a traditional recipe of the Khmer and Vietnamese people in Rach Goc (Ngoc Hien district). The salted ba khia steeped in rich flavor, eaten with white rice, is enough for a satisfying meal. This is the Ca Mau specialty most exported to Vietnamese communities worldwide. Learn more in our Ca Mau specialties article.
Where to buy: Ca Mau Market, Rach Goc Market, or online at Ba Ngoai Homestay
🦞 2. Nam Can Crab — The "King Crab" of Mekong Delta
Nam Can sea crab (Ngoc Hien district) is considered the most delicious in the Mekong Delta thanks to its firm meat, rich fat, and natural flavor from the pristine mangrove environment. The best way to cook it is steamed with lemongrass or roasted with chili salt to preserve its natural sweetness. Price at source: 150,000–250,000 VND/kg depending on the type.
Where to buy: Nam Can Market, seafood spots along Ganh Hao River
🍤 3. Rach Goc Dried Shrimp
Rach Goc dried shrimp (Ngoc Hien) is famous throughout the country for its large size, bright red color, low salt, and no chemical preservatives. Naturally sun-dried for 3–5 days, it can be eaten raw or used in cooking sweet and sour soup or braised pork. It is the most purchased gift when traveling to Ca Mau.
Price: 300,000–600,000 VND/kg depending on size and quality
🐟 4. Snakehead Fish Porridge — Ca Mau's Soul Breakfast
Field snakehead fish cooked into porridge with ginger, herbs, served with crispy crullers and hoisin sauce. In Ca Mau, snakehead fish porridge opens for sale from 5 am and often sells out before 9 am — you have to go early to get some. A filling bowl is only about 35,000–50,000 VND, not expensive at all.
Where to find: Around the central market of Ca Mau City, Nguyen Tat Thanh Street
🍯 5. U Minh Forest Wild Honey
Not farmed honey — U Minh forest wild honey is collected from natural hives in the melaleuca forest. It has a deep yellow color, thick consistency, and a distinctive aroma of melaleuca and wild flowers. Locals drink it every morning mixed with warm water and ginger. Buy from authentic sources like Ba Ngoai Homestay to ensure purity.
Price: 200,000–350,000 VND/liter depending on the season and forest source
10 Ca Mau Street Foods You Can't Miss
🦑 Grilled One-Sun Dried Squid
Fresh squid sun-dried for a day, charcoal-grilled, and dipped in Ca Mau chili sauce. Served with cold beer — nothing is better.
🐌 Stir-fried Mud Creeper Snails with Coconut Milk
Mud creeper snails living in mangrove forests, stir-fried with coconut milk and chili lemongrass. You need a pin to extract the meat — eating slowly is the best way to enjoy it.
🍜 Khmer Noodle Soup (Bun Nuoc Leo)
Broth made from snakehead fish, lemongrass, and prahok sauce — carrying the strong flavor of the Mekong Delta. Served with roast pork and fresh bean sprouts.
🥘 Ca Mau Fermented Fish Hotpot (Lau Mam)
Linh fish fermented sauce hotpot with rich flavor, served with snakehead fish, shrimp, bitter herbs, and water lilies. Not everyone dares to try it at first, but those who do become addicted.
🐸 Fried Field Frogs with Butter
Ca Mau field frogs are large with firmer meat than farmed ones. Frying with garlic butter or roasting with chili salt is delicious. Affordable price at street pubs.
🦐 Steamed Mantis Shrimp with Lemongrass
Mantis shrimp from Ca Mau sea are sweeter and meatier than tiger shrimp. Steaming with lemongrass preserves the original flavor, dip in pepper-lemon salt.
🥞 Silkworm Skin Cake (Banh Tam Bi)
Soft white rice flour strands, mixed with shredded pork skin, dark sauce, and coconut milk. A rustic breakfast dish not found anywhere outside Ca Mau.
🐊 Grilled Crocodile Meat
A unique specialty at restaurants near crocodile farms in Nam Can. Chewy meat, strange flavor, many tourists try it for the experience.
🌿 Pangasius Sweet and Sour Soup
Large river pangasius, cooked in sweet and sour soup with taro stems, tomatoes, and bean sprouts. Light taste, suitable for lunch.
🍢 Grilled Bronze Featherback Fish Cake
Finely pounded bronze featherback fish, grilled or fried into cakes — a Mekong Delta specialty skillfully made by Ca Mau locals, not fishy, chewy and delicious.
Where to Eat When Traveling to Ca Mau?
No need to look for fancy restaurants — Ca Mau cuisine is best at local affordable places:
- 🏪 Ca Mau Market (Le Loi Street): Buy fresh seafood, salted ba khia, dried shrimp at original prices. The market is open from 4 am to 12 pm.
- 🌊 Ganh Hao Riverbank: Dozens of fresh seafood restaurants, sitting with a cool view of the river. Reasonable prices, no overcharging tourists.
- 🍜 Phan Ngoc Hien Street: Breakfast street — snakehead fish porridge, Khmer noodle soup, meat sandwiches. Open from 5 am to 9 am.
- 🏡 Ba Ngoai Homestay: Have lunch/dinner with the host family — all ingredients are self-caught or home-raised: crab, shrimp, snakehead fish, garden vegetables. Check out the Be a Ca Mau Local Tour to cook a meal with forest ingredients yourself.
💡 Ca Mau Dining Tips
- • Go to the morning market before 7 am to buy the freshest seafood at the best prices
- • Ask locals which restaurants they usually eat at — they are often better than places labeled "tourist specialties"
- • Buying ba khia and dried shrimp at the source (Rach Goc, Ngoc Hien) is 30–50% cheaper than in Ca Mau City
- • Try fermented fish hotpot at least once — this is the soul of Mekong Delta cuisine that no place can do like Ca Mau
Frequently Asked Questions — Eating Out in Ca Mau
Where should I go for good food in Ca Mau City?
What does the meal in the Ba Ngoai Homestay tour include?
Are there any cheap and delicious specialties in Ca Mau?
Are there vegetarian restaurants in Ca Mau?
Eat Ca Mau Specialties Right at Ba Ngoai Homestay
Freshly caught crabs, home-raised shrimp, home-grown vegetables — a meal at Ba Ngoai Homestay is a culinary experience not found in any restaurant.
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Article Author
Tran Bi (Founder of Ba Ngoai Homestay)
Mr. Tran Bi is an expert in indigenous culture, history, and ecotourism in Ca Mau with over 10 years of experience guiding guests to experience U Minh Ha forest and Dat Mui.
Authentic Ca Mau Travel Experience
Join Uncle Ba Khia to explore Dat Mui, traverse mangrove forests, catch crabs, collect wild honey, and stay at Mr. Bi's cool eco-homestay.