What to eat in Chau Doc

VnExpress counted about 30 kinds of mắm on the counters of Chau Doc market in 2013, from mắm thái and mắm sặt to mắm trê, mắm lóc, mắm rô, mắm trèn and mắm cá linh; VNAT calls the town the kingdom of pickled fish. Each mắm is named after its fish, and each has a use: some for hotpots, some for noodle soups, some to eat with rice and raw vegetables.

For carrying home, buy sealed jars or factory packs and put them in checked baggage; our pantry page has more on travelling with mắm.

West of Chau Doc, the mountain areas of Tri Ton and Tinh Bien are dotted with sugar palms. The Khmer craft of making palm sugar there was recognised as national intangible cultural heritage; An Giang announced the ministry's decision in late 2024, as Nhân Dân reported. Tri Ton is also where Znews places thốt nốt sữa, the palm-sugar milk drink, and gà đốt Ô Thum, a whole chicken cooked until its skin is golden and crisp, near Ô Thum lake.

Further downriver, Long Xuyen has its own cơm tấm, made with finer broken rice and caramelised braised pork and egg, and a lẩu mắm based on mắm cá linh. An Giang's cà phê vợt — coffee filtered through a cloth sock — is the drink to go with any of it.

Chau Doc has a floating market of its own, smaller than Cai Rang. VNAT describes barges laden with fruit and vegetables from across the delta, and boats hang a sample of their goods on a pole. VNAT says several dozen boats gather there in the early morning, so go early.

The Vía Bà Chúa Xứ Núi Sam festival — the 22nd to 27th of the 4th lunar month, inscribed by UNESCO in 2024 — is a pilgrimage festival at Sam mountain, not a food event. If food is your reason to come, check where those lunar dates fall in your year and decide whether you want to be there then.

Chau Doc is also a poor fit if you dislike strong smells: fermented fish is everywhere, in the market and in the bowls. And if you come outside the flood season, cá linh will only be on the table as mắm.