Ben Groundwater, food and travel writer for the Sydney Morning Herald, said tourists cannot leave northern Vietnam without trying a wonderful fish dish.
That is La Vong fish cake dish made from freshwater fish (catfish such as catfish) marinated with many spices, most notably turmeric powder and then fried in an oil pan until golden brown. . Grilled fish served with dill, fresh green onions, roasted peanuts and vermicelli.
La Vong fish cake was born more than a century ago, when the Doan family on Hang Son street (now Cha Ca street) was selling fish cakes and grilled fish to make money. Outside is a fish shop, but inside the house is the secret base of the De Tham revolutionary army fighting against the French colonialists.
The homeowner of house number 14 Hang Son is Doan Xuan Phuc. He named the restaurant La Vong, one of the nicknames of Khuong Tu Nha, an ancient Chinese general. Khuong Tu Nha is famous for the story "Fishing La Vong", who waited for the right time to do a great career.
After two decades of hiding for the resistance, the Doan family was exposed and the homeowner was beheaded. However, the family continued to open the shop selling La Vong fish cakes and passed down the recipe to their children and grandchildren. Today, the family still opens the restaurant to welcome customers at 14 Cha Ca Street in Hanoi's Old Quarter.
In addition to La Vong grilled fish restaurant, Australian newspaper also introduces another address for international tourists to Hanoi, Anh Vu Grilled Fish, at 120 Giang Vo, Ba Dinh district. This is a restaurant on the Michelin Selected 2024 list.
Not only pho and bread dishes, but fish cakes are also brought to many countries by Vietnamese people to introduce to international diners. Some places selling fish cakes in Australia include VN Street Foods restaurant (Marrickville, Sydney), Bun Cha restaurant (Highett, Melbourne), Viet De Lites restaurant (Brisbane).
