Rạch Giá Bún Cá Trilogy – Part 1

Some month ago, Hai and I were invited by our friends, Duc and Thao, to join them on a mini-voyage deep into the Mekong Delta to discover the wonders of Thao’s nhà quê (hometown), Rạch Giá, visit her family, and explore the city’s surrounds.

I paused for a moment and then asked the obvious question, “What about the food?”

Thao assured Hai and I that indeed there was food available in Rạch Giá, and in fact, we could expect the bún cá to be quite amazing. OK … let’s go see Rạch Giá!

What I initally feared most was the trip from Saigon to Vietnam’s southern-most coastline … a five-hour journey. Traffic jams, honking horns, water buffalo, truck fumes, bridges, ferries, ducks, and the like.

But again, Thao was reassuring. She told us exactly how to secure our tickets [see detailed instructions on how to take the bus to Rạch Giá (or Phu Quoc) at the end of this blog ]. She explained, we’ll leave late in the morning, read/relax/sleep on the bus, and arrive fresh to begin our Mekong adventure with a fun dinner adventure.

Well, in fact, she wasn’t exaggerating (much). The multi-leveled sitting/sleeping bunks were clean, well-designed and reasonably comfortable. Our “neighbors” were mostly quiet and considerate. And air conditioning, a bottle of drinking water, and a mid-way restroom and snack stop satisfied our most basic needs.

The trip was painless and our bus arrived on time at the Rạch Giá terminal where we were immediately transferred onto a smaller mini-van and taken directly to our hotel, Phúc Hưng 1.

Very pleasant! We had a large windowed room, opening onto a larger yet balcony (on which we met our neighbors – a Việt kiều couple from southern California (yes, a small world). For just 350,000 vnd/nite ($16 USD) a very nice accommodation.

And just walking distance to a number of large gardened cafes and the beach (more on the Rạch Giá beach in Rạch Giá Bún Cá Trilogy – Part 2).

Hai and I strolled around the quiet and palm-tree-lined boulevards in the “beach area”; enjoyed a cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee with milk); and waited for Thao and Duc to return with our xe máy (motorbike) borrowed from Thao’s family residence.

It was time to get to work. So Thao, where is this amazing bún cá? She had a clear destination in mind.

Thao, Duc, Hai and I jumped on our xe máy and headed off to find our first Rạch Giá meal.

Bún Cá 352. A small neigborhood eatery tucked away on a small, dimly-lit street filled with locals. Not a foreigner in sight … except me 🙂 . All signs pointed to a good find for dinner. Let’s eat bún cá!

The bún (rice noodles) was thin and firm. I love it that way. The soup was beautifully presented and included a very generous serving of a flavorful and firm local white-meat fish … with no bones! A big surprise for those who know that ALL fish in Vietnam seems to be served with a generous amount of small spiny bones!

The nước lèo (soup broth) was mild and sweet – not at all “fishy”. Hai immediately detected the secret to it’s mildly sweet flavor. Pork bones. Pork bones simmered for hours yield a wonderfully sweet soup stock, he explained to us.

In addition to the fish, our server added 5 medium-sized fried shrimp to each bowl. Chewy, a tad crunchy and delicious. We watched as she added the obligatory MSG, fish sauce, a dash of sugar, and topped all with chopped green onion. A very very yummy meal!

A dinner (or breakfast or lunch) here is highly recommended. And just 30,000 vnd ($1.40) for this very delicious, hearty bowl of seafood soup delight.

Bún Cá 352 has been serving their wonderful bún cá for over 25 years.

OPEN for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We spent to remainder of the evening touring around the city streets and beach boulevards of Rạch Giá. A very pleasant small city. Traffic was light, people friendly, eateries plentiful and a comfortable sea breeze.

But, before returning back to the hotel for the evening, Thao wanted to introduce us to one more culinary treat for a late night snack, cơm cháy.

Cơm cháy, white rice “burnt on the bottom of the pan”. Crunchy, crispy, and smokey. Topped with sweet, rich, strong-flavored stir-fried bacon. Our best guess was that the sauce was flavored with caramelized sugar and fish sauce. A real flavor burst – YUM! A great way to end our first day of exploring Rạch Giá.

Hai and I loved our first day in Rạch Giá.  It’s absolutely a place you’ll want to visit in Vietnam if you want to get off the beaten track and see a “real” Vietnamese small city, not yet overrun by western development and tourists!

Please stand by for Rạch Giá Bún Cá Trilogy – Part 2 later this month, where Thao and Duc and Hai and I will explore some of Rạch Giá’s interesting sites and search out more bún cá eateries.

Phúc Hưng 1 Hotel
D8(39-40) Đường Lạc Hồng
Khu Lấn Biển, P.Vĩnh Lạc
Rạch Giá City

Bún Cá 352
352 Mạc Cửu
Rạch Giá City

 

 

 

HOW TO TAKE THE BUS TO RẠCH GIÁ CITY

(directions provided by Thao … cảm ơn nhiều, em Thao!)

Phuong Trang is the best bus company to use for this trip. You can call (08) 38 309 309 to book your ticket. Then, go directly to the to west Vietnam bus station in Saigon an hour before departure to pick up your ticket and board your bus.

Alternatively, you can buy your ticket a day or so before departure at 328A Lê Hồng Phong – phường 1- Q.10 TP Hồ Chí Minh. Phone: (08) 38 309 309 – Fax: (08) 38 333 467. When you buy your ticket at this address, they have a small bus that will shuttle you from here to the larger bus at the west Vietnam bus station in Saigon. Then, when you arrive at the west Vietnam station, they have people who will guide you to the proper bus number on your ticket.

A ticket to Rạch Giá city costs 170,000 vnd ($8 USD).

The ride to Rạch Giá bus station will take about 5 or 6 hours, depending upon the number of water buffalo in the road (and the traffic, of course). When you arrive at the Rạch Giá station they will have a small bus to shuttle you to your hotel. Just give the driver the name of your hotel. (Remember, the shuttle bus here is free. Be careful – you will be approached by many drivers here who will offer you rides and charge a significant amount of money.) You can get help or guidance from a man wearing a green Phuong Trang T-shirt and carrying a Phuong Trang card.

NOTE: If you want go to Phu Quoc, instead of Rạch Giá city, there is also a free shuttle bus here at the Rạch Giá station to take you to the Phu Quoc ferry site (assuming you had purchased your original bus ticket for Phu Quoc back in Saigon.)