What a wonderful way to begin our second day in Rạch Giá City …
Is this the best bún cá in Rạch Giá City (or in Vietnam)? Just maybe!
Preparing our meal at Bún Cá Hai Tằm
… at Bún Cá Hai Tầm.
In the center of Rạch Giá City is a small, simple and pleasant public square. Just a half block off that square we found our second bún cá meal of the trip.
The bún cá broth was deliciously fresh and subtly flavored. Tender, firm and meaty fish, mint leaves, cucumber bits and bean sprouts filled the bowl. Light, tasty and refreshing. But, it was the complimentary food items that made this breakfast truly remarkable.
Bánh cống (shrimp fritter)
The bánh cống (or bánh cóng) was so so good! A deep-fried rice flour cake with shrimp and green mung bean (a shrimp fritter!!) I couldn’t quite stop eating more .. and then another.
Wonderful bánh cống. JUST MORE PLEASE! 🙂
And bánh dầu cháo quẩy (yet another deep-fried donut-like treat) to dip into our “quiet” fish broth.
Hai & Thao & Duc loving their bún cá
As she prepared our bowls of soup, the 73-year old owner shared her story of how she put her six children through the university by selling her bún cá for more than 50 years in Nha Trang. An inspiring story, and a great meal here at Bún Cá Hai Tầm … don’t miss this place! By the way, you might recall Hai and my first encounter with bún cá during our Nha Trang adventure some time ago.
Bún Cá Hai Tằm
Bún Cá Hai Tầm is open only in the mornings. Just 30,000 vnd ($1.40 USD) for this amazing fish soup.
Before I say any more about Day #2 here in Rạch Giá City, if you missed our blog about Day #1, please take a look at Rạch Giá Bún Cá Trilogy – Part 1 (and find out the best way to get here from Saigon by bus).
The highlight of our second day, other than our second excellent bún cá meal, was our visit to the Kiên Giang Museum. I really wasn’t expecting much. After all, a small museum in a relatively remote area of Vietnam (at least from the perspective of foreign visitors). But, surprise! The museum was housed in an ornate French villa, formerly a private home. Our very lovely receptionist walked us through the photographic displays, pottery and other artifacts from various historical periods and cultural events of importance to the local province.
Museum of the southwest-most province of Vietnam, Kiên Giang
The museum’s tribute to the ever-present “Uncle Ho”
A very nice display of classic Vietnamese musical instruments
What!
Beautiful cement-tile floors and walls – a tile industry introduced here by the French
… and the chairs of Vietnamese kings (and perhaps present day Party officials)
… and, Why not a caged whale skeleton?
After our museum tour, Thao advised us that Rạch Giá had yet more to offer!! Back on our motorbikes and off to the Nguyễn Trung Trực Temple.
Nguyễn Trung Trực Temple
Nguyễn Trung Trực was a leader of the resistance campaign of the 1860s against the newly arrived French.
Portrait of Nguyễn Trung Truực in the Temple’s main hall
Throughout my many years traveling and living in Vietnam, I’ve noted that museums, shrines, temples, public parks, and city street are all dedicated to the memories and legends of fallen patriots who have resisted foreign presence in Vietnam – all as interpreted by the current Vietnamese Party leadership. The story presented at this Temple is that despite repeated attempts to capture him, Nguyễn Trung Trực continued to fight until 1868, when the French took his mother hostage and threatened to kill her if he did not surrender.
Nguyễn Trung Trực turned himself in and was executed by the French in the marketplace of Rach Gia on 27 October 1868.
Okay, okay, okay, Thao. Enough provencial and revolutionary history already! Where’s the beach?
A lovely view of the Gulf of Thailand from our cafe … just don’t look too closely at the beach.
We all headed off to a beach cafe. My cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee with milk) was great. And the cafe itself very pleasant. The breeze and the view of the sea refreshing. And the company of our friends Thao and Duc, wonderful.
Our friends, Duc & Thao, enjoying cà phê beside the Gulf of Thailand.
Hai loved his sữ chua cà phê (yogurt with a shot of coffee)
BUT, the beach (the shoreline) here in Rạch Giá City was not memorable. Well, yes it was memorable, but in an unpleasant kind of memory way. Plastic bags, water bottles, and various and sundry debris floated in the salty water beside us and lined the beaches and coves. Absolute 0% interest in swimming or sunbathing anywhere near this beach.
Oh well, the breeze and the coffee were great.
More on our Rạch Giá eating adventures as well as our motorbike ride to Hà Tiên in our upcoming blog, Rạch Giá Bún Cá Trilogy – Part 3. 🙂
Bún Cá Hai Tầm
6 Phan Boi Chau Street
Rạch Giá City
Kiên Giang Museum
21-D Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Street
Rạch Giá City
OPEN: 7.30-11am Mon-Fri & 1.30-5pm Mon-Wed
Nguyen Trung Truc Temple
18 Ð Nguyen Cong Tru
Rạch Giá City
Our afternoon “Seaside” Cà Phê
Tôn Đức Thắng Street
Rạch Giá City