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You can’t leave North Vietnam without trying this absolute highlight

You can’t leave North Vietnam without trying this absolute highlight

The court
Cha ca la vong, Vietnam

Cha Ca and his companions in Hanoi.

Cha Ca and his companions in Hanoi.Credit: Alamy

Serving

We have to admit something here, which is that the spelling of “cha ca la vong” you see here is completely wrong. The system here is simply unable to print the tone indicators used in the Vietnamese alphabet, which is why we are missing the falling tone in “cha,” the high-rising tone in “ca,” the rising tone in “la,” and the low-falling tone in “vong.” So, excuse me. But let’s get to the point, which is what this classic Hanoi dish contains: chunks of freshwater fish, usually catfish, are marinated in a range of ingredients, most notably turmeric, fried in oil until golden brown, and served with a ton of fresh dill, spring onions, peanuts, and often rice noodles. You can’t leave northern Vietnam without trying this absolute highlight.

First serve

Over a century ago, when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina, the Doan family started selling cha ca, or grilled fish, ostensibly to make money but also to provide a secret meeting place in central Hanoi for resistance fighters fighting against the colonial powers. They named their restaurant in honor of Jiang Ziya (one of his titles, “Lu Wang,” is “La Vong” in Vietnamese), a Chinese military general and revolutionary who is said to have fished without a rod, believing that the fish would come to him when they were ready.

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Order there

The Doans’ restaurant still exists in Hanoi: it is located at 14 Cha Ca Street in the old quarter, but be careful, there are many restaurants with a similar name. Cha Ca Anh Vu at 120 Giang Vo Street in Ba Dinh District is also recommended.

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