A local food guide to Lang Son

2. Lang Son Roast Pork

Whole roasted pork with a puffy, golden-brown, and crispy skin is a renowned dish of Lang Son province. The secret lies in the special marinade with mac mat leaves – a fragrant, aromatic forest leaf unique to the northern mountainous region. When eaten, the meat is tender, sweet, and dipped in a specially prepared sauce, creating an unmistakable flavor. This is a must-try dish when visiting Lang Son. Reference price: 300,000–500,000 VND/kg

3. Roast Duck Pho

A creative combination of rich, flavorful roast duck with mac mat leaves and soft rice noodles creates a truly authentic Lang Son-style roast duck pho. The duck is evenly roasted, with crispy skin and flavorful meat, served with a light and sweet broth and aromatic herbs. Each bowl of roast duck pho is a unique culinary experience, both novel and captivating to the last bite. Reference price: 35,000–50,000 VND/bowl

4. Braised Pork Belly (Khau Nhuc)

Khau Nhuc is a traditional dish that is indispensable during festivals and holidays of the Tay and Nung people in Lang Son. Pork belly is marinated thoroughly, then steamed for many hours until tender and melts in your mouth. In particular, the skin is fried until crispy before steaming, evenly infused with soy sauce and mac mat leaves, creating a rich yet not greasy flavor. This dish is usually served with sticky rice or white rice. Reference price: 60,000–80,000 VND/portion

9. Lang Son Chili Bamboo Shoots

A signature condiment, Lang Son chili bamboo shoots are made from thinly sliced ​​young bamboo shoots, pickled with chili peppers, garlic, ginger, and fermented vinegar – especially with the addition of mac mat seeds, giving them a very fragrant and aromatic flavor. The bamboo shoots have a mild sourness and a spicy kick, making them perfect accompaniments to vermicelli, pho, noodles, or roasted meat. This simple side dish significantly enhances the flavor of the main course. Chili bamboo shoots are usually packaged in convenient jars, easy to store, and make a great souvenir. Reference price: 25,000–50,000 VND/jar

10. Puffed Rice Cake (Peng Khua)

Peng Khua, also known as "laughing cake," is a traditional cake often served at weddings or festivals of the Tay and Nung people. The cake is made from glutinous rice flour mixed with sugar, shaped into a round form, and deep-fried until puffed up in hot oil. When fried, the cake puffs up, turns golden brown, has a moderate sweetness, and is not hollow inside. Reference price: 10,000–15,000 VND/piece

11. Coong Phu Cake

Coong Phu cake (also known as ant nest cake) is made from lightly fermented glutinous rice flour, filled with mung bean or sugar, and then boiled until cooked. The cake is soft, slightly chewy, and has a subtly sweet taste. It is often served during traditional festivals such as Thanh Minh Festival or Lunar New Year. This cake is both unique in taste and holds significant cultural value. Reference price: 5,000–7,000 VND/piece

13. Pickled Bamboo Shoots with Chili

Pickled bamboo shoots with chili is a famous side dish from Lang Son province, made from thinly sliced ​​young wild bamboo shoots, pickled with garlic, chili, and vinegar. The spicy, slightly sour flavor is very stimulating to the taste buds, often served with roasted meat, vermicelli, pho, or white rice. The product is conveniently packaged in jars, easy to transport and store for a long time. Reference price: 30,000–50,000 VND/jar

14. Black Jelly

Black jelly (also called grass jelly) is made from the black jelly plant grown in the mountainous region of Lang Son. After cooking and cooling, the jelly has a glossy black color, a cool and smooth texture. This is a traditional cooling dessert, often served with rock sugar, coconut milk, or fresh milk. The packaged dried jelly is very suitable as a gift. Reference price: 60,000–90,000 VND/box

15. Black Sticky Rice Cake

Black sticky rice cake is a traditional dish of the Tay people in Lang Son, made from glutinous rice mixed with Nuc Nuc leaves to create a natural black color, filled with mung beans, pork, and spices. The cake is chewy, fragrant, and has a rich, nutty flavor. It is often used during Tet (Lunar New Year) or given as a gift to relatives. Reference price: 50,000–70,000 VND/piece

16. Chi Lang Custard Apple

Chi Lang custard apples are famous for their thin skin, large, evenly spaced eyes, thick flesh, and rich sweetness. Thanks to the special climate and soil conditions, the custard apples here are much tastier than those from other places. The harvest season is from August to September; visitors should buy directly from the orchards to choose fresh, naturally ripened fruit. Reference price: 30,000–50,000 VND/kg

17. Bac Son Tangerines

Bac Son tangerines have thin, plump skin, a sweet and mildly fragrant taste. Grown in limestone mountainous areas, these tangerines have a high sugar content, few seeds, and are very popular during Tet (Lunar New Year). This is a characteristic fruit of Lang Son province, suitable as a gift that is both delicious and meaningful. Reference price: 25,000–35,000 VND/kg

18. Mau Son Peaches

Located at an altitude of over 800m above sea level, Mau Son is a famous peach-growing region. Mau Son peaches have pink skin, white-pink flesh, and a crisp, subtly sweet taste. The peaches are small but fragrant and juicy, typically in season from May to June. Tourists can buy them at local markets or from the orchards of the Dao people on the mountaintop. Reference price: 40,000–60,000 VND/kg

19. Bao Lam Persimmons

Bao Lam persimmons are a variety of pickled persimmons, with small fruits that turn a vibrant orange-yellow color when ripe, and have a sweet, smooth, and tender taste. They are widely grown in the three communes of Bao Lam, Thanh Loa, and Thach Dan in Cao Loc district, Lang Son province, and harvested in September-October. After being pickled and left to ripen naturally, these persimmons are very suitable as gifts due to their distinctive flavor. Reference price: 20,000–35,000 VND/kg

20. Star Anise from Lang Son

Star anise is a precious spice widely grown in Van Quan and Van Lang districts. After harvesting, the star anise flowers are dried, giving them a warm aroma and a slightly sweet taste. They are commonly used in cooking, making tea, or infusing in alcohol. This is a characteristic gift from the highlands, highly favored by food lovers. Reference price: 250,000–350,000 VND/kg

21. Mac Mat Leaves

Mac Mat leaves are the key ingredient that gives Lang Son's famous roasted dishes their unique flavor. The leaves have a rich, tangy aroma and are often used to marinate meat or stir-fry with vegetables. Both fresh and dried leaves are widely available in large markets, making them easy to bring home as gifts. Reference price: 30,000–50,000 VND/bundle of fresh leaves

22. Wild vegetables (Sau Sau leaves, Bo Khai leaves, etc.)

Lang Son is a land of many precious wild vegetables such as Bo Khai leaves, Sau Sau leaves, and Dớn leaves, etc., which are harvested from the mountains by the locals. These vegetables have a unique flavor, are rich in nutrients, and are processed into many delicious dishes such as stir-fries, soups, and salads. They are often dried for long-term preservation. Reference price: 80,000–120,000 VND/kg of dried vegetables

23. Mau Son wild lemons

Mau Son wild lemons are small, with thin skin, a strong aroma, and a slightly sour taste with a sweet aftertaste. The fruit is often used to make honey syrup, jam, and tea to relieve colds. Besides fresh fruit, many places also process wild lemons into syrup, jam, or dried slices – convenient and suitable as gifts. Reference price: 150,000–200,000 VND/kg

24. Trang Dinh chestnut - Quang Lac

Lang Son chestnuts have brown skin, fleshy kernel, fragrant aroma and little fiber. Nuts are often boiled, baked or made into cakes and nut milk. Chestnut season is from September to November, very suitable to buy as a gift. Some famous localities include Trang Dinh and Quang Lac.Reference price: 80,000–120,000 VND/kg

25. Forest Honey

Lang Son forest honey has a deep yellow color, a strong aroma, a subtly sweet taste, and crystallizes slowly. The honey is harvested from the Mau Son forest and mountainous districts such as Bac Son and Van Quan. This is a meaningful health gift, which can be used to make tea, soak lemons, or for beauty purposes. Reference price: 250,000–400,000 VND/liter

Additionally, if you are near Lang Son or have the means to properly store it during travel, you can also choose to buy ready-made dishes such as roast duck, roast pork, or braised pork belly, etc. These dishes all have distinctive flavors thanks to the use of local spices like mac mat leaves, are carefully packaged, and can be stored for a short time. These will be gifts that embody the culinary spirit of Lang Son, suitable for giving as presents or enjoying with family right after your trip.

Where to buy Lang Son specialties? Suggestions for Famous Markets and Shops

After exploring the culinary delights of Lang Son, you'll surely want to bring back some local specialties as gifts for family and friends. In Lang Son city, you can easily find famous delicacies at the following traditional markets:

• Dong Kinh Market (Vinh Trai Ward, Lang Son City): This is the largest market in the city, offering a wide variety of goods, including many specialties such as sausages, chili bamboo shoots, black jelly, honey, mugwort cakes, etc. Reasonable prices and abundant goods make it a great place to buy souvenirs.
• Ky Lua Market (Hoang Van Thu Ward, Lang Son City): This is a traditional highland market, usually held early in the morning. Here, you can find wild vegetables, mac mat leaves, wild lemons, chestnuts, and many other products brought and sold by the Tay and Nung ethnic people.
• Gieng Vuong Market (Bac Son Ward, Lang Son City): This bustling wholesale market is famous for its abundant supply of local agricultural products and food. Visitors can buy wholesale and retail various specialties such as black sticky rice cakes, forest honey, dried bamboo shoots, star anise, cinnamon, etc. The diversity of goods makes this place always lively with buyers and sellers.

Depending on their needs and time, visitors can choose to visit one of the above markets to easily find their desired specialties, which are both authentically Lang Son in flavor and meaningful as gifts.