5 dishes that Vietnamese people are very familiar with.

1. Dancing Shrimp

Also known as Goong Ten, it's sold in northern Thailand. Live shrimp are mixed with chili peppers, fish sauce, coriander, onions, and lime juice. When you eat it, the shrimp are still wriggling.

12 món ăn Thái — The "dancing shrimp" dish from Thailand - Photo: brightinternships.com.

2. "Fermented fish sauce"

The Thais call this dipping sauce Pla Rah, made by fermenting small fish in jars for up to 12 months, some with whole fish still intact. Thaiger suggests that this "strong-smelling" dish might be off-putting to tourists, but they'll enjoy it once they try it.

Notably, fermenting fish to make dipping sauce is the same method Vietnamese people use to make various types of fermented fish paste (mắm nêm), with the fish either left whole in the jar or not, depending on the region. Therefore, Pla Rah is essentially a type of fermented fish paste.

3. Chicken feet

It may sound surprising, but Thaiger reports that tourists outside of Asia are still unfamiliar with this dish because in their countries, the chicken feet are usually discarded. However, in Thailand, Vietnam, and many other Asian countries, this dish is quite popular.

4. Pig brain

Thais have dishes like Tom Samong Moo (pig brain soup) or Ab Ong Or (grilled pig brain wrapped in banana leaves), a dish they believe requires courage for tourists to eat.

However, in Vietnam, pig brain porridge and pig brain soup are probably very familiar dishes to people in many regions.

5. Fried duck beak

The beak is marinated in soy sauce before being fried and grilled to create a crispy texture, then served with a spicy dipping sauce.

6. Red Ant Egg Salad

Popular in northeastern Thailand and known as Larb Kai Mote Daeng, this dish is made from red ants, red ant eggs, fish sauce, coriander, green onions, fresh herbs, and lime juice. The ants and ant eggs can be eaten raw or cooked, and Thais consider it "not for the faint of heart."

Although dishes made with red ants are not familiar to Vietnamese people, they probably wouldn't scare some people in the highlands. In Northwest and Northeast Vietnam, there are sticky rice and cakes made from black ant eggs, while yellow ant salt is a specialty of the Central Highlands.

7. Steamed tadpoles

Known as Hok Huak, you can find it in northeastern Thailand and it's said to taste like boneless chicken. This dish is often quite pungent even when heavily seasoned.

8. "The Egg of the Century"

Actually, this salad called Kai Yeow Maa isn't difficult for Vietnamese people to eat; what makes it "strange" is... century eggs. However, some tourists might cringe because of the way it's prepared, its appearance, and its smell.

Additionally, in Thai salads, century eggs are mixed with coriander, fish sauce, lime juice, etc., to enhance their flavor and make them more palatable.

9. Crispy Fried Frog

While still a familiar dish to Vietnamese people, Thaiger believes it remains a significant challenge for tourists because frog meat is not eaten in many countries.

10. Stinky beans

This type of bean, known as sataw, has a strong odor but contains a high amount of amino acids. However, it tastes very good when cooked properly. Stinky beans are often stir-fried with pork or seafood.

11. Silkworm pupae

In Thailand, fried silkworms are commonly sold, and the Thais themselves consider it a dish that requires courage for tourists to try. However, it certainly wouldn't scare Vietnamese people, a country where mulberry cultivation and silkworm farming are widespread and silkworm pupae are sold as food in many places.

12. Scorpion

In northeastern Thailand, this poisonous insect is often fried and served as a snack. For safety, it needs to be properly prepared, removing its stinger containing the venom.

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