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Typical Souvenirs from Haiphong (2026)
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Best Food in Haiphong (2026)
Haiphong is famous for its seafood and noodle dishes. Banh da cua, a thick crab noodle soup, is a must-try, along with banh mi que, a crispy breadstick sandwich. For a swee… 🍜 Iconic Dishes to Try
Haiphong is famous for its seafood and noodle dishes. Banh da cua, a thick crab noodle soup, is a must-try, along with banh mi que, a crispy breadstick sandwich. For a sweet treat, look for kem que, a local ice cream bar sold by street vendors.
🍲 Top Restaurants for Banh Da Cua
For the best banh da cua, head to Quan Banh Da Cua Ba Lua at 34 Le Loi Street, open from 6 AM to 10 PM. A bowl costs around 40,000 VND. Another popular spot is Banh Da Cua Ba Be at 60 Dien Bien Phu, where the broth is rich and the crab flavor is intense.
🥖 Best Banh Mi Que Stalls
Banh mi que is a Haiphong specialty, and the best stalls are on Luong Khanh Thien Street near the train station. A serving of 10 sticks with dipping sauce costs about 20,000 VND. Try Banh Mi Que Ba Phuong at 12 Luong Khanh Thien, open from 3 PM to 9 PM.
🦐 Seafood Hotspots by the River
For fresh seafood, visit the Tam Bac River area where floating restaurants serve grilled shrimp, clams, and fish. Nha Hang Thuy Ta at 1 Tran Phu offers a riverside dining experience with dishes starting at 100,000 VND. It is open daily from 10 AM to 10 PM.
🍦 Where to Find Kem Que
Kem que, or stick ice cream, is sold by vendors around the Opera House and along Dien Bien Phu Street. Flavors include coconut, durian, and green bean, each costing 5,000 VND. Look for the carts with colorful umbrellas, especially in the late afternoon.
🌃 Night Market Food Stalls
The Haiphong Night Market on Tran Phu Street comes alive from 6 PM to 11 PM on weekends. You will find stalls selling grilled skewers, fried spring rolls, and fresh sugarcane juice. Prices are affordable, with most items between 10,000 and 30,000 VND.
🍵 Local Drinks to Complement Your Meal
Pair your meal with a glass of tra da (iced tea) or nuoc mia (sugarcane juice), available at most eateries for 5,000 VND. For a stronger option, try ruou nep (fermented sticky rice wine) at local bars near the city center. These drinks are refreshing and cheap.
🚕 Getting Around to Eat
Most food spots are concentrated in the city center, so walking or taking a short taxi ride is easy. Use ride-hailing apps like Grab for quick trips, with fares starting at 10,000 VND. Renting a bicycle is also a great option for exploring the food scene at your own pace.
honestly the banh da cua guide is spot on but i think people sleep on the versions with cha ca (fried fish cake) instead of crab. the place on Hoang Van Thu street does a killer bowl with both crab and fish cake for 50k and the lady there has been running it for like 30 years
for seafood i'd skip the river spots entirely and head to the alley behind the Cat Bi airport around 6 PM. there's a bunch of stalls that set up with plastic tables and the grilled scallops with onion fat and peanuts are unreal. a plate of like 10 scallops is 80k and they give you this tangy fish sauce dip that's addictive
one thing nobody mentions is the banh trang nuong (grilled rice paper) sold near the university gates around 8 PM. it's different from the Saigon version - they use a thicker rice paper and load it with quail egg, dried shrimp, and this creamy pork spread. 15k each and perfect for a light dinner before hitting the night market
ngl this is a solid guide. One thing I'd add is the banh da cua at Ba Lua is great but if you want a more local vibe go to the spot on Quang Trung Street near the morning market. It's a tiny place with plastic stools but the broth is smokier and they add extra pork for like 45k
Also for kem que the coconut one is the best imo but the durian flavor is super intense if you're feeling brave. The vendors near the Opera House usually have a wider selection than the ones on Dien Bien Phu
And honestly skip the night market for food unless you just want snacks. The real late night eats are on Cat Cut Street where they open around 10 PM and do grilled squid with this spicy salt dip that's insanely good
yeah this is a really good breakdown. One thing I'd add is that the banh mi que from the stalls near the train station is at its best right when they open around 3 PM - the breadsticks are still warm and extra crispy. I usually grab a batch and eat them while walking along the tracks, it's a whole vibe
For seafood I actually prefer the smaller family-run places on the alley behind the Tam Bac market rather than the big floating restaurants. There's one called Quan Oc Ba Sau that does these grilled clams with peanuts and scallion oil for like 60k, way better than the tourist spots and the owner is super friendly
Also if you're into coffee try the ca phe trung (egg coffee) at a little place on Minh Khai Street near the cathedral. It's thicker and creamier than the Hanoi version and only 25k a cup. They close at 5 PM though so get there early
Typical Souvenirs from Haiphong (2026)
Haiphong's coastal location makes dried squid, shrimp, and fish a beloved souvenir. Locals often buy these at the Cho Sat market (Sat Market) on Tran Phu Street, where… 🦑 Dried Seafood Specialties
Haiphong's coastal location makes dried squid, shrimp, and fish a beloved souvenir. Locals often buy these at the Cho Sat market (Sat Market) on Tran Phu Street, where vendors sell vacuum-packed packs starting at 100,000 VND. The tradition of drying seafood dates back centuries, as it was a way to preserve the catch for long sea voyages and inland trade.
🍬 Ga Gia Cake
Ga Gia cake is a chewy, sweet confection made from malt and ginger, a specialty of Haiphong's old quarter. You can find it at the family-run shop on 52 Dien Bien Phu Street, with boxes priced from 50,000 to 150,000 VND. This treat has been made for over a century, originally as a warming snack for dock workers during the cold winter months.
🏺 Ceramic Fish Sauce Jars
Small ceramic jars, often shaped like fish or decorated with coastal motifs, are a charming souvenir that reflects Haiphong's fishing heritage. Pick them up at the craft stalls in Cho Hang Duong (Hang Duong Market) on Tran Phu Street, where prices range from 30,000 to 80,000 VND. These jars echo the traditional earthenware used to store nuoc mam, the fermented fish sauce that is a cornerstone of Vietnamese cuisine.
🧵 Handwoven Lan Ha Textiles
From the nearby Cat Ba archipelago, handwoven cotton textiles in indigo and natural dyes are a meaningful buy. Look for them at the Cat Ba Market or at small cooperatives in the island's villages, with scarves and table runners costing 100,000 to 250,000 VND. Weaving is a centuries-old craft of the local fisherfolk, and each pattern tells a story of the sea and island life.
🖼️ Do Son Sea Paintings
Local artists often paint the iconic Do Son beach and its pine-covered hills, capturing Haiphong's seaside charm. You can buy original works at the Haiphong Fine Arts Gallery on 15 Le Hong Phong Street, with prints from 200,000 VND and originals from 1,000,000 VND. These paintings are a modern take on the landscape that has inspired poets and painters since the French colonial era.
🍯 Wild Honey from Cat Ba
Cat Ba National Park produces a distinct wild honey, harvested from the island's native flowers. You can purchase it at the park's visitor center or at local shops in Cat Ba town, with jars priced from 150,000 to 300,000 VND. This honey is prized for its medicinal properties and is a sweet reminder of the island's pristine nature.
📿 Buddhist Prayer Beads
At the Du Hang Pagoda, one of Haiphong's oldest Buddhist sites, you can find wooden prayer beads carved from local fruit pits. The pagoda's souvenir stall sells them for 50,000 to 100,000 VND, with proceeds supporting the temple. These beads are a tangible piece of the city's spiritual life, blessed by monks and used for meditation.
🎁 Where to Shop
For a one-stop souvenir run, head to Cho Sat (Sat Market) or the night market on Quang Trung Street, open from 5 PM to 10 PM. Bargaining is expected, so start at 70% of the asking price. For higher-end crafts, visit the Haiphong Museum gift shop, which supports local artisans.
solid list, the dried squid at Cho Sat is legit but honestly most locals grab it at the alley stalls off Tran Phu near the cathedral, cheaper and you can pick your own pieces. if you're getting ga gia cake, skip the fancy boxes and ask for the loose ones wrapped in paper, the family at 52 Dien Bien Phu will give u a taste first.
one thing missing: the little brass ship models sold near the port, around Cau Rao bridge. they're tiny but detailed, like 80k for a small one, and they actually look good on a shelf. also the honey from Cat Ba is way overpriced at the visitor center, buy it from the old lady selling fruit near the ferry dock in Cat Ba town, same stuff for half the price.
for the paintings, the gallery on Le Hong Phong is fine but i'd check the weekend art market at the opera house plaza instead, younger artists selling smaller pieces for like 150k, more fun to browse. bargaining at Cho Sat is expected but don't lowball too hard on seafood, they'll just laugh and walk away.
honestly the dried seafood list is pretty spot on but i'd add one thing locals actually bring back for family, the salted dried anchovies they sell loose at the morning market near the Cau Dat wharf, not the tourist spots. it's like 50k a kilo and way more flavorful than the packaged stuff, goes perfect with plain rice. my grandma always stocks up when she visits.
for the ga gia cake, the loose ones are the move but if u want something that actually survives the flight home, grab the ones with a bit more ginger, they keep better and taste less cloying after a day or two. also the night market on Quang Trung is good but it gets packed with tourists, if u want a chill vibe go on a weekday around 6 PM, the vendors are more patient and u can actually browse without elbowing anyone.
the ceramic fish sauce jars are cute but honestly most tourists miss the real deal, the big stone mortars and pestles they sell at hang duong market on the ground floor. my aunt uses one daily for her shrimp paste and it lasts forever, like 150k for a solid one. also if ur into the dried squid, skip the vacuum packs and ask for the grilled ones at the night market, they'll char it right there and u can eat it on the spot with some chili salt, way better than bringing it home tbh.
the prayer beads at du hang pagoda are a nice pick but i'd add that the pagoda itself is worth a wander, the gardens are quiet and the monks are used to foreigners asking questions. for the honey, yeah the visitor center rip-off is real, but if u happen to be on cat ba during the lychee season in june, some families sell lychee flower honey that's even more fragrant, ask around at the homestays near the national park entrance.