5 Best Restaurants in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

This riverside café features a sizeable koi pond at its center and an extensive drink menu, from espresso and milk tea, to cold brew, in addition to a small menu of snacks and desserts.

There's a range of morning and daytime street food stalls surrounding Ha Tien's impressive market, which comprises of several buildings. Also find lots of cheap snacks and seafood at the night market, which used to be on the riverside but has been relocated to a wide boulevard in a newly developed area of town; a few vendors still set up at the river.

The restaurant, which is close to the market and is popular with the locals, makes a delectable version of com tam ("broken rice") with charcoal grilled pork in a sweet, sticky glaze.

Tran Hau Street, which runs east from the market, is packed with local mom-and-pop establishments. These small eateries usually specialize in one dish and are named after what they serve, so look out for all manner of delicious southern favorites, including hu tieu (chewy noodles with pork and seafood), bun ca (rice noodle soup with fish), banh canh ghe (thick tapioca noodle soup with crab), com tam (broken rice with grilled pork), and che (a Vietnamese dessert).

As you'd expect from a seaside town, Ha Tien has excellent seafood restaurants, most of which line the river. Vinh Map is a good place to tuck into fresh shrimp, squid, clams, sea snails, and oysters, which are usually sold by the kilo or half kilo. An English menu helps, but not as much as a bit of confidence and the ability to point at what you'd like to eat.