31 Best Restaurants in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

The old-world charm of the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel extends to its in-house restaurant, which serves Vietnamese and Western cuisine overlooking a busy junction of the Chau Doc and Hau River. Take a seat on the terrace to enjoy sunset (and happy hour) at the river and the attentive but discreet service. This is the priciest place in town, but the food, the staff, and the river views make it worthwhile. Reservations are recommended because sometimes the restaurant hosts bus tours.

La Veranda's in-house restaurant presents upscale Pacific Rim cuisine and lovely second floor views over the ocean in an elegant French colonial-style setting. One of the pricier options on Phu Quoc, it's a nice splurge for the service, setting, food, wine list, and a predinner sunset cocktail. It's also an ideal location for a quiet romantic dinner in the heart of busy Long Beach.

This is a great find in Ca Mau, with nostalgic style (the name translates as "ancient street"), including quaint little wooden pavilions, a courtyard bonsai garden, and fish ponds. Serving Chinese-influenced dishes as well as Vietnamese cuisine, Pho Xua has a menu that contains English subtitles, although not much English is spoken by the staff. With its proximity to the ocean, it's no wonder that seafood is the house specialty, but there's also a range of chicken, beef, buffalo, and pork dishes.

At Cassia Cottage Resort's in-house restaurant, whether you choose to dine beside a lily-filled pond in the manicured tropical garden, by the pool, or right on the beach, expect delicious Vietnamese and Mediterranean cuisine using fresh local produce. This is a great option for a special romantic evening that won't break the bank.

An assortment of antiques and a jungle of potted-plants add panache to this humble family-run restaurant, which has been in business for a decade. It's no wonder, because the home-style Vietnamese dishes of meat, seafood, or vegetable stir-fry served with rice are delicious and filling.

Across the road from the marina, this small, neat, and cozy café is a good place to stop for a coffee, ice cream, milk shake, or smoothie, as well as light meals such as sandwiches, burgers, and Vietnamese dishes.

This basic street food stand serves a great version of the local specialty, bun nuoc leo, a vermicelli noodle soup with a umami-rich lemongrass-infused broth topped with pork and snakehead fish; you can indicate to omit the cubes of pork blood, if you don't want it. Patrons can expect celebrity treatment, with plates of spring rolls, fried prawn cakes, and banana-leaf-wrapped roast pork offered, along with wide smiles. If you don't eat any of the extras, you don't pay (but they are very good).

Cars steadily pull up and pile out at this bustling but tidy shop dedicated to Soc Trang specialty bun nuoc leo, a sweetish savory broth made with fermented fish, served over fresh bun rice noodles with slices of fish, roast pork, shrimp, shredded banana flower, and local greens.

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.

Usually packed with locals, this big eating hall with metal tables and plastic stools is the best place in town to order hu tieu My Tho, the noodle soup specialty of My Tho. The menu, printed on the walls, is simple: hu tieu (rice-noodle soup), banh canh (rice-and-tapioca noodle soup), bot nui (rice-macaroni soup), and hoanh thanh (pork wonton soup). There are different prices for hu tieu: thit (pork), xuong (pork knuckle), muc tuoi (fresh squid) and tom tuoi (fresh shrimp).

Popular with locals, this restaurant is designed to look like a bamboo village hut, and is a bit of a point-and-order eating adventure for visitors—the menu has no English, only a few photos on each page that vaguely correspond to the dishes listed below. The menu offers seafood, salad, beef, chicken, sparrow (chim se), and hotpot. Luckily the prices are so low it doesn't really matter if you mis-order a few dishes.

For years this French restaurant was the finest dining in Can Tho. While the city has grown-up considerably, L'Escale still boasts the best rooftop terrace; try to snag a table at the front overlooking the riverfront promenade. The specialty is steak, but the menu has chicken, duck, pork, or fish dishes as well, accompanied by a decent size list of wines by the bottle and jazzy tunes.

Located in a modern development, this corner French café-bistro is just the ticket for those wanting a break from Vietnamese food. It has egg dishes and tartine for breakfast, French salads, duck, and steak for dinner, and in a strange twist, poke bowls for lunch.

The newest restaurant on Can Tho's tourist strip has an intimate set up, comfortable furniture, and a coveted terrace on the ground and upper floor with views of bustling Ninh Kieu Pier. The menu is divided between European and Asian and both sections offer plenty of variety (try the chicken braised in coconut). There's also La Baguette, their grab-and-go on the side for quick sandwiches, drinks, coffee, or cake, which are baked on-site.

This modern café has an eclectic menu of Korean and Japanese-influenced dishes, including ramen and bi bim bap, as well as pizza and Thai food.

In contrast to the same-owned L'Escale French restaurant on the rooftop, this all-day café-restaurant serves a variety of traditional Mekong specialties in a casual bistro setting. The dishes highlight typical Mekong Delta flavors, ingredients, and preparations, including sweet-and-sour soups and braised-in-claypot dishes; the adventurous can try the snake set, while the less adventurous still have a Western menu available. Part of the tourist-targeted empire that also owns Sao Hom and The Lighthouse Restaurants, this one offers the most traditional fare. Reservations are recommended at peak times, as large tour groups can arrive en masse.

Funky wall art, exposed brick, and black metal gives character to this tucked-away vegetarian cafe where you can find healthy fare such as salads, sourdough toasts, and smoothie bowls.

A plain and simple restaurant associated with Cuu Long Hotel across the road, the main reason to come here is for the riverfront location. The menu has a range of standard Vietnamese dishes, including hotpot, and a few Western choices, though the staff don't mind if you grab a riverside seat for drinks rather than ordering a meal.

An invitingly clean, calm, air-conditioned space is just one reason to eat at this vegetarian restaurant, which does plant-based versions of Vietnamese classics such as hu tieu rice noodle soup and com tam (broken rice with surprisingly tasty mock meat) for less than 25,000d, as well as hotpot ideal for two or more people.

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.

Alongside a French-colonial villa once home to a Nguyen Dynasty official, Mekong serves up fresh and tasty Vietnamese dishes, has an English menu, and serves cheap cold beers. The location could be described as a courtyard if it didn't look so much like a parking lot, and the metal tables and plastic chairs are basic, but the tablecloths do give the place a certain touch of sophistication. The menu includes southern Vietnamese staples such as seafood, eel, quail, and frog, and there are plenty of less exotic options as well.

Locals will tell you that this long-standing shop has the best pho (beef noodle soup) in town, though it has become a bit pricey by Vietnamese standards. Unusually, they are open for both breakfast and dinner.

This cute little café has an Asian fusion menu that has a vegetarian section and a good selection of drinks, including Pasteur Street craft beer on tap and a sizeable menu for wine by the glass. Brunch is their forte, with delicious eggs Benedict, as well as homemade granola. The array of baked goods changes daily.

In a superb riverside setting inside Can Tho's beautiful old market hall, Sao Hom is one of the only restaurants on the water's edge (or on the water, if you manage to get a table on their dock). The menu seems stretched trying to please everyone with its range of made-for-tourist Vietnamese dishes, including the local version of cha gio (spring rolls), as well as Western favorites. But with friendly, polite staff and an interesting location beside busy Ninh Kieu boat pier, Sao Hom is a great place to pause and watch the river with drinks or snacks.

The menu is as thick as a book, but this modest family-owned restaurant has become extremely popular with tourists for their expertly prepared fresh seafood—especially the fish and prawns—and for their charcoal grill, which fires up every evening.

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).

A basic eatery that attracts a good mix of tourists and locals, Truong Van serves standard but tasty noodle soup, spring rolls, fish soup, and grilled beef in a sweet-and-sour sauce. Vegetarians can tuck into mixed sautéed vegetables (cauliflower, baby corn, red and green peppers, morning glory) over wok-fried noodles. Toast to your trip with Saigon beer and finish on a sweet note with the excellent banana pancakes.

There are several chain-type dining outlets inside Vincom Xuan Khanh, a multilevel shopping mall and cinema adjacent to Sheraton Can Tho. Level 4 is where most of the eateries are, as well as an indoor kids' play center. Choices include Thai BBQ Buffet, GoGi House (Korean), Kichi-Kichi (Japanese), and dim sum/Chinese restaurant chain Crystal Jade Kitchen.

Make your way through the bustling local market to the food section at breakfast or lunchtime to find something cheap, authentic, and delicious such as banh uot, which translates literally as "wet cakes," steamed rice sheets topped with barbecued pork patties, pickled vegetables, and a tangy dressing. The market stalls start packing up at around 4 pm.