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Hanoi - Snack Time

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For those who like shrimp paste made with Ca Cuong (oil taken from a flying insect) Bun Thang (chicken vermicelli soup) is a fine choice. It is said that no less than 20 spices are used to flavor the broth. While this may be an exaggeration, the preparation of Bun Thang is a meticulous process. Imagine white noodles, white chicken, reddish lean pork pie, yellow chicken skin, shredded fried egg, shredded salted shrimp, some fried turnips, salted egg yolk, onions, and spicy herbs combined in one colorful bowl.

Few can resist Cha Ca (vermicelli with fish and spring onions fired on a charcoal brazier). Perfect on a rainy afternoon in late summer, this dish is most delicious when eaten while watching the falling rain. The dish typically involves snake-head fish, although hemibagrus from Viet Tri is especially delicious. Pieces of fish are mixed with shrimp paste, galingale, saffron, pepper, dried onions and oil, stuck onto bamboo skewers and grilled over charcoal. A plate of fennel and spring onions, small pieces of coin vermicelli, a plate of roast peanuts and grilled pancakes, a cup of wine from van village, a bowl of shrimp paste mixed with lemon juice and belostomanid essence (obtained from a beetle), and pieces of grilled fish form a feast. Nutritious without being too heavy, Cha Ca is a dish that no visitor to Hanoi should miss.

Tuck into a bowl of vermicelli and you'll find that on old Vietnamese saying rings true: "Eating brings one the happiness of the gods."

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