Regarding Ban Than seafood restaurant

2(1).jpg — The sea area of Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua is famous for its valuable seafood.

Delicious fresh dishes

People who choose to travel to the beach usually want to satisfy two things - enjoy dishes made from fresh seafood and immerse themselves in the peaceful, pristine scenery of the sea.

This is probably why the Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua scenic area is chosen by so many tourists, especially young people, who camp or hold parties right on the beach. The fish, squid, oysters... are so fresh, enough to make them want to come back again and again.

Le Thanh Hieu, a student from Nghe An province studying in Da Nang, came here on his backpacking trip. Hieu said that he and his group of friends decided to choose Tam Hai island commune as one of the check-in points for this backpacking trip.

The island commune has two ferry terminals, making it convenient to travel by motorbike to camp on the mountaintop near Ban Than. “Our group was able to buy fresh seafood at cheap prices and have the locals prepare dishes according to our requests. This is more interesting than at other coastal tourist destinations,” Hieu shared.

As always, dishes from coastal villages never need many spices or eye-catching decorations. They simply boil, grill, or steam crab, shrimp, fish, etc. Because the ingredients themselves are fresh and delicious, they only need to be cooked to preserve their distinctive flavor.

The cuisine of Ban Than region retains a simple cooking style, with seafood typically steamed, boiled, or grilled to preserve its natural flavor. Photo: H.D.

Ms. Huynh Thi Thy said that her restaurant attracts tourists thanks to its delicious food. “Although the restaurant is simple and nestled under a coconut grove, everyone who comes here returns to order more. This is because the seafood is fresh, caught by local fishermen every morning. City dwellers are increasingly returning to the simple, rustic way of eating and cooking that our ancestors used to do,” Ms. Thy said.

Bring home gifts from the sea.

The "secret" to visiting Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua is to choose the spring months, when seafood is abundant. According to veteran fisherman Nguyen Ngoc Tho from Thuan An village, the reefs here are home to hundreds of rare and specialty seafood species.

After the Lunar New Year, it's the season for green-clawed crabs and cuttlefish. "The crabs this season are meaty, about 6-7 crabs make up a kilogram, and the cuttlefish can weigh up to 1.5 kilograms, making them very appealing," Mr. Tho shared.

Clam harvesting on the rocky reef at Bai Bac. Photo: H.D.

Fishermen usually return to shore early in the morning, so tourists can only buy seafood to take home if they are willing to wake up early. Alternatively, they can drive back to the center of the commune, where there is a small roadside market that operates in the morning and afternoon.

Among the specialties that grow on coral reefs, seaweed jelly has become a must-have souvenir for everyone. This type of seaweed usually only grows on rocks for about 3 months. The period leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year) is the seaweed jelly harvesting season for local people. When the tide recedes, they go to the rocky outcrops to pick them by hand. The price of 1 kilogram of fresh seaweed jelly is about 1 million VND, and dried seaweed costs more than 3 million VND. Its refreshing properties, rich nutrients, and ease of preparation make it easy to understand why it's a popular choice for tourists as a gift from the sea.

The cuisine of this island region isn't just about fish and shrimp. Seaweed and clams are also among the list of seafood specialties. Going past Bai Bac beach, after about a kilometer, a large rocky reef appears. This is also the largest clam-gathering area in Tam Hai island commune. Here, people gather clams year-round; whenever the tide is low, women take advantage of the opportunity to search under the rocks or on the pebble beach.

“There are countless clams. This is a gift from nature to our homeland. Tam Hai clams have delicious, sweet meat, so they are very popular with tourists. Recently, many tourists have come, and they like to buy them directly from us to prepare for camping trips or have restaurants prepare them for them,” said Ms. Tran Thi Bich Lien, a resident of the island commune.

The Tam Hai authorities have recognized the strengths of their homeland. “Seafood cuisine is a major advantage in attracting tourists, and this is also a reason for them to return to Tam Hai. Seafood dishes in this island commune are not only fresh and delicious but also quite affordable, and there’s no need to worry about price gouging that happens in some places,” said Do Kim Hung, Vice Chairman of the Tam Hai Commune People’s Committee.

A bowl of seaweed soup with jam has just been served. Not to mention, a plate of steamed squid glistening with color. What are you waiting for? Come and enjoy!

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