In the small village lying along the beautiful Ba River in the southern coastal Phu Yen Province, it was supposed to be a quiet day.

The imperial city of Hue is not just famous for its citadels and pagodas. As a popular saying goes, “Hanoi has 36 streets, Hue has 36 kinds of sweet soup.”

The humble snail has pride of place in Vietnamese cuisine, especially in Hanoi. A kind of snail living in ponds and lakes that grows to the size of a golf ball is used to make a uniquely delicious dish called bun oc (snail noodle soup).

Dai Hoang village, better known as Vu Dai village, in the northern Ha Nam Province 50 kilometers southeast of Hanoi, has become renowned for its traditional dish -- braised fish in earthenware pots.

Hanoians who live in Ho Chi Minh City will no longer have to travel all the way back to the northern capital to sample their hometown’s signature dish of pho (beef noodle dish), as one of the city’s popular brands is already here.