When searching for duck dishes in Hanoi, you’ll find results showing restaurants that serve many different dishes and duck is one of them. We don’t normally take our guests to those with extensive offerings, instead we take them to “duck-dishes-only” eateries. Here are some of our favourite “duck places”, where you can try traditional Vietnamese duck dishes.
Note on Duck vs Muscovy Duck:
Duck should not be confused with muscovy duck, they’re two types of waterfowl widely farmed in Vietnam and they taste differently.
Duck have a slender body, loud voice, and its meat is slightly fattier. Meanwhile, muscovy duck looks more muscular with red caruncles, hoarse voices, and its meat is redder (75% of red meat fibers).
Each local eatery in Hanoi serves either duck (vịt in Vietnamese) or muscovy duck (ngan in Vietnamese) dishes, not both.
1. Vịt Cỏ Doanh Chính
Nested behind the Hanoi Ceramic Mosaic Mural on the wall of the Red River dike road, Vịt Cỏ Doanh Chính serves dishes cooked from small size ducks – which is locally known as vịt cỏ (grass duck).
Vịt cỏ were raised on rice paddy fields from the countryside around Hanoi, they eat fallen rice and field crab, then rest on the grass on the paddy berms. They’re characterized by their small size, long wing feathers, cream color, fragrant meat, and small bones.
The duck features thin meet, sweet and tender when boiled or grilled. None of the cut is greasy.
Address: 9 Hong Ha Street
2. Quán Vịt 53 Nam Ngư
Located on a quiet street in the west of the city, this family-run eatery serves roasted duck, boiled duck, garlic-fried duck, and salt-roasted duck dishes. There’re also duck with bamboo shoot or rice congee.
Each duck dishes here is served with fresh vermicelli, homemade dipping fish sauce (fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, and chili). The place has its own secret recipe to ensure the meat has a rich and flavorful taste.
For roasted duck, the recipe features fresh herbs and spices, including onions, scallions, and lemongrass to make the meat flavorful. Duck is then roasted in an oven to ensure its meat is juicy and tender.
Address: 59 Nam Ngu Street
3. Vịt 34
The number 34 is the license plate of Hai Duong province (now a part of Hai Phong), the hometown of its founder Pham Xuan Kien. He’s offering his hometown ducks through his restaurant with many locations, all named Vịt 34.
Famous duck dishes at Vit 34 include: roasted duck with mac mat leaves, galangal-roasted duck, Thai-style duck feet, fried duck neck, spicy duck hot pot with bamboo shoots, duck cooked in fermented bean curd, duck pho rolls, fried duck tongue, garlic-fried duck neck and wings, and braised duck with sour plums with refreshing and tangy flavor.
Address: 36 Hong Tien Street
What to Order?
– Duck with bamboo shoot noodle soup (bún măng vịt)
Bún măng vịt is a traditional noodle soup cooked with duck (meat and boiled congealed blood) and dried bamboo shoots as the main ingredients. It’s flavored with ginger, onions, fish sauce, cabbage, shallots, chili peppers, and fresh herbs such as cilantro, mint, and perilla.
The dished is served with vermicelli noodles and a small bowl of dipping sauce, the duck meat is to be dipped in the sauce and eaten with fresh herbs like basil.
– Vietnamese Duck Congee (cháo vịt)
Cháo vịt is a savory dish having duck meat cooked with rice as the main ingredient. It’s then added with fried shallots, fish sauce, green onions, coriander, black pepper, and fresh herbs. Hot duck congee is especially popular on colder days of the year.
What Not To Order?
We don’t recommend trying raw duck blood pudding (tiết canh), as it carries a significant risk of bacterial infections causing diarrhea for travelers.
Tiết canh vịt is a common dish in Vietnam, especially in rural areas. The dish is prepared with raw duck blood mixed with boiled duck offal, when congealed, it’s topped with crashed peanuts. It’s usually served with a wedge of lime, fresh basil, and a glass of rice liquor on the side.
