Across the Hậu Giang river, in a Cham workshop in Ấp Châu Giang, beef and beef intestine are being stuffed into casings and hung out to dry — this craft's true home is still a river crossing away from downtown Châu Đốc, but at the dry-goods stalls in Chợ Châu Đốc, it remains the one item visitors most easily find and most often carry away as a "Châu Đốc specialty."
A name transliterated from Cham, listed among the country's top 50 specialties in 2015
Several outlets — Báo An Giang Online (the An Giang provincial party newspaper), Tạp chí Công Thương (a publication under Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade), and VietNamNet — cross-confirm that "tung lò mò" is a transliteration of the Cham phrase "tung lamaow" (intestine + cow), though spellings vary slightly across sources. Because the Cham community follows Islam and doesn't eat pork, beef and beef intestine replace the pork and pork intestine used in traditional Chinese-style sausage. It was listed among the country's top 50 specialties certified by the private records organization VietKings in 2015, making it one of the most recognizable ethnic-minority specialties of the Bảy Núi region and the Vietnam-Cambodia border area in An Giang province.
Honest clarification: the true birthplace is Xã Châu Phong in Tân Châu, not within Châu Đốc City's own territory
It has to be said honestly that this dish's true birthplace and present-day main production area is the Cham community of Xã Châu Phong and Ấp Châu Giang, which administratively falls under Thị xã Tân Châu — across the Hậu Giang river from Châu Đốc City, not within Châu Đốc's own territory. Because the two places are only a river crossing apart with close ties, Châu Đốc's market and downtown shops widely sell this specialty, and it remains one of the dishes visitors think of as a "Châu Đốc representative snack." But this entry honestly discloses that the place of production is not within Châu Đốc City's own territory — for the most authentic version, you'll need to cross the river to the ANAS workshop in Xã Châu Phong or visit the Cham community itself.
How to Buy It Like a Local
- The dry-goods stalls at Chợ Châu Đốc are the most convenient place to buy it in the city, good for souvenirs.
- For the most authentic version, cross the Hậu Giang river to the ANAS workshop in Xã Châu Phong, Thị xã Tân Châu.
- The traditional way to eat it is charcoal-grilled and dipped in a sweet-and-sour sauce, alongside fresh greens and herbs.
An Honest Look at This Sausage's Origins
- The true birthplace is the Cham community of Xã Châu Phong / Ấp Châu Giang, administratively under Thị xã Tân Châu — not within Châu Đốc City's own territory.
- Because the two places are close across the river, it's widely sold in Châu Đốc's market and downtown — that's how it became known as a "Châu Đốc specialty" to visitors.
- The name is a Cham transliteration, and spellings vary slightly across media outlets — this entry discloses that variation honestly rather than forcing a single spelling.
Bite into a charcoal-grilled beef sausage and the fat sizzles — what this sausage has crossed isn't just the waters of the Hậu Giang river, but decades of unbroken exchange and trust between the Cham community and the Châu Đốc market.