Deep in Ngõ 1 phố Nhà Hát, steam rises from the pot at the Gốc Bàng steamed-rice-roll shop — the owner deftly peels off a rice sheet as thin as a cicada's wing and wraps it around sliced squid paste. This shop has been open for more than 40 years, now in its third generation, and VnExpress once sent a reporter to cover it in person.
The Gốc Bàng shop's three-generation history, specifically reported by VnExpress
VnExpress Du lịch's feature "Quán bánh cuốn chả mực hơn 40 năm đông khách ở Hạ Long" specifically covers the history of the Gốc Bàng steamed-rice-roll shop (Bánh Cuốn Gốc Bàng, also known as Bà Đến, in Ngõ 1 phố Nhà Hát, old Phường Bạch Đằng) — more than 40 years in business, passed down through three generations. vinwonders.com's "Dắt túi 8 quán," luhanhvietnam.com.vn's "9 quán," and sonhailimousine.com's "Top 10 quán" cross-confirm the method: hand-steamed thin rice sheets (bánh cuốn) wrapped around sliced squid paste, drizzled with a broth-based fish sauce. Other shops in the city include Bà Yến (36 Phố Đoàn Thị Điểm, old Phường Bạch Đằng) and Bà Lan (Khu 7 Cái Dăm, old Phường Bãi Cháy, which also serves seafood soup and Hạ Long crab noodle soup).
Honest clarification: an early candidate list briefly mixed in data contamination from Phú Yên, since verified and removed
It has to be said honestly that during this research, the candidate list originally included an item called "Bún chả mực Phúc Long." Independent verification (WebFetch of the original mia.vn article) confirmed this is actually the signature dish of a noodle shop called "Phúc Long" in Tuy Hòa, Phú Yên province — a city over 1,400 km from Hạ Long City in Quảng Ninh, and entirely unrelated. It has been removed from the candidate list and is not included here, to avoid mistakenly attributing a Phú Yên specialty to Hạ Long. It's also worth noting that a dish commonly called "bún chả mực" (squid-paste noodle soup) does exist in Hạ Long, but it's mostly served as a side item by the same shops that sell bánh cuốn chả mực, like Gốc Bàng and Bà Lan — there's no named shop that represents it independently, so this guide doesn't give it a separate entry, only noting its existence here honestly.
How to Eat It Like a Local
- Gốc Bàng steamed-rice-roll shop (Ngõ 1 phố Nhà Hát, also known as Bà Đến) is the old shop specifically covered by the media — worth visiting first.
- Bà Lan (Khu 7 Cái Dăm) also serves seafood soup and Hạ Long crab noodle soup, good for those wanting more variety.
- The traditional way to eat it is dipped in hot broth-based fish sauce while still warm, alongside fresh greens and herbs.
An Honest Look at This Rice Roll's Origins
- "Bún chả mực Phúc Long," originally on the candidate list, was verified to be data contamination from a Phú Yên noodle shop and has been removed.
- Hạ Long does have a "bún chả mực" dish, but no shop represents it independently outside the existing bánh cuốn shops.
- Gốc Bàng's three-generation, 40-plus-year history is one of the few Hạ Long snack shops with a specific media interview backing it up.
Bite into the squid paste wrapped in a thin rice sheet — the soft chew of the rice against the springy brininess of the sea. What's kept this snack going into a third generation was never a trick, just the same pair of hands, forty years running.