At 72 Yersin Street, the stove at Lẩu Mắm Út Cường has been burning since 1992, its bubbling fermented-fish broth loaded with river ingredients and vegetables. It grew from a single table serving fish-sauce factory workers by the river into what's now one of My Tho's best-known fermented fish hot pot names.
Cross-confirmed by several independent travel and lifestyle outlets, with a Tuổi Trẻ local feature on the city's fermented fish culture
Several independent travel and lifestyle outlets — mia.vn ("Đậm đà vị ngon Lẩu mắm Út Cường trứ danh đất Mỹ Tho"), buulong.com.vn, xekhachhaohuong.vn, soctrangtourism.vn, and others — consistently cite the shop's 1992 founding and its address at 72 Yersin Street. The Tuổi Trẻ newspaper group's local reporting, "Mỹ Tho 'tánh kỳ': Lẩu mắm khổ qua sống cắt lát...," also covered the local fermented fish food culture in My Tho more broadly. According to the shop's own account of its history, it started in 1992 as a small stall by the river serving workers from a fish-sauce factory, and expanded to its current scale in 1998.
Honest clarification: fermented fish hot pot is a Mekong Delta-wide staple, not a My Tho invention
It has to be said honestly that fermented fish hot pot (lẩu mắm) is fundamentally a dish found across the Mekong Delta — Can Tho, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, and other cities each have their own versions — and it wasn't invented in or unique to My Tho. This entry includes it because Út Cường is a well-known institution that has run locally in My Tho for more than 30 years, representing the city's take on Tien Giang's fermented-fish food culture, not a claim that My Tho invented the dish. This round of research found no source confirming an official certification tier (such as recognition from the My Tho City People's Committee) — the strength of the backing is moderate, drawing mainly on consistent, cross-confirmed coverage from independent travel and lifestyle outlets.
How to Eat It Like a Local
- The broth is built on fermented fish for a deep, bold flavor — best paired with river ingredients and plenty of fresh vegetables.
- 72 Yersin Street is the original location; the shop's scale has grown far beyond the original stall since expanding in 1998.
- Best shared among a group around one pot, to experience the layers of the rich broth alongside the various toppings.
An Honest Look at This Hot Pot's Origins
- Fermented fish hot pot is a Mekong Delta-wide staple — Can Tho, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, and other cities each have their own versions.
- This entry includes Út Cường for its 30-plus years running locally, not as a claim that My Tho invented the dish.
- No source with official certification-tier backing was found; this entry honestly notes the backing strength as moderate.
A pot of bold fermented fish broth arrives bubbling at the table, simmering with a food memory shared across the Mekong Delta. Út Cường has carried that memory from a riverside stall through more than thirty years — a testament to one shop's persistence, not an invention that belongs to the whole city alone.