A hotpot arrives at the table with a sour, spicy, faintly sweet broth, filled with chunks of stingray, fresh shrimp, and a generous mound of herbs — this is lẩu cá đuối, a fish that's not exactly common along Vietnam's southern coast, turned by Vung Tau locals into a pot the whole city takes pride in.
An uncommon catch along the southern coast
VnExpress Du Lịch's feature 'Lẩu cá đuối - món ai đi Vũng Tàu cũng đều muốn thử' states plainly that stingray isn't a particularly common catch along Vietnam's southern coast, yet it has become a local specialty in Vung Tau — the headline itself puts it bluntly: 'a dish nearly everyone who visits Vung Tau wants to try.' A separate VnExpress feature, '9 đặc sản nên thử khi đến Vũng Tàu,' also lists this hotpot among the city's nine specialties. The broth is built on a fish-bone base, sour and spicy with a faint sweetness, paired with a generous pile of fresh herbs; the stingray's flesh is tender and free of any fishy edge, which is the dish's biggest selling point.
Honest clarification: no single named shop — it's a whole street of them
It's worth being honest here: VnExpress's coverage doesn't name any one specific shop. Multiple shops serving lẩu cá đuối are spread across the Trương Công Định Street and Nguyễn Trường Tộ Street area, forming a cluster rather than a single flagship name. This guide's coordinates mark a rough center of that neighborhood — visitors who make it to this stretch of street can simply pick any busy-looking shop, without hunting for one 'sole authentic' address.
How to Eat It Best
- The broth leans sour and spicy — cooking it together with a generous pile of herbs brings out the fish's natural sweetness even more.
- Stingray flesh is tender, so a quick simmer is enough; overcooking makes the texture tough.
- It's a popular choice for group dining — one pot usually serves a fair-sized table.
An Honest Look at Where to Find It
- VnExpress's coverage doesn't name one specific shop — it's a shared trait of the hotpot cluster along Trương Công Định Street.
- This guide's coordinates mark a rough center of the neighborhood, not one particular storefront.
- Busy shops with fast table turnover are generally a safer bet for freshness.
A pot of stingray hotpot shows off Vung Tau's knack for putting an unlikely fish on the table — one sip of that sour, herb-laced broth, and it's easy to see why VnExpress says nearly everyone who visits Vung Tau wants to give it a try.