Banh da cua, Hai Phong's red-brown crab noodle soup

Banh da cua is the noodle soup Hai Phong eats instead of pho. Wide red-brown rice ribbons sit in a broth of pounded field crab, under crab paste, betel leaf rolls, greens and crisp pork fat. A bowl costs about 35,000 to 60,000 dong, and the noodle is hard to find done properly elsewhere.

Most visitors pass through Hai Phong on the way to Cat Ba without stopping. This bowl is the reason to stop.

What goes into a bowl of banh da cua?

Hai Phong's crab noodle soup holds wide rice noodles, a field crab broth and a pile of toppings that vary by kitchen. The base is field crab pounded and simmered, usually with pork bones. The noodle is chewy, the broth sweet and savoury, and the crisp pork fat adds salt.

The cover photograph shows the plate of shredded greens that comes alongside. Add them a few at a time, because they cool the broth. The herbs guide covers what the leaves are.

Why are banh da noodles red-brown?

Banh da noodles take their colour from sugar. In Du Hang Kenh, the Hai Phong ward known for them, households cook cane sugar into a syrup and stir it into the rice batter. One Vietnamese account also mentions gac powder. Either way, the colour goes in before the noodle is steamed.

The batter is steamed into sheets, then spread on bamboo trays to dry in the sun. Space is short in a central ward, so the trays go out on pavements and in alleys. A newer machine line dries sheets faster, and they can be cut about 5 hours later.

VnExpress reported in 2022 that about 10 households still did this, down from about 100 in the 1980s and 1990s, and made over 4 tonnes of fresh noodle a day. The ward puts the trade at nearly 100 years old.

How is banh da cua different from bun rieu?

The Hai Phong soup and bun rieu both start with pounded field crab, and the likeness ends about there. Bun rieu is a tart tomato soup with soft round vermicelli and a raft of crab and egg paste. The Hai Phong bowl is less sour and more about chew, with wide ribbons and crisp toppings.

Banh da is also a confusing word, because elsewhere in the north it can mean a toasted sesame rice cracker. On a Hai Phong menu it means this noodle, and the three words of the name are all you need to say.

What does a bowl of banh da cua cost in Hai Phong?

A bowl of the crab soup costs about 35,000 to 50,000 dong at an ordinary Hai Phong shop in 2026, which is under $2. Well-known shops charge up to 60,000 dong. Some older listings show 20,000 to 30,000 dong, which looks out of date.

The price fits a city that runs noticeably below Hanoi on most things. The Hai Phong hub sets the bowl against hotel rooms and a seafood dinner.

Where should you eat banh da cua in Hai Phong?

Ba Cu at 179 Cau Dat is the name most often given for this soup in Hai Phong. The family has sold it for more than 50 years, across four generations, and the shop is listed as open from 7am to 10pm. Bowls run about 40,000 to 60,000 dong.

Small shops change hands and hours without notice, so check a map before crossing town. Morning is the safest time, and a shop that is busy at 8am is a better bet than any list.

Is the crab noodle worth a stop on the way to Cat Ba?

One bowl justifies an hour in Hai Phong, and the route to Cat Ba already runs through the city. Plan to change buses or boats around a meal rather than rushing the connection, and eat before the crossing rather than after it.

Other northern cities sell the dish too, and you may see the dried noodle in Vietnamese shops abroad. Those bowls are often good and rarely the same. The fresh noodle is the difference, and the noodle soup guide sets this bowl among its relatives.