Vung Tau Seafood Evening: Xom Luoi Market Buy-and-Grill
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Vung Tau, Vietnam
Vung Tau
1N (Participation Duration)
Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/10
0 booked
Tour description
Xom Luoi means fishing net hamlet, and the market that carries the name is the best value seafood in southern Vietnam. The system is simple and it is why a guide helps: you buy seafood by weight at a stall, then pay the same stall or a neighbouring one a small fee per item to grill, steam or stir-fry it, and it comes to a plastic table with beer and greens ten minutes later.
Your guide walks you through the ice first - scallops, mantis shrimp, blood cockles, sea urchin, razor clams, squid, whatever the boats landed - agrees the price by weight before anything is weighed, and then orders the cooking: scallops with spring onion oil and peanuts, sea urchin grilled in the shell with cheese and quail egg, squid charred and cut into rings with a fierce green sauce.
We also eat banh khot from one of the afternoon-only kitchens, which the morning tour cannot reach, and lau ca duoi - stingray hotpot with pineapple, okra and a sour tamarind broth, which is the other dish this town is known for.
We finish with coconut water on the seafront.
Small group, maximum 10 guests, entirely on foot.
Your guide walks you through the ice first - scallops, mantis shrimp, blood cockles, sea urchin, razor clams, squid, whatever the boats landed - agrees the price by weight before anything is weighed, and then orders the cooking: scallops with spring onion oil and peanuts, sea urchin grilled in the shell with cheese and quail egg, squid charred and cut into rings with a fierce green sauce.
We also eat banh khot from one of the afternoon-only kitchens, which the morning tour cannot reach, and lau ca duoi - stingray hotpot with pineapple, okra and a sour tamarind broth, which is the other dish this town is known for.
We finish with coconut water on the seafront.
Small group, maximum 10 guests, entirely on foot.
Meeting point:
View on map
Xom Luoi Market, Nguyen Cong Tru at Phan Boi Chau, Vung Tau
We meet at the Nguyen Cong Tru corner of Xom Luoi Market. Your guide will have a small sign with your name.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Xom Luoi ice counters: Your guide walks you along the ice naming scallops, mantis shrimp, cockles, sea urchin and razor clams, and explains how the buy-then-cook system works.
Stop 2 - Choose and price: You pick the seafood with your guide and the price per kilo plus the cooking fee is agreed before anything is weighed.
Stop 3 - Grilled scallops and sea urchin: Scallops with spring onion oil and crushed peanuts, and sea urchin grilled in the shell with quail egg - a Vung Tau habit.
Stop 4 - Squid and mantis shrimp: Squid charred and cut into rings with the sharp green seafood sauce, and mantis shrimp steamed with lemongrass.
Stop 5 - Banh khot, afternoon kitchen: The coconut-batter pancake with a shrimp on top, from one of the shops that only fires up after three.
Stop 6 - Lau ca duoi: Stingray hotpot with pineapple, okra, tomato and a sour tamarind broth - the town's other signature.
Stop 7 - Nuoc dua and a seafront walk: Fresh coconut on the front at dusk, with your guide's notes on the town.
Stop 2 - Choose and price: You pick the seafood with your guide and the price per kilo plus the cooking fee is agreed before anything is weighed.
Stop 3 - Grilled scallops and sea urchin: Scallops with spring onion oil and crushed peanuts, and sea urchin grilled in the shell with quail egg - a Vung Tau habit.
Stop 4 - Squid and mantis shrimp: Squid charred and cut into rings with the sharp green seafood sauce, and mantis shrimp steamed with lemongrass.
Stop 5 - Banh khot, afternoon kitchen: The coconut-batter pancake with a shrimp on top, from one of the shops that only fires up after three.
Stop 6 - Lau ca duoi: Stingray hotpot with pineapple, okra, tomato and a sour tamarind broth - the town's other signature.
Stop 7 - Nuoc dua and a seafront walk: Fresh coconut on the front at dusk, with your guide's notes on the town.
Tour price includes
• Small-group English-speaking local food guide
• All seafood chosen at the market and the cooking fees
• All other tastings listed in the itinerary
• One local beer or soft drink
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout
• All taxes and service fees
• All seafood chosen at the market and the cooking fees
• All other tastings listed in the itinerary
• One local beer or soft drink
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off unless stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for your guide (appreciated but never expected)
• Meals and purchases outside the programme
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable, because the seafood is bought on the day.
Other notes
Runs daily at 16:30. The market is at its busiest from mid-afternoon into the evening and strongest from Friday to Sunday; weekday afternoons are noticeably quieter, and we would rather tell you that than have you expect a crowd.
Shellfish is the core of this tour. If you cannot eat shellfish, take our morning banh khot circuit instead - we cannot meaningfully substitute at a seafood market.
Prices: your guide agrees every weight and every cooking fee before anything is cooked, and pays. That is the main practical reason to take a guided version here.
Addresses: since July 2025 Vung Tau is administratively part of Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province no longer exists. Street numbers are unchanged.
Rain: May to October, usually afternoon showers; Vung Tau does not get the typhoon exposure that central Vietnam does.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead.
About 1.5 km of walking on flat streets.
Shellfish is the core of this tour. If you cannot eat shellfish, take our morning banh khot circuit instead - we cannot meaningfully substitute at a seafood market.
Prices: your guide agrees every weight and every cooking fee before anything is cooked, and pays. That is the main practical reason to take a guided version here.
Addresses: since July 2025 Vung Tau is administratively part of Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province no longer exists. Street numbers are unchanged.
Rain: May to October, usually afternoon showers; Vung Tau does not get the typhoon exposure that central Vietnam does.
Dietary needs: tell us at least 48 hours ahead.
About 1.5 km of walking on flat streets.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| 大人 | $49 |
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