Hanoi is well known as the capital of Vietnam, but Hanoi is also famous for its cuisine. Lots of famous dishes such as pho, cha ca, banh cuon are believed to have originated in Hanoi. The flavor of the soup, the noodle, the crab meat and herb attract many food lovers to come and savor the sweetness and sourness of the broth.There will be a shortage without mentioning a bowl of rice noodle with crab soup in the summer.
 
Hanoians enter their first days of summer with the morning of sunshine and heat. What is more interesting than a bowl of rice noodle with crab soup in gentle sweet and sour. It is admitted that, in current years, there have been a significant change in cuisine. Some of the traditional simple dishes need to be changed with more additional materials or side dishes to meet with the changing demands of customers. 

These noodle stores, which is written below, are familiar with the local who usually spend so many times visiting.

For people who are fascinated about rice noodle with crap soup, the food stall own by Mrs. Nu shall not be a new address as it is now above 20 years old. In the past, it was just a vendor with a burden of foods at the intersections of Tho Nhuom and Quan Su streets. Currently, in order to be more stable, the owner has hired a small shop nearby Tho Nhuom – Hoa Lo intersection to open the food shop. 

It is called a shop as it is now different from the past with the chairs on the pavement, but it still remains its simple with some colorful plastic chairs like other street food stalls. However, it is attractive for the dish of crab rice noodle so that sometime there is no space left as the number of customers is very large. 
 

The crab noodle is full of vegetable, meat and other basic ingredients.

There two options for crab rice noodle here are the soup type and the mixed type that the most remarkable thing is the sweet and savory broth with strong fragrance of crab. The grilled chopped fish is tasty. Apart from the lean pork paste and grilled chopped fish, there is steamed beef to serve for various demand of customers. The shop is opened from 7 am to 19 pm every day. Food are served at the price of 25,000 VND per bowl for rice noodle with grilled chopped fish and lean meat paste, but a bowl with additional beef costs 30,000 VND.

Address: No. 62 Tho Nhuom 

Local people and students in the area of Ton Duc Thang and Ho Dac Di streets must be all familiar with the name of Hien Beo crab rice noodle. The reason is that this is an old shop existing for more than 20 years at O Cho Dua area. 

The major dishes here are crab rice noodle and cassava vermicelli in both soup and mixed forms. The dishes are famous for good lean pork paste, grilled chopped fish, soft rice noodle, tasty and savory crab soup with lots of crab meat. However, it is said that the mixed dishes are a little greasy, so if you are not into greasy food, you should ask the cook in advance so that they will lessen the amount of sauce. 
 

Savoring the sweetness favor of crab noodle in Hanoi

The appropriate price is considered as a bonus for this store. Only with 25,000 VND or 30,000 VND depending on the amount of meat or chopped fish included, you can get a large bowl full of food. However, this shop is quite small but attracts lots of customers, so you may have to wait in a line to be serves when coming here at lunch time. 

Address: No. 19 O Cho Dua

Serving as a small food stall in Chau Long Market, the shop owned by Ms. Phuong has become a familiar address for people who are interested in rice noodle in Hanoi. Firstly, the crab broth is the thing to be mentioned. Crab meat is firm and fragrant with eye catching way of decoration on the bowl. According to many tourists, the rice noodles here are tasty for all soup dish and mixed dish. The dish is attractive for the gentle sweet broth, soft crab, fresh herbs and fragrant fried onion. The special thing is that the fried crunchy onion here is handmade.
 

Enjoy a hot bowl of crab noodle for lunch or breakfast.

The side dishes, which are lean pork paste, beef, grilled chopped fish, are added depending on the customers requirement. A bowl of rice noodle or cassava vermicelli here costs around 35,000 VND. The shop opens from 11 am to 5 pm every day.  

Address: Chau Long Market

Located in the Old Quarter area, Hang Chinh Crab Rice Noodle shop is famous for the sweet broth, decent rice noodle which is soft but not crushed and the tasty crab. People said that the rice noodle here is made in Nam Dinh, which is the home of Ms. Thom – the shop owner. Moreover, the main ingredient of rice noodle and other side dishes are all well prepared. The shop owner said that she cooked up to 3 kg of crabs to have a good pot of broth. 

A bowl of crab rice noodle at this shop is the harmonious combination of red rice noodle, morning glory, some pieces of grilled chopped fish, lean pork paste (there are up to 3 types of paste for your choice), crushed fried peanut, crab meat and some fried onion. Other spices can be added including chili, lemon juice to make the dish attractive. You can be full with 1 bowl but cannot be bored with this dish. 
 

The basic ingredient of a crab noodle bowl in Hang Chinh noodle store

Hang Chinh Crab Rice Noodle shop is opened from 11 am to 4 pm every day. Despite the mixed noodle or soup noodle, they are served at 30,000 VND per bowl. This is said to be an appropriate choice for your lunch after office hours. 

Address: No. 17 Hang Chinh Street

Ham Long Crab Rice Noodle is just a street vendor shop at the side of Ham Long Market which used to be located at the intersection of Ham Long – Ngo Thi Nham, not far from the current address. The assets of the shop are just a pair of burdens with 1 side of the broth pot and the other side of rice noodle, cassava vermicelli, crab meat, lean pork paste and so on, but it attracts quite a large number of customers. 

Ms. Anh is the owner of the shop with her skills of making homemade broth in gentle sweet taste. There is only one side dish to serve with rice noodle which is lean pork paste. In compared to the dish at other shops, the crab rice noodle here is simpler with just some morning glory, a spoon of crab meat, a small roll of lean pork meat and broth. For the dish of mixed rice noodle, there shall be some more crushed fried peanut and fried onion. However, the thing that attractive people to the shop is the sweet flavor of the broth. 
 

Crab noodle means "Bun Rieu Cua" in Vietnamese - a famous traditional dish.

 A bowl of crab rice noodle here is not so big and is just enough for the lunch. Depending on the amount of lean pork paste included, a bowl of rice costs from 25,000 VND to 30,000 VND. The shop is opened from 11 am to around 4 pm every day. 

Address: on the side of Ham Long Church 

Li Thuong Kiet Crab Rice Noodle seems to be a familiar address for street food of students from Viet Duc School and the locals in the area. After more than 1 years of operating as a street vendor, the owner of this shop hires a small store to have a stable shop. 

Ly Thuong Kiet crab rice noodle is attractive for its gentle sweet and savory broth, soft rice noodle, vermicelli and enough additional foods which is not so much to make it greasy. The crushed crab meat is considered the highlight for the dish. They are not placed directly in each bowl but in the pot in large piece. When someone order a dish, 1 or 2 small pieces shall be taken from that large piece to put into the bowl. The crushed crab meat is tasty with typical fragrance of crab. 
 

Visiting the popular crab noodle stores in Hanoi

The basic side dishes for crab rice noodle here include grilled chopped fish, lean pork paste which are served at appropriate price. A bowl full of food costs around 30,000 VND. The shop opens from midday to around 4 or 5 pm every day.  

Address: 42C Ly Thuong Kiet Street

7. Bat Dan Rice Noodle with crabs 

This shop is often called by an intimate name as “carry rice noodle” by the customers. The reason is that there is no desks to place the bowls. The shop is quite small which is just a stall on the roadside with some plastic chairs serving as chairs and desks. If you want to enjoy the dish while it is still hot, you need to wrap the bowl with tissues and carry it on your hand. 

One of the most highlight features of the dish is the sweet, limpid and fragrant broth without oil of fried onion. Enjoying a bowl of rice noodle here, you can taste the sweetness and sourness  of the crab broth without the greasy feeling which is different from the dishes in other places. 

Rice noodle with crabs here is cooked in traditional method. However, recently, in order to satisfy the demands of customers, besides fried tofu, lean pork paste, there is steamed beef to be served with crab rice noodle. The beef is steamed separately from the broth so it does not have any effect on the tranquility of the broth. 

The bowl of various types fresh herb and vegetable, being sliced in traditional way, is considered a plus for the dish. It is one of reasons why this store is more attractive than many other shops with sufficient equipment including tables, chairs and large space. 
  About the price, a bowl of rice noodle without side dishes costs only15,000 VND. A full bowl with fried tofu, lean pork paste and beef costs 35,000 VND. However, the bowl is not very big to hold much rice noodle, so that, if your eating ability is good, you could ask the cook to add more rice noodle. Moreover, the stall opens from the morning till the evening, so you can easily find and enjoy the dish all the day.
 
Address: No.25A Bat Dan

8. Huynh Thuc Khang Staircase 1 Rice noodle with crab soup 

The name of the food stall appeared from its location on the foot of staircase 1 of Nhan Dan Newspaper dormitory on Huynh Thuc Khang Street. The shop is not so famous and many people do not even know the name of it. However, people who is fascinated with the traditional rice noodle with crab soup, this shop is really a familiar address. 

Arriving at the nearby area, you immediately smell the fragrance from the boiling pot of crab soup. Crushed crab meat is mixed with fried onion which creates a fascinating fragrance. A tablespoon of this mixture will be added into the bowl of rice noodle to make the dish become a true traditional crab rice noodle, not just a dish with crab fragrance like other shops's. 

If you are into the simple and traditional rice noodle with crab soup, a bowl with some fried onion, some red tomato and onion green leaf are enough to satisfy your hunger. If you want a large bowl full of rice noodle and other additional ingredients, you can order for more. For ten years, the fresh and sweet crab broth, the fresh herb and soft rice noodle have made lots of people fall in love with and volunteer to be the loyal guests of this shop. 
 
The opening hour of this store is from 6 am to 9 am every day, but the rush hour is around 8 am. Customers sometime need to queue to wait for their turns as the shop is small with just several tables. A bowl of rice noodle is served at very reasonable price which is just 18,000 VND per bowl. If you want to add fried tofu and lean pork paste, you have to pay more 5,000 VND. One thing to be noted is that the shop opens from Monday to Saturday only. 

Address: staircase 1 Nhan Dan Newspaper Dormitory, Huynh Thuc Khang Street

9. Ngo Thi Nham rice noodle with crabs

Similar to the shop on Huynh Thuc Khang, Ngo Thi Nham rice noodle with crab is not so popular among many people, but it seems to be able to fascinate visitors even if they come here only once. You cannot find this flavor anywhere else. The shop is opened in the morning only from around 7 am to 9 am. 

This is not an ancient shop which was originated from a street vendor situated at the intersection between Ngo Thi Nham and Le Van Huu streets. It was relocated near Hoa ma and Ngo Thi Nham intersection with a stable stall. The rice noodle shop is at the same location with a shop selling hot pot, so it can easily be missed because of the small board. 
  Rice noodle with crab soup here is cooked in traditional way that a bowl includes just a handful of rice noodle, some crushed crab meat and broth. If you want some more protein, you can ask for some lean pork paste rolls but there is no meat or tofu. The specialty are the fragrance of crab soup and the crushed crab meat without additional tofu. It is a great ideal to start your day with a bowl of sweet and sour rice noodle with crab. 

A bowl of rice noodle with crabs with lean pork paste costs 25,000 VND which is not a very cheap price but it is worth your money. 

Address: No. 74 Ngo Thi Nham