Korean tourists try shrimp paste in Vietnam and their surprising attitude

(Dan Tri) - During his return to Ho Chi Minh City, Korean YouTuber Kwon Yeaji had an unforgettable experience enjoying Vietnamese "home-cooked meals" - especially shrimp paste.

Kwon Yeaji - a Korean YouTuber with more than 79,000 followers - has visited Vietnam many times and expressed his special affection for the cuisine and culture here.

On her recent trip back to Ho Chi Minh City, she chose a restaurant to enjoy a meal with dishes that often appear on Vietnamese family dinner tables, including: squid eggs with tamarind sauce, beef stir-fried with cashew nuts, braised pork with eggs, stir-fried morning glory flowers with garlic, boiled pork with eggplant and shrimp paste, and crab soup with jute and Malabar spinach.

Kwon Yeaji has visited Vietnam many times (Photo: Screenshot).

Yeaji was delighted from the very first dish. However, the highlight of the meal was when she tasted shrimp paste - a familiar condiment in Vietnam that makes most foreign tourists wary.

Yeaji lifted the bowl of fish sauce and smelled it carefully before eating, then exclaimed, "Wow, the shrimp paste here doesn't smell bad at all."

She said that she had been “shocked” by the strong-smelling shrimp paste she had tasted while traveling in Northern Vietnam. But this time, the paste was skillfully mixed with lime, sugar and lard, creating a light aroma, rich flavor and easy to eat. When dipping boiled meat, Yeaji half-jokingly commented: “This cannot be real shrimp paste. It is so delicious, anyone can eat this.”

Female tourist smells shrimp paste before eating (Photo: Screenshot).

From being shy, the female tourist became excited, continuously picking up boiled meat and eggplant to dip in fish sauce. The first time she tasted eggplant, she laughed: "It pops in your mouth like a kumquat."

Yeaji shared that before, when thinking about Vietnamese cuisine, she only knew pho or bun cha. But this simple home-cooked meal left a strong impression on her because of its rich, cozy flavor. She also regrets that this type of meal has not been widely promoted to international guests.

Watching Yeaji’s eating experience, many Vietnamese viewers left comments of surprise. For many Vietnamese, shrimp paste is a “difficult” dish, so the fact that a Korean tourist ate it deliciously made them happy.

Many say that the gentle way of mixing the fish sauce has made Yeaji more approachable, while also arousing the curiosity of many other tourists.

Meal with familiar Vietnamese "home-cooked" dishes (Photo: Screenshot).

Not only Yeaji, many international tourists are also gradually conquered by the seemingly "hard to swallow" dishes in Vietnam. A typical example is Will Courageux - a French software engineer. He also surprised many people because he could eat shrimp paste as deliciously as a local.

In addition, he also had many compliments for stewed pig brain - a dish that, according to him, "many foreigners do not dare to try". Will was quickly conquered by the fatty, smooth taste of pig brain and humorously commented: "Fat, delicious, slippery, eating one piece increases IQ by 10".

He also tried balut, Nam Dinh tongue porridge, and rice rolls. Every time he tasted them, Will's expression made the audience laugh with delight.

French man ate 2 portions of pig brain (Photo: Screenshot).

The story of Yeaji and Will shows that Vietnamese cuisine is not just food but also a door for tourists to enter the local life - rustic, close but rich in identity.

Through the rich flavors, simple preparation and cozy atmosphere around the dinner table, visitors not only enjoy the delicious taste but also deeply feel the traditions that Vietnamese people preserve in their daily lives.

Hoang Thu

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/du-khach-han-quoc-thu-mam-tom-o-viet-nam-va-thai-do-gay-bat-ngo-20251020164158307.htm