A stall in Saigon serving “bun suong”, a type of shrimp noodle soup originating in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh, attracts scores of discerning patrons.
A major ingredient in the soup, suong (R) is the Vietnamese term for a fried mixture of ground shrimp and flour shaped like the larva of the red palm weevil, a Mekong Delta staple.
A typical bowl of bun suong includes shrimp, pork, pork blood, and suong. The broth consists of pig bones, white radish, fermented soy bean, and tamarind.
On the side is a small bowl of sweet chili and fish sauce with tamarind for the suong.