Vegetables – cotton and the best hot pot with fish sauce in the world – Photo: PROGRESSION Phan, a guy from the U Minh forest (Ca Mau) to Ho Chi Minh City to set up a business, sometimes offends friends from far away when he shows off his trips to his hometown. Nothing, his countryside is just a forest area with straight canals from one immense to another. Eat rice with mosquito net Under the grassy banks, it is possible that the snakehead fish is fishing, the perch is panting, or pulling from the pipe a wild eel is about to “turn into weasel”; interlaced are long strings of water spinach like a fairy; is a swarm of young sprouting from the fern; water lily, water hyacinth, chopsticks, tickle, bang, tub… While upstairs, the cow skin was unwrapped to rescue the choking butterflies that were pinched under several layers of mothballs splintered by the waves of coconut leaves. How much is enough for a pot of hot pot with U Minh fish sauce – one of 100 typical dishes of Vietnam. Talking about U Minh fish sauce hot pot, don’t let’s dive into the kitchen. And anyone who has ever eaten hot pot with fish sauce in the middle of the forest must know how to feel sorry for the scene of “eating rice with mosquito net”. Because U Minh also has an easy specialty, which is mosquitoes. And mosquitoes, it likes the smell of fish sauce. When sitting next to the hot pot of fish sauce in the forest, please do not misunderstand why the mosquitoes that gather to gather around. In their eyes, you are worth nothing compared to the smell of hot pot with fish sauce next door. Many people hear the mosquitos ringing deafeningly, the mosquitoes are like ants, they have to be caught in the net to eat the fish sauce hot pot in peace. Vegetables – cotton and the best hot pot with fish sauce in the world – Photo: PROGRESSION Where to eat there It sounds like a joke, but it’s true! U Minh fish sauce hot pot is fragrant, fragrant, addictive, fragrant. They live in the middle of the rich raw material area. If you are a “where to eat” people, there are always ready-to-eat dishes such as grilled, raw fish sauce, rare… And when they have worked on cooking hot pot, everyone wants to play the role of super chef. Well said, but ten people revealed the secret to cooking fish sauce hot pot, eleven people revealed: it’s the ingredients. Like U Minh fish sauce hot pot. See how they cook like this, how can’t it be delicious. First is the main ingredient: fish sauce. Ca Mau people are connoisseurs of fish sauce. They are connoisseurs to the extreme of fish sauce, arrogant about fish sauce. Let’s ask them how many people here compliment other countries’ fish sauce? Where they hate to make fish sauce but leave out the sweet sugar and want to die, as sweet as “chè mam”; where they criticize making fish sauce that is mixed and lacks sophistication; where they criticize making fish sauce lacking hearing, not fragrant… So, when people from other countries eat fish sauce, it’s delicious. As for some brothers and sisters from Ca Mau who eat fish sauce from other countries, there are probably not many people who praise it, even if it is for perfunctory praise. They can’t even eat local fish sauce. That’s what life is like! What about them? In order to have a delicious fish sauce hot pot, chefs from U Minh will immediately say they need butterfly sauce. There are hundreds of kinds of fish sauce here, but to make the hot pot ingredients, it must be the right butterfly fish. Bring the pot of water to a boil and then add the fish sauce, gently stir, each fiber of the fish dissolves quickly with the water. After being transformed in a pot of boiling water, the choking fish sauce will immediately smell, and then report the smell of a hot, hot smell. U Minh people often tell each other to go through any house to cook a hot pot of fish sauce but do not hear the smell coming out of the street, please stop by and advise the owner to throw away the hot pot. Fish fish sauce, after cooking the meat, remove the bones, then add spices, minced lemongrass… Depending on experience and skill, each chef has his own seasoning. Vegetables – cotton and the best hot pot with fish sauce in the world – Photo: PROGRESSION I can’t eat and then put my chopsticks away Finished the most important part is the hot pot. Go to the preparation of hot pot ingredients. U Minh people often dip hot pot with wild eel, wild snakehead fish, wild perch, snails…, products from wild fish are tough, sweet and fragrant. Everything just now will be less delicious, lacking in color if there is no plate (Ca Mau people call it a plate) of fresh cotton and vegetables that have just been picked up from the edge of the forest. To dip the hot pot, the U Minh people will break the buds, water lily, water spinach, bitter vegetables, pumpkin flowers, chopsticks, crab claws, longan buds, okra, eggplants, braised coriander … there are about a dozen types. cotton, vegetables or something on a plate. It has both sour, acrid, bitter, fleshy, aromatic, slippery or rough taste. A fragrant hot pot next to a plate of colorful vegetables. Some people will feel sorry because cotton and vegetables are so beautiful, they can’t eat. But once you’ve eaten, you can’t put your chopsticks away. If you eat hot pot with fish sauce with U Minh forest vegetables without branches, don’t say eat hot pot with fish sauce. Just understood, no matter how chaotic the work in the city is, Phan also has the motivation to cross hundreds of kilometers back to the forest. Surely his homeland is not only the vast economic forests. But that place also has snakehead fish catching fishing, panting perch, eel about to turn into a weasel, with a group of green trees on the edge of the forest, with freshly opened fish sauce… for hot pot with fish sauce and wild vegetables. Eaten with the subconscious, it is certainly the best hot pot in the world. Vegetables – cotton and the best hot pot with fish sauce in the world – Photo: PROGRESSION

Visitors experience traveling through the forest of Ca Mau Cape. (Source: Ca Mau Newspaper) Located in the southernmost part of the country, Ca Mau possesses many unique and different tourism resources. Turning resources into highly competitive tourism products, at this time, in the context of the country’s highest priority for COVID-19 prevention and control, Ca Mau tourism also recognizes and re-evaluates. strengths to both overcome difficulties and be ready for development and breakthrough in the coming time. As a land containing many wild beauty and historical and cultural values ​​for more than 300 years of formation and development, for tourism, Ca Mau is not only a destination, but also an address for tourists. Discoveries and experiences bring many emotions through each trip of tourists. Ecosystem diversity with human values ​​nhân Talking about the potential and difference of local tourism, Mr. Tran Hong Quan – Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ca Mau province emphasized that as one of the four provinces in the key economic region of the Mekong Delta, Ca Mau has World Biosphere Reserve and Wetlands of International Importance (World Ramsar Site), associated with Cape Ca Mau National Park – belongs to the mangrove ecosystem with a natural area of ​​about 42,000 ha, U Minh Ha National Park – belongs to the freshwater mangrove ecosystem with an area of ​​8,286 ha, very convenient for investment and development of ecotourism. The potential of forests, sea and rich flora and fauna ecosystems, over 200 aquatic species of salt, brackish, and freshwater ecosystems, dozens of typical mangrove plant species, a mixture of mangroves, parrots, etc. fish sauce and a number of other species … have formed for this land the biodiversity, ecological environment diversity. Not only has the ecosystem of freshwater and mangrove forests, Ca Mau also has humanistic tourism products associated with the unique characteristics of the people of the river and the cape, with many works, cultural and historical relics of the highest level. national and provincial levels associated with the process of formation, construction and development of the land, people, and rivers of Ca Mau. In particular, in Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district, there is a cluster of works of Lac Long Quan Temple and Mother Statue, which is a meaningful symbol of Dat Mui Ca Mau, showing the tradition of always looking to the origin of the nation. There is also the symbol of Hanoi Flagpole, meaning affirmation of sovereignty, aspiration for peace, prosperity and territorial integrity of the country, a symbol of pride in reunifying the mountains and rivers on the S-shaped strip of land. towards the sacred East Sea of ​​the Fatherland. Besides, according to Deputy Director of Ca Mau Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tieu Minh Tien, contributing to the attraction of local tourism, there are also indigenous culture, historical and cultural relics, tourist attractions. Festivals, national intangible cultural heritages such as the art of Don ca tai tu, the profession of bee guard, the profession of making fish sauce, and culinary specialties have been recognized by the National Record Organization: Nam Can Crab. , U Minh fish sauce hot pot is in the top 100 Vietnamese specialties or dried shrimp specialties Ca Mau and U Minh forest honey are ranked in the top 100 gift specialties of Vietnam. Products for discovery and experience As a land that evokes many sacred emotions for tourists when visiting and discovering, Ca Mau’s tourism products have been perfected and exploited in the direction of focusing on experience, discovery and discovery activities. understand the local culture, places with historical imprints. Hanoi flagpole on the homeland of Dat Mui Ca Mau. (Photo: The Anh/VNA) According to many travel experts, this is the right direction of Ca Mau tourism. Because, it is from the experiential tourism activities, the discovery will bring visitors added value in each trip such as, fostering love for the homeland, studying and learning about the history of the country. history, geography, culture and contribute to creating many highlights and branding Ca Mau tourism . For example, exploring the mangrove ecosystem in the buffer zone of U Minh Ha National Park with the destination of Muoi Ngot eco-tourism area in Northwest Khanh Binh commune, Tran Van Thoi district is one of the products Unique tourism is visited and experienced by many tourists. Many travel companies have designed and included in the tour program the experience of following the beekeeper to collect honey in the beehive (the people here often call it “eating bees”) in the U Minh forest area. . Director of Muoi Ngot Eco-tourism Area Pham Duy Khanh said that as a beekeeper, he now combines both work and eco-tourism development. He was very proud when the beekeeping profession was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of the country. Visitors to this eco-tourism site will learn and experience the profession of guarding bees, being introduced to each stage and how to guard the rafter, that is, creating a “house” for bees to nest and live. in the melaleuca forest. See firsthand the rafter set for bees to nest and listen to the rafter worker tell about the behavior of honey bees who often choose to nest in slanted tree trunks, then go together to harvest honey, with many tourists. it’s discovery, very valuable experience. According to Mr. Pham Duy Khanh, in order to experience honey harvesting activities in U Minh Ha area, visitors are meticulously guided on tools for a honey-harvesting trip such as coir torches that make bees sick. drunkenness, in order to limit being “attacked” by bees, honey cutters, honey containers, etc. With a protective net over their heads, many visitors from the first place were a little nervous and worried, then they were very excited to come to Muoi Ngot tourist area many times and stay to join the beekeepers to harvest honey. , participate in honey extraction and buy as gifts. Not only have experiences with the mangrove ecosystem, coming to Ca Mau, tourists also have unique discoveries at the tourist destination linking the mangrove ecosystem with the mangrove forests stretching in Nam Can, Ngoc Hien… Dat Mui community tourist site of Mr. Nguyen Van Nhuan’s family (commonly known as Tu Nhuan) in Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district, is one of the recognized community eco-tourism sites in Ca Mau. Mr. Tu Nhuan said that on 9ha of mangrove forest, planted with mangroves, fish sauce and aquaculture, he has created a reasonable space to welcome guests with houses on stilts on water, wooden floors, thatched roofs. Coming here, visitors can rest, relax, visit the mangrove forest, and enjoy fresh seafood typical of the mangrove ecosystem. In addition, visitors can also experience fishing activities, go fishing, fishing, catching wool snails, blood cockles… Especially, with the route through the forest, visitors can also visit alluvial plains and forests. primary, observing the animals living under the mangrove canopy. Ms. Ho Thu Hang, a tourist from Quynh Luu district (Nghe An), shared that coming to Ca Mau not only once, she had many new experiences in this land. She and the beekeeper went to collect honey. She was delighted to hold in her hand the newly harvested honeycomb with the bees still drunk, to taste a little pure Melaleuca honey right in the land of U Minh Ha and culinary specialties made by the farmers themselves. processing tourism such as young bee salad, bee sauce, deep-fried breaded bees, braised frogs, sour hot pot snakehead fish… And when visiting the mangrove forest in Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district, she and her friends had other fascinating experiences such as, going to search for three aspects in the night, catching mudskippers – fish that can crawl on land and climbing trees in Ca Mau mangrove forest.