Region: Northwest Vietnam> Province: Son La> Location: Son La

Son La

Son La is a notoriously tough place to scare up a good meal. One of the most tempting things we saw was some grilled chicken, available at the outdoor market across from the park on To Hieu. Bun Linh is a nice cafe on a small lake next to the Son La Hotel, good for a pleasant sip. There are some bia hoi joints on Nguyen Luong Bong, that are fine for a relaxing evening, with draft Anchor beer at 4,000 VND per mug -- seek out Chien Vang for beef, pork, and chicken hot pots. No goat is available, but if you've got a hankering, head over to Bia Hoi De Nhat on Quyet Thang, which specialises in it. And of course, yummy snails can be boiled up for you at Hai Vit on Truong Chin Street south of the roundabout. But they also serve duck, and it's the place to be for late-night rice-wine drinking, open until 4am.

Bia Hoi De Nhat -- Hotpot Restaurant: Quyet Thang, Son La. T: (022) 210 633, Hours: 5:30 to 24:00.
Bun Linh: Next to the Son La Hotel, where Ng. Luong Bang meets the roundabout. T: (022) 850 055. Hours: 06:00 to 22:00.
Chien Vang: Ngo 25, Nguyen Luong Bang, Son La. T: (022) 858 798, (0913) 252 092.
Hai Vit: 37 Truong Chinh, Son La. T: (022) 853 847. Hours: 17:00 to 4:00.