Walking the streets of Hanoi, you see red signs with "NGAN" written large all over the place. Without knowing how to read it or what it meant, that day I went into one near my lodging. The reason was simple: I wanted a beer.
Once I sat down, everyone around me was drinking beer with fried meat as a snack. I pointed at the same thing and ordered it. What came out was fragrant fried meat coated in plenty of garlic. One bite and I knew right away: this is the kind of thing that keeps the beer flowing.
But something seemed off. I'd gone in thinking it was a duck restaurant, yet the meat that came out was a little different from the duck I knew. The skin was thin, the flesh firm, and it gave off a clear aroma when you bit into it. It was delicious, but I couldn't place what it was.
It wasn't actually duck
I looked it up later and found out this "NGAN" was the bird called bariken in Japanese. A relative of the duck, but a different species. It has a large body, thin skin, little fat, and firm flesh. That's why it doesn't turn heavy when fried—only a satisfying chew remains.
What's interesting was the reason I'd hardly ever come across this bird. I'm usually in Ho Chi Minh City, and in the south this bird is called by a different name, vịt xiêm, with a different lineup of dishes. The place where I saw a whole row of specialty shops flying the "NGAN" sign wasHanoiwas a first for me. Ah, so this was a northern bird—it all clicked into place in a single plate.
I ordered plenty of other things besides beer
The fried ngan alone was more than satisfying, but since I was there, I tried ordering some other dishes too.
Boiled ngan (ngan luộc) is barely seasoned and very lean. You'd think it might be underwhelming, but dip it in the sauce on the table and you can't stop. With ginger and chili, you can tune it to your own taste.
The bamboo shoot soup (canh măng) was, I thought, the taste that would reassure a Japanese person most among that day's dishes. The broth is clear and soothing. The one thing that surprised me was a dark lump in it. I flinched for a moment when told it was congealed blood, but it's already cooked, and the texture is close to liver. It's completely different from tiết canh, which uses raw blood, so no need to worry there.
To finish, mung-bean glass noodles (miến ngan). You can choose soup or no-soup, and on a hot day the no-soup version paired with beer was just right.
We couldn't communicate, but it was comfortable
At this shop, almost no English gets through. The staff are taciturn too, and honestly I was a little on guard at first. Even so, with pointing and simple Vietnamese, you can manage.
What surprised me more was how remarkably tidy the table was. The seasonings, chopsticks, vinegar, and chili were all neatly arranged. It was a curious place—brusque, yet comfortable. It seems well known among locals too, and gets quite crowded at lunchtime. If you want to drink at a leisurely pace, shifting your timing a little seems wise.
Since I love beer, in Vietnam I inevitably end up choosing a place by "what I'll drink it with." My standbys are ốc (shellfish) and fried tofu, and in Ho Chi Minh City I usually settle on one of those two. Ever since I met this fried ngan in Hanoi, I've had one more option. Garlic-coated fried ngan is light on fat yet has a satisfying chew — it's genuinely well made as a drinking snack.
There's one more reason I like this place: it stocks not only Vietnamese beer but Chinese beer as well. That's rare for a Vietnamese eatery, and it lets you try unfamiliar labels while traveling. Rather than a place to just get a meal done, it's perfect to use as a little izakaya.
Honestly, I wish a place like this would open in Ho Chi Minh City too. Even when you look for ngan in the south, you rarely come across this way of eating it. Knowing it's a pairing I can only drink when I come to Hanoi makes the beer go down all the faster.
Also, when you're in Hanoi,
You walk into a shop thinking it's duck, meet a bird you didn't know, the beer flows, and you go home having even learned its name. Meals while traveling — this is the kind that stays with me most. By the way, for the story of "drinking with shellfish" in the south, IAn article on a shellfish specialty restaurant in Ho Chi Minh Citywrote about it here. Have a look too, if you like.
The shop is at 65 Lý Nam Đế, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi. It has a slightly long name: "Quán Ngan Trăm Món Yến Phương." It's open until around 9 p.m., and for about 1,000 yen per person I could eat and drink plenty. When I'm in Hanoi, I think I'll end up stopping by again.
A note for those who want to go
From here on is some extra information for those actually going. Let me quickly sum up the bird called ngan, the differences among the dishes you can order, and the shop's location.
What ngan (Muscovy duck) is in the first place
Ngan is the bird called bariken in Japanese, and in English the Muscovy duck. It's native to Central and South America but was introduced to Vietnam long ago and has been widely raised in the north. It's a different species from vịt, the bird we usually picture as a "duck," even though they're relatives.
| ngan (Muscovy duck) | vịt (duck) | |
|---|---|---|
| Body size | Large, with heavy individual birds | Smaller than ngan |
| 脂 | Thin skin, less fat | Tends to be fattier |
| flesh quality | Firm, with strong lean meat | Tender and juicy |
| Aroma | A distinctive aroma that comes through clearly | Milder than ngan |
In the south, this ngan is called vịt xiêm (Siamese duck). Where the name differs, so does the lineup of dishes, and in the south you most often meet the same bird within dishes like bún măng vịt.
Dishes you can order, and their differences
This shop's signature is the way it makes several different dishes out of a single ngan. Here are the representative ones.
- Fried ngan (ngan cháy tỏi / chiên mắm tỏi): fried and coated in garlic and fish sauce. Fragrant, and it goes with beer
- Boiled ngan (ngan luộc): served unseasoned, eaten dipped in the table sauce. This is where you taste the ingredient itself best
- Bamboo shoot soup (canh măng): dried bamboo shoots simmered in ngan broth, a clear soup. Its origin is Hanoi's Tet cuisine
- miến ngan / bún ngan: A noodle dish with glass noodles (miến) or rice noodles (bún). You can choose with or without broth
You may find dark clots of blood in the soup or among the noodle toppings. This is tiết luộc, heated and set firm — a different thing from tiết canh, which uses raw blood.
| tiết luộc (cooked) | Heated, set blood that goes into soup or noodles. The texture is close to liver. You can eat it with confidence |
|---|---|
| tiết canh (raw) | A traditional northern dish of set raw blood. Because it isn't heated, it's not recommended for travelers |
Shop basics and access
| Shop name | Quán Ngan Trăm Món Yến Phương |
|---|---|
| Address | 65 P. Lý Nam Đế, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội |
| Closed | 21:00 (last order may come earlier) |
| Budget guide | About 100,000–200,000 dong per person (about 590–1,180 yen) |
| Google Maps rating | 4.3 / 358 reviews (as of July 2026) |
| Language | Mainly Vietnamese. English barely gets through. |
* Japanese-yen conversions are rough estimates calculated at 1 yen = 170 dong. Rates fluctuate. Lý Nam Đế has many military-related facilities and is a street known as "phố nhà binh" (soldiers' street); it isn't a main tourist thoroughfare, but the ngan on this street is well known to locals. It gets crowded around midday, so if you want to drink at a leisurely pace, going at an off time is the way to go.
Nearby ngan shops you can compare
Within walking distance of Lý Nam Đế through Hoan Kiem District, shops serving ngan are scattered about. If you want to compare the highly rated ones, the following are easy to make a round of.
| Shop name | Characteristics | Google Maps rating |
|---|---|---|
| Đồng Xuân Quán | A ngan specialty spot in the Old Quarter (phố cổ). Also pho ga and bun thang. | 4.8 / 351 reviews |
| Ngan ngon Trâm | A popular shop steady in both review count and rating. | 4.5 / 401 reviews |
| Bún Miến Ngan Minh Thu | Built around noodles. Long loved by locals. | 4.2 / 184 reviews |
I recommend making your first stop Yến Phương to set your own benchmark before making the rounds. For how to get around Hanoi as a whole,Hanoi area guideand for the differences in character from city to city,A comparison of 17 cities in Vietnam.
Frequently asked questions
- What's the difference between ngan and vịt?
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Ngan is the bariken (Muscovy duck), and vịt is the ordinary duck—they're different species altogether. Ngan is larger, with thinner skin and firmer meat. In the south, ngan is called vịt xiêm.
- Does ngan have a gamey smell?
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The distinctive aroma does come through clearly. That said, fried ngan pulls the aroma together with garlic and fish sauce, and boiled ngan can be adjusted with the dipping sauce, so it's easy to eat even for those who dislike strong smells.
- What's the dark clot in the soup?
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It's blood that's been cooked and set (tiết luộc). The texture is close to liver, and it's different from tiết canh, which uses raw blood.
- Do Japanese or English get through?
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It's safest to assume it barely gets through. Jot down the dish names, or show a photo when ordering—that's quicker.
- About how much should I budget per person?
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A rough guide is 100,000–200,000 dong per person (about 590–1,180 yen). If you have just noodles, it comes to something lighter.
Thank you for reading all the way to the end.
