Palaweño flavors
Chao Long Noodles
A taste of Vietnam in Palawan — thin rice noodles in a sweet-savoury beef or pork broth, brought by Vietnamese refugees who settled in Puerto Princesa, served with herbs and a warm, crusty 'French bread' baguette for dipping.
About this dish
Chao long is Puerto Princesa's most unexpected signature — a Vietnamese rice-noodle soup that became a local institution thanks to history. In the late 1970s and 1980s, thousands of Vietnamese 'boat people' fleeing the aftermath of the war were resettled at the Palawan Refugee Processing Center and the Vietnamese Village near Puerto Princesa. Many eventually moved on, but their food stayed and put down roots. Chao long (from the Vietnamese for a noodle-and-offal soup, locally adapted) is a bowl of thin rice noodles in a clear, lightly sweet beef or pork broth, served with fresh herbs, and — crucially — a side of warm, crackly-crusted Vietnamese baguette known locally as 'French bread', torn and dipped into the soup. Cheap, comforting, and found nowhere else in the Philippines in quite this form, chao long at long-running spots like Rene's Saigon is a delicious edible record of Palawan's role as a haven.
Allergen information
Preparation methods may vary by restaurant. Always confirm with staff if you have severe allergies.