Sellout say some, but pungent, strong-smelling pizza sells out

The bun dau mam tom, steamed rice vermicelli with deep-fried tofu and fermented shrimp paste, is a popular Vietnamese street food, but a Saigon pizzeria has decided it belongs on a pizza, too.

The bun dau mam tom pizza, as one can imagine, has the normal crust with a thin layer of cheese on top, with the unusual topping of pork, fried tofu, fried fish cake and a variety of herbs like cilantro and perilla, and to top it all, it uses the fermented shrimp paste used in bun dau mam tom.

The "bun dau mam tom" pizza with fermented shrimp sauce. Photo courtesy of 4P.

The dish, only available in HCMC for a limited time, was priced VND140,000 ($6) and was served in just one size.

"I was so curious so I had to come here and try this. Not too bad," said Huy Hoang from Ho Chi Minh City.

The pizza got a thumbs down from several people.

"They weren’t meant for each other. The shrimp paste is just too salty for me and you can’t even adjust it" said Vinh, a customer.

Many foreigners who tried the new pizza liked it, restaurant staff said, adding that they were no longer serving it since they have run out of stock.

Another twist

The "cha ca" pizza is only available in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of 4P

Previously, the restaurant’s Hanoi branches had released another combination of pizza and Vietnamese food, the cha ca pizza with fried fish, shrimp paste, fish sauce, peanut and dill. The dish, priced the same price as the bun dau mam tom pizza, and is only available in Hanoi.