🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Udon's souvenirs split neatly into two camps. The first is the Vietnamese food that's become the city's signature flavor — Udon has had a community of Vietnamese settlers since wartime, so the recipes for nam neung, moo yor and Vietnamese crepes have sunk deep roots and turned into the things the city is known for. The second is the everyday stuff: Chinese-style pastries, kunchiang sausage, chili dips and dry goods that keep for a while and are easy to carry on a flight. This article covers both camps, and tells you straight which items keep well and which you have to eat fast.
Read before you buy
Udon's souvenirs come both fresh and dried. Fresh nam neung is best eaten within a day or two — if you're carrying it far, order the travel set with the vegetables and dipping sauce packed separately. Moo yor, kunchiang and pastries keep for several days up to a week, so they're fine to carry on a plane. Many shops offer vacuum-sealed packs and cold foam boxes; just tell the seller how many hours you'll be traveling and they'll sort the packing for you.
What edible souvenirs Udon is known for
Before you head out shopping, it helps to know the main items so choosing is easier. These five are what locals reach for most often as gifts.
- Nam neung — seasoned ground pork shaped into sticks and grilled over charcoal, eaten wrapped in rice paper with a big pile of fresh herbs and a thick peanut-based dipping sauce. It's the first thing people associate with Udon. The travel set comes with everything packed separately so you can wrap your own at home.
- Moo yor — smooth ground pork steamed in banana leaf, firm and bouncy, eaten plain with chili or fried crisp on the outside and soft inside. It comes in several styles: pure pork, pork with skin, with crunchy tendon, or with black pepper. It keeps for several days and is the easiest thing here to carry on a flight.
- Vietnamese crepe (khanom bueang yuan) — a thin crisp batter folded in half like a crepe, filled with minced pork, dried shrimp, shiitake, carrot and bean sprouts, eaten with a sweet-and-sour dip. It's hard to find now, made only by the older Vietnamese shops. This one has to be eaten fresh, so it's better to buy and eat it at the shop than carry it far.
- Kunchiang — sweet-salty dried pork sausage, fried or steamed and eaten with rice porridge. It keeps for a week or so, and the well-known moo yor shops usually make kunchiang alongside it.
- Chinese-style pastry (khanom pia) — a sweet souvenir Udon does well, both the soft kind and the fried kind, in many fillings, starting at a few tens of baht. Easy to buy by the box for handing out, and it keeps for several days.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Udon Thani food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
Udon souvenir shops locals actually buy from
This ranking weighs how old the shop is and where the recipe comes from, the flavors people talk about, value for money, and how easy it is to carry the goods home. It's not ordered from priciest to cheapest — it's ordered by where to start if you've come to Udon for edible souvenirs. Some shops have a Michelin Bib Gourmand; some are decades-old institutions the whole city has been buying from for generations.
VT Nam Neung (Mittraphap branch)
The name travelers think of first when souvenirs from Udon come up. The Mittraphap branch is the largest in Thailand, with a drive-through so you can order without leaving the car, and a travel set of nam neung with the herbs and dip packed separately ready to carry. It's a popular souvenir stop on the way out of the city toward Khon Kaen.
Moo Yor Nai Term
Udon's first moo yor shop, open for over 60 years, with a recipe straight from Vietnam. The moo yor is pure pork with no flour added — smooth and bouncy, never stringy — and comes as pure pork, with skin, with crunchy tendon, or with black pepper. Beyond moo yor they also have kunchiang, pork floss, chili dips and crystallized coconut. It's a shop Udon families have been buying from generation after generation.
Arunee Nam Neung
An in-town shop that's been part of Udon for over 30 years and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand. The standout is the hard-to-find Vietnamese crepe — thin, crisp batter with a packed filling — alongside nam neung, nam neung salad, fried miang and Vietnamese pizza, all with a homey, hand-made flavor. These are best eaten fresh at the shop; if you're buying to take home, pick the items that keep. Worth calling ahead to reserve a table on weekends.
VT Nam Neung (Pho Si branch)
Another VT branch, this one in town behind Wat Photisomphon in the Pho Si area — good for anyone staying central who doesn't want to head out to the Mittraphap branch outside town. Same flavors and same travel set, with Hue-style nam neung and a well-balanced dip, easy to swing by while you're out exploring the city.
Porn Nam Neung
An in-town nam neung shop reviewers say is every bit as good as the famous names, though it still flies under the radar. Besides nam neung there's pan hom, loaded moo yor and Vietnamese crepes to try, all at friendly prices. Good for anyone wanting to skip the queues at the big names and still get a full spread of souvenirs in one shop.
Khanom Pia Tod Nai Heng
A well-known pastry souvenir shop in Udon, over near Ban Huai market. The fried pastries come in many fillings — red bean, black bean, soybean, taro, purple yam, pumpkin and pineapple — starting at a few tens of baht and keeping for several days. Easy to buy by the box for handing out, and a good way to add something sweet alongside all the meaty souvenirs.
Ketdao Nam Neung
An old-school nam neung shop with an original recipe that Udon locals know well, having started near the Ha Yaek market in town. The dipping sauce is a house recipe sold across several generations, and prices are easier on the wallet than the big names. There's moo yor and other souvenirs to take home too — good for anyone after homey-tasting nam neung without a long queue.
Daeng Nam Neung
One of the oldest names in the city, carrying on a recipe from the pioneer generation of Vietnamese settlers. The nam neung is firm and fragrant off the grill, while the fresh spring rolls and moo yor are favorites many people buy to take home. It's the name Udon's parents' generation brings up when they talk about original nam neung.
Moo Yor & Fresh Spring Roll Stalls, Thetsaban 1 Market
Inside Thetsaban 1 market and the Ha Yaek market in the city center, stalls make moo yor, fresh spring rolls and Vietnamese food on the spot — the cheapest on this list. Good for anyone wanting genuine, freshly made moo yor to take home, or a fresh spring roll as a snack while you wander the market. Ask the vendors which stalls make their own.
Souvenir Corner in Tops / Downtown Mall
If you don't have time to tour several shops, supermarkets like Tops and the souvenir corners in the downtown malls usually gather Udon's best in one place — moo yor, kunchiang, chili dips and local-brand snacks, all neatly packed with clear price tags. Good for anyone who wants to wrap up the shopping in a single stop before heading home.
A half-day souvenir-shopping route
If you've got half a day before heading home, this route covers everything — fresh items, dried goods and sweets — without doubling back. Start in town and work your way out toward Mittraphap on the way out of the city.
Souvenir run from in-town to the city exit
What travels far and what to eat fast
Udon's edible souvenirs don't all keep the same, so it's worth knowing before you buy so nothing spoils on the way.
- Keeps well, easy on a flight — moo yor, kunchiang, pork floss, chili dips, pastries. These keep for several days up to a week and are the main souvenirs you can carry far without worry.
- Keeps briefly, eat within 1–2 days — fresh nam neung and fresh spring rolls. If you're carrying them far, order the travel set with everything packed separately and ask for a cold box.
- Has to be eaten fresh at the shop — Vietnamese crepes, fried miang, pak mo (steamed rice rolls) are best right off the griddle. These aren't suited to taking home; better to sit and eat them at the shop.
- Tell them your travel time — when you buy, just tell the seller how many hours you'll be traveling. Most will recommend a pack and add ice to suit your travel time.
Where it's most convenient to buy
Udon's souvenir sources are spread across several spots; pick based on where you're staying and how much time you have.
The famous shops directly
Heading to shops like VT, Moo Yor Nai Term and Arunee gets you the freshest, most complete spread. Good for anyone wanting the original article and with time to stop in.
In-town markets
Thetsaban 1, Ha Yaek and Ban Huai gather moo yor, fresh spring rolls and pastries from several shops close together — cheap and walkable. Good for anyone staying central.
Supermarket / mall
Tops and the downtown malls have neatly packed souvenir corners with clear price tags, open into the evening. Good for anyone wanting to wrap it all up in one stop before heading home.
Udon airport
There are souvenir shops for a last-minute buy before boarding. Selection may be smaller and prices higher than in town — good for when you forgot to buy or are short on time.
Tip
If you're carrying fresh items like nam neung onto a flight, buy them as your last stop before leaving town or at the airport, and ask for a cold box — that keeps them fresher than buying first thing and carrying them around all day. Dry goods like moo yor and pastries you can buy any time, no need to worry.
How to get to the souvenir spots
- In-town shops — Moo Yor Nai Term, Arunee, the VT Pho Si branch and the various markets are all in the city center, an easy walk or motorbike-taxi/Grab ride from the central hotel area.
- VT Mittraphap branch — out of town on Mittraphap Rd heading toward Khon Kaen, with parking and a drive-through. Good to stop at on the way out of town by private car or Grab.
- Udon airport — about 10–15 min from town, with souvenir shops in the terminal. Allow 15–20 min to buy before check-in.
Plan a full eat-your-way-through trip to Udon Thani
See the Udon Thani travel guide →