Sea snails are a staple street food in Vietnam, with an entire street dedicated to them in Ho Chi Minh City

For generations, Ốc, or sea snails, have been an integral part of Vietnamese nhậu culture, which refers to the social gathering of eating and drinking in a lively atmosphere. At sunset, Vietnamese street vendors and restaurants become packed with people eager to chat and slurp snail meat. We headed out to Madame Vo BBQ in New York City's East Village with Dan Dao, a Vietnamese-American travel and culture writer, to try out sea snails, see how the popular street food is made, and learn why it's culturally significant.