Cut the pork hock into pieces and rinse with salt. Simmer the pork hock until tender. Remove the pork hock and use the broth as your soup base. Add 1 can of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the can of ground crab to the broth with a pinch of salt, stir well until the crab roe forms into cakes, then remove and set aside. Season the broth to taste, then add the crab claws. Let it boil for a few minutes, then remove the crab meat and set aside.

Once the broth is well seasoned, briefly blanch the fresh banh canh noodles and add them to the pot when ready to serve. Place the noodles in a bowl, arrange the pork hock, crab meat, and crab roe on top. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and cilantro, fried shallots, and black pepper, then ladle the broth over everything.