Vietadvisor
New Member
If you're heading to Da Nang, forget what you know about Vietnamese food from Hanoi or Saigon. The cuisine here is spicier, heavily reliant on fermented fish sauce, and mixes ocean catch with jungle herbs. I’ve compiled a quick top 10 list of the absolute best regional specialties so you can map out your meals while checking out the top sights in the city.
A quick snack made by smashing wet steamed rice paper onto a dry grilled rice cracker. Break it, dip it in fermented anchovy sauce (Mắm Nêm), and enjoy the crunch. Costs ~15,000 VND.
A brilliant dessert of blended avocado topped with coconut ice cream. Mash it all together. Best found at Bac My An Market.
A dry bowl of cold rice vermicelli, roasted pork belly, green papaya, and extremely pungent fermented anchovy sauce. A true local flavor explosion.
Working-class fuel. Chewy tapioca noodles in a thick, gravy-like broth made from pork knuckles or snakehead fish. Dip fried dough sticks into it.
A DIY meal where you roll thin-sliced pork, wet noodles, and tons of fresh herbs into dry rice paper, dipped in a pineapple anchovy sauce.
The ultimate local breakfast. The broth is boiled with fish bones, pumpkin, and pineapple. Add fresh mackerel fish cakes, pickled garlic, and raw cabbage.
Shorter, crunchier bread than Saigon. Filled with pate, pork roll, and finished with a warm, savory pork gravy poured right inside the sandwich.
Eat at the massive, open-air tin-roof spots. Order clams steamed with lemongrass, grilled scallops with scallion oil, and spicy grilled cuttlefish. Always confirm the price per kilo.
Crispy, greasy turmeric pancakes filled with shrimp. Roll them in rice paper with grilled lemongrass pork skewers and dip into a rich peanut-liver gravy.
The soul of Central Vietnam. Wide turmeric noodles in a shallow, highly concentrated pork broth. Snap a giant rice cracker into the bowl and mix it up. Check out this list of the best restaurants to find where the locals eat it.
Wipe your chopsticks with a dry napkin before eating. Drop dirty napkins on the floor (not the table). Wet wipes on the table cost extra if opened. Pay at the cooking cart when you leave. For a full breakdown, check this food survival guide.
The Top 10 Da Nang Dishes
10. Bánh Đập (Smashed Rice Paper)
A quick snack made by smashing wet steamed rice paper onto a dry grilled rice cracker. Break it, dip it in fermented anchovy sauce (Mắm Nêm), and enjoy the crunch. Costs ~15,000 VND.
9. Kem Bơ (Avocado Ice Cream)
A brilliant dessert of blended avocado topped with coconut ice cream. Mash it all together. Best found at Bac My An Market.
8. Bún Mắm Nêm (Fermented Pork Noodle Bowl)
A dry bowl of cold rice vermicelli, roasted pork belly, green papaya, and extremely pungent fermented anchovy sauce. A true local flavor explosion.
7. Bánh Canh (Thick Tapioca Noodle Soup)
Working-class fuel. Chewy tapioca noodles in a thick, gravy-like broth made from pork knuckles or snakehead fish. Dip fried dough sticks into it.
6. Bánh Tráng Cuốn Thịt Heo (Sliced Pork in Rice Paper)
A DIY meal where you roll thin-sliced pork, wet noodles, and tons of fresh herbs into dry rice paper, dipped in a pineapple anchovy sauce.
5. Bún Chả Cá (Fish Cake Noodle Soup)
The ultimate local breakfast. The broth is boiled with fish bones, pumpkin, and pineapple. Add fresh mackerel fish cakes, pickled garlic, and raw cabbage.
4. Bánh Mì (Da Nang Style)
Shorter, crunchier bread than Saigon. Filled with pate, pork roll, and finished with a warm, savory pork gravy poured right inside the sandwich.
3. Hải Sản (Street Seafood)
Eat at the massive, open-air tin-roof spots. Order clams steamed with lemongrass, grilled scallops with scallion oil, and spicy grilled cuttlefish. Always confirm the price per kilo.
2. Bánh Xèo & Nem Lụi (Crispy Pancake & Lemongrass Pork)
Crispy, greasy turmeric pancakes filled with shrimp. Roll them in rice paper with grilled lemongrass pork skewers and dip into a rich peanut-liver gravy.
1. Mì Quảng (Turmeric Noodles)
The soul of Central Vietnam. Wide turmeric noodles in a shallow, highly concentrated pork broth. Snap a giant rice cracker into the bowl and mix it up. Check out this list of the best restaurants to find where the locals eat it.
Quick Etiquette Rules
Wipe your chopsticks with a dry napkin before eating. Drop dirty napkins on the floor (not the table). Wet wipes on the table cost extra if opened. Pay at the cooking cart when you leave. For a full breakdown, check this food survival guide.