Besides beautiful nature and lots of activities, Da Nang city is also famous for many delicious foods. Special local cuisine here thanks to the diversity of seafood and influences from nearby famous cuisines in Vietnam (Hue and Hoi An). There are some foods that visitors can find anywhere else around the country. Sure, they must try. Now, let’s HoiAn Day Trip Company provide the list of all specialty dishes in Da Nang Vietnam.
You may also like: Specialty Food in Hoi An, Vietnam
• Content by Tam Le, founder of HOIAN DAY TRIP CO.,LTD
• Designed by Giang Cong Minh, co-founder of LS E&C LTD and his team
• Photo by Dang Cong Loi, Dao Xuan Son, Tam Le & others
List of Local Specialty Food in Da Nang Vietnam
Banh Trang Cuon Thit Heo (Pork Belly Wrapped in Rice Paper)
This popular dish in Da Nang includes boiled pork belly slices, fermented anchovy sauce (mam nem), raw vegetables and herbs, rice papers, cucumber, green banana and green mango. To eat, it’s needed to dip the rice paper into water first and then wait a little bit. When the rice paper is softer and easier to roll, pick the pork belly and favourite veggies, and then roll all together. Lastly, dip the roll into the fish sauce to eat. Depending on personal taste, people can add lime, sugar and chilli into the fish sauce. See more information & details
Price: from 60,000 VND/person
Best places to eat: local restaurants, night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve for: lunch, dinner
Bun Cha Ca (Fishcake Noodle Soup)
Bun cha ca (fishcake noodle soup) is made with fried fishcake, steamed fishcake, broth, cabbage, and pumpkin. Local people use different kinds of fish to make the broth. For more flavours, they add shrimp paste (mam ruoc), lime, and chilli. Raw vegetables and herbs are served as side dishes. Bun Cha Ca is one of the most popular local foods in Da Nang. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/bowl
Where to find: local restaurants, night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve in: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Nam O Raw Fish Salad
Raw fish salad at Nam O Village, west of the city centre, is unique to Da Nang. There are two types of salad: dry salad and wet salad. The main ingredient is sardinella fish catched by local fishermen during the year (the village is by the sea). To make the dry salad, people will remove the bones, slice the meat thinly and then mix/soak in lime juice or vinegar. After that, they press fish slices to release the water and then mix them with roasted rice powder, roasting sesame and spices (chilli, ginger). The water from fishes are cooked with fish sauce, spices and then added with roasting peanuts. To eat, people use rice paper to wrap fish, raw vegetables (green banana, mango, star fruit, herbs) and then dip into the sauce. Additionally, they also top the fish salad on top of grilled rice paper pieces to eat.
The wet fish salad is also simply made. Raw fish slices will be soaked into a sauce made by fish sauce, chilli, garlic, ginger and other spices. The way to eat it is similar to the dry fish salad. See more information & details
Price: from 150,000 VND/plate
Where to find: local restaurants at Nam O Fish Sauce Village
Serve in: lunch, dinner
Mit Tron (Young Jackfruit Salad)
This Da Nang’s specialty food is made by young jackfruit (chopped into small pieces after peeled and boiled), fried shallot, roasting peanuts, herbs (mint or Vietnamese coriander rau ram). To eat, local people will add soy bean sauce, chilli and then use chopsticks to mix everything together. After that, use the spoon to take the salad and place it on the top of grilled rice paper. See more information & details
Similar food: Pork Skin Salad (Da Tron) in Hoi An
Price: from 30,000 VND/plate
Best places to eat: local restaurants, night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve for: anytime between lunch and dinner
Oc Hut (‘Sucking Snails’)
Main ingredient of this dish is oc gao (scientific name: Assiminea lutea). After collecting or buying in the market, local people will soak these small snails in fresh water for many hours, to let the snails release the dirt (like grass, sand). Clean snails are cooked with spices (lemongrass, chilli, lemon leaf, ginger) and salt. A bowl of snails is topped with fried shallots, chilli and sliced fresh coconut meat. Locals use toothpicks to pick the snail meat or use their mouths to suck. That’s why the food is called ‘sucking snails’. Nowhere else except central Vietnam, visitors can find it. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/bowl
Where to find: local restaurants, night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve in: anytime between lunch and dinner
Kem Bo (Avocado Ice Cream)
This dish is a favourite dessert for both locals and visitors. It’s simply made with fresh avocado, ice cream, condensed milk and dried coconut meat but the flavour is great. During the summer, it’s always one of the best sellers in food markets around the city. The avocado is sourced from farms in the central highlands of Vietnam. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/cup
Where to find: night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve in: anytime between lunch and dinner
Mi Quang Noodles
Mi Quang noodle is the specialty noodle dish of Da Nang city and Quang Nam province. A bowl of this food has rice noodles (white or yellow), pork belly, shrimp, quail egg, savory broth, roasting peanuts. To eat, locals use chopsticks to pick raw vegetables and herbs into the bowl and then mix everything. They may use their hands to break grilled rice crackers into smaller pieces to dip into the broth or hold a fresh chilli to bite. The best noodle in Da Nang originates from Tuy Loan Village, west of the city centre. Some local mi quang restaurants got Michelin-star recently. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/bowl
Where to find: local restaurants, night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve in: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Bun Mam Nem (Fermented Anchovy Sauce Noodles)
This food is made with rice noodle, fermented anchovy sauce (mam nem), shredded green papaya, boiled young jackfruit, and fried shallots. Popular additional toppings are steamed pork sausage in banana leaf (cha la) and fermented pork (nem chua). To eat, simply it’s just needed to mix everything with chopsticks. For more flavours, lime and chilli should be added into the bowl. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/bowl
Where to find: local restaurants, night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve in: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Che Sau Rieng (Durian Sweet Soup)
This sweet dessert is made with durian (one of the most delicious tropical fruits in the world, popular in Southeast Asia), coconut milk, jelly. Because of local weather (hot), it’s often served with ice. To end perfectly your food tasting experience in Da Nang, durian sweet soup should be one of your first choices. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/bowl
Where to find: night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve in: evening
Chao Vit (Duck Porridge)
The duck porridge (Chao vit) at Da Nang simply is made by rice porridge, boiled duck and then chopped, ground pepper, spring onion, coriander leaf. For more flavours, people will add fish sauce with ginger and chilli. If like to eat more meat, the best way is to eat a duck salad in which boiled duck is mixed with green mango, green banana, star fruit and herbs. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/bowl
Where to find: local restaurants
Serve in: dinner
Bun Ca Ngu (Tuna Noodle Soup)
The tuna noodle soup at Da Nang is made with tuna (marinated and then cooked with fresh water), fish broth, rice vermicelli, tomato, pineapple and spices. Like the fishcake noodle soup, raw vegetables and herbs are served as side dishes. For more flavours, people will add lime juice, chilli, shrimp paste (mam ruoc), garlic, fish sauce, etc. Although tuna is found across the central coast of Vietnam, the tuna noodle is most delicious in Da Nang city. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/bowl
Where to find: local restaurants, night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve in: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Nem Lui (Lemongrass Pork Skewer)
Nem lui (lemongrass pork skewer) originates from Hue city. It’s made by ground lean pork wrapping a lemongrass and the grilled. To eat, local people use rice paper to roll it with raw vegetables and fresh herbs, pickled veggies and then dip into the fish sauce or peanut-sesame sauce.
Price: 50,000 VND for a plate of 5 skewers, rice paper, raw vegetables and dipping sauce
Where to find: local restaurants, night markets, food courts in big day market,
Serve for: lunch, dinner
Com Ga (Chicken Rice)
Com ga means ‘chicken rice’. Chicken rice at Da Nang is different from other versions of chicken rice in the country. It includes steamed rice (cooked in chicken broth) and shredded chicken salad on the top (with sliced white onion and Vietnamese coriander rau ram). Unlike Hoi An style chicken rice, there is no chilli sauce/jam and a bowl of chicken organ soup served in Da Nang. Instead, people just use common chilli sauce, fish sauce or soy sauce, and drink vegetable soup.
Ca Nuc Hap Quan Banh Trang (Steamed Mackerel Rice Paper)
Ca Nuc Hap Quan Banh Trang means ‘steamed mackerel wrapped in rice paper’. So, this dish has mackerel steamed with spices and then people use rice paper to wrap its meat with raw vegetables (raw morning glory in many places) and then dip it into fish sauce. Sometimes, people roll the fish with rice vermicelli. Nowhere else in the country, except Da Nang, visitors can find this special dish.
Muc Rim (Caramelized Dried Squid)
In the dry season, local people can catch seafood. In many days, there are too many squids and fishes catched, leading to an overabundance. For that reason, local fishermen sun dry excess squids and fishes, and then slowly cook them in fish sauce, sugar, and spices to eat. These caramelized seafood is eaten alone or with steamed rice, especially during the rainy season. See more information & details
Banh Mi (Sandwich)
Banh mi means ‘wheat cake’ or bread in Vietnamese. It’s first introduced into the country by French people and then localized. In Da Nang, banh mi is the bread filled with pork belly or egg or pork/fish sausage or grilled pork, pate made with pork liver, mayonnaise, fresh herbs, savoury sauce.
See also: Banh Mi in Hoi An Vietnam
Price: from 25,000 VND/sandwich
Where to find: night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve in: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Com Hen (Clam Rice)
Com Hen means ‘clam rice’ in Vietnamese. It originates from Hue city. A bowl of this dish is made with cold steamed rice or rice vermicelli, boiled clams, shredded taro, shredded green mango, pennywort, and herbs. A bowl of clam soup will be served. To eat, local people will mix everything. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/bowl
Where to find: local restaurants
Serve in: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Trung Chen Nuong (Grilled Egg Bowl)
To make this food, local people will use a small ceramic bowl and fill it with quail eggs, cheese, sliced pork sausage, fried shallots, chopped spring onion (or scallion), and sauces. They put the bowl on a barbecue and then grill. To eat, a small spoon is used. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/bowl
Where to find: local restaurants, night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve in: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Bun Bo Hue (Beef Rice Noodle Soup)
Bun bo Hue means ‘beef noodle soup from Hue’ because this noodle dish originates from Hue city near Da Nang. Lots of Hue people live in the city. The food is made of beef, beef bones broth, pork knuckles, pork blood curd, shrimp ball, rice vermicelli, white onion, Vietnamese coriander, ground pepper. The broth is cooked from beef bones, fresh water, lemongrass, chili, shrimp paste, and purple onion. That’s why it becomes bold and savory, mouth watering. Raw vegetables and herbs will be served as a side dish. For more flavours, people add lime juice, chilli, chilli sauce, fish sauce, shrimp paste, etc. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/bowl
Where to find: local restaurants, night markets, food court inside big day market
Serve in: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Banh Canh (Thick Noodle Soup)
This noodle dish is made by tapioca or rice or wheat noodles, pork bone broth, and toppings (pork knuckles, pork sausage, fish sausage, pork bones, quail egg or even fishes), sliced spring onion, coriander, sliced white onion, Vietnamese coriander. The noodle sticks are boiled in hot water before put into the bowl. Local people will add chilli, garlic, pickled onion and chilli, fish sauce, chilli sauce, etc to have more flavors. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/cup
Where to find: local restaurants, food court inside big day market
Serve in: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Ram Cuon Cai (Fried Spring Rolls Mustard Leaf)
This dish includes fried spring rolls and fresh mustard leaf. Spring rolls are made with rice paper, minced pork, minced wood ear, chopped clear noodles, purple onion, egg and spices. To eat, local people use their hands to place the fried roll on the top of a mustard leaf and then roll it. The dipping sauce is made with fish sauce, sugar, lime, and chilli. See more information & details
Price: from 50,000 VND/plate
Where to find: local restaurants, food court inside big day market
Serve in: evening
Banh Xeo (Crispy Rice Pancake)
One of the most popularly-known local specialty foods of Da Nang is banh xeo or crispy rice pancake. It’s made from rice milk produced by grinding rice or mixing rice flour with water. After that, local people pour the milk into a hot pan and then fry it until it becomes crispy. This cake is topped with pork, shrimp and bean sprouts. To eat, a rice paper is used to wrap it with raw vegetables and pickles, and then dip the roll into a local style peanut sauce. Banh Xeo means ‘sizzling cake’, originating from the sizzling sound when the rice milk is poured into the hot pan. See more information & details
Similar food: Banh Khoai (Hue style crispy rice pancake)
Price: from 50,000 VND/plate
Where to find: local restaurants, food court inside big day market
Serve in: lunch, dinner
Banh Mi Chao (‘Skillet Bread’)
Quite similar to Bo Ne, Banh mi chao (or ‘skillet bread’) consists of egg, pork sausage, cheese, ham, beef, pork liver pate, pork patty, cucumber slice, tomato slice, coriander, ground pepper and a special sauce, all served in a skillet. To eat, local people add chilli sauce or tomato sauce or soy bean sauce, and shred a bread to eat with different ingredients. See more information & details
Price: from 30,000 VND/skillet
Where to find: local restaurants
Serve in: breakfast
Banh Kho Me Cam Le (Dried Sesame Cake)
Cam Le dried sesame cake is made from locally-sourced sesame, common rice flour, glutinous rice flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon powder. To make it, rice flour are mixed with water and then local people make squared cakes from the dough. After that, steam the cakes and then grill them on the fire. The next steps are smelting sugar and mixing with sesame, ginger and cinnamon, to fully cover grilled rice cakes. When dry, cakes can be eaten. The best producers are in Cam Le district, so this specialty food is named after it. The best way to eat is together with hot tea. See more information & details
Price: from 50,000 VND/pack
Where to find: local shops, day and night markets
Serve in:
Food Tours in Da Nang
Better to Know about Eating Local in Da Nang
– Local family-run restaurants always serve better local foods than tourist restaurants. Places inside small alleyways potentially are hidden gems. The price is even more affordable at these lesser known spots.
– Restaurants where you can see a queue or crowds, food or drinks there are absolutely better or safer than others. Vietnamese people also avoid places without people eating, such as roadside eateries.
– Hot foods are often safe to eat for non-Vietnamese people. Refuse cold food (especially ones sold on the street, markets) or things you don’t see people cooking.
– Make sure that you learn some basic Vietnamese words or sentences to order foods, such as xin chao (hello, hi), cho toi mot (something) (I want one…), toi an chay (I am vegetarian), khong cay (no spicy), cam on (thank you), tam biet (goodbye) or numbers (mot/one, hai/two, ba/three, bon/four, nam/five, sau/six, bay/seven, tam/eight, chin/nine, and muoi/ten).
– Ask any local people you know (tour guide, driver, hotel receptionists, bellmen, etc) to receive their recommendation for good places to eat local.
– Raw vegetables are popularly used in local dishes, such as noodles or noodle soup or sandwich. They are often washed by tap water or unwashed. If can not drink tap water, remove or refuse them. Likewise, in most iced drinks (such as coffee or herbal tea), people add ice made by tap water also.
– On the 1st day and 14th-15th days of each lunar month, Hoi An citizens eat vegetarians. Many local restaurants and street businesses will be closed by that.
– If you don’t eat pork or beef, due to diet or religious restrictions, be careful when want to try local food here, if don’t see the ingredient description. Pork and beef are very popular meats, so they will be in numerous dishes. Street vendors may say ‘no pork’ or ‘no beef’ for better business, but please check before buying!
– Consider joining a food tour guided by locals who know much better about dishes in the city, including things never mentioned in guidebooks or on the internet.
– If have an allergy (milk, egg, peanut, wheat,…), ask anybody you know before trying or search for ingredients on the internet. By the way, fish sauce is popularly used to marinate Vietnamese foods, so make sure that you know this information if you’re fish allergic.
– Food portion (or size) here is often not really big (locals prefer eating with their family at home). You may try double or some different dishes for main meals.
– If don’t see the price on the menu, please ask in advance to avoid overcharging, especially when you are not a local. In Vietnamese, how much is bao nhieu.
– Most popular cutleries are chopsticks and spoons. To know how to use it, browse here
