Explore Nha Trang Street Food with Top 10 Mouth-watering Dishes

Located in the middle of Vietnam’s coastline, Nha Trang beautiful seaside city appears with the long sand, great ocean view and wonderful cuisine especially street food. Nha Trang street food is the harmonious combination of the natural ocean ingredients and man-made savory taste. To answer the question: What to eat in Nha Trang, let’s we help you collect the top 10 local dishes which is definitely must-eat in this coastal city.

1.Fried Fish Vermicelli Noodle (Bún chả cá)

Vietnamese street food is famous for the hundred versions of vermicelli with a variety of ingredients and recipes. Each region owns itself the special ingredient to go with the savory broth. In Nha Trang, local people usually create their dish with the recipe that made-by-sea ingredient. Bún Chả Cá is not exceptional. The main ingredient of the dish is fried fish slices, vermicelli with clear soup however the taste is not that easy to explain. The broth is very light and sweet because it takes an hour to stewed sailfish, head mackerel with some pineapple and onion. The fried fish is normally made from mackerel fish with a chewy and juicy but little crispy outside. A bowl of delicious fried fish vermicelli will be served with the raw vegetables on the side.

Where to find:

• Bún Cá Cô Ba - 123 Yersin street, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 06:30 - 11:00 | 16:00 - 21:00

• Bún Cá Nha Trang Hạnh Nhiên - 61 Trinh Phong street, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 06:00 - 11:00

Price range: 20,000 - 35,000 VND (~ $1 - 1.5 USD)

2. Can Cake (Bánh Căn)

Can cake is one of the unique versions of traditional pancake in Vietnam. If you’ve known about “Bánh xèo”, can cake is a smaller size of this hot, crispy and tasty pancake. Walking around Nha Trang, you will see many local ladies sitting down beside the charcoal stove, pouring flour and making many tiny can cakes. This dish is a rice flour based cake added in quail or chicken egg, spring onion; you can choose your favorite toppings such as shrimp, squid or beef on the top. Can cake will be served with a small shredded green mango and diluted fish sauce. Dipping one piece of can cake in a fish sauce, you will never forget the taste of crispy cake along with sour of mango, sweet of seafood and distinct flavor of the sauce.

Where to find:

• Bánh Căn Cô Trang - 3A Thap Ba street, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 19:00 - 22:00

• Bánh Căn 51 Tô Hiến Thành - 51 To Hien Thanh street, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 16:00 - 21:00

Price range: 30,000 - 60,000 VND (~ $1.5 - 3 USD)

3. Nha Trang shrimp and squid pancake (Bánh xèo tôm mực Nha Trang)

This famous pancake (bánh xèo) is the one that can not be missed in Nha Trang street food list. Differ from a big-size pancake in the south, here is smaller such as crepe and normally combined with shrimp or squid. The great thing about this traditional crepe is that you can enjoy the fresh and sweet of the seafood with the crispy and smokey of the pancake cooked on the coal stove. The sauce will enhance the flavor of the roll of Nha Trang “bánh xèo” and create a tasty dish.

Where to find:

• Bánh xèo cô Tám - 66 Thap Ba street,  Nha Trang

Opening hours: 16:30 - 21:30

• Bánh xèo chảo Tô Hiến Thành - 85 To Hien Thanh street,  Nha Trang

Opening hours: 16:00 - 20:00

• Bánh xèo 31 - 31 Ngo Duc Ke street, Tan Lap, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 15:00 – 22:00

Price range: 15,000 - 30,000 VND for each (~ $0.8 - 1.5 USD)

4. Grilled Pork Roll ( Nem nướng)

Grilled pork roll is definitely a top answer for ”What to eat in Nha Trang?”. This can be understood as Vietnamese pork sausage which owns itself the distinctive flavor and Viet’s aroma. The minced pork will be marinated and skewer around the bamboo stick, then will be grilled on charcoal. The sauce of this dish is also very distinct which mainly made from peanut, liver, sticky rice, pork, shrimp, etc.  Grilled pork roll will be served will rice paper, many vegetables, cucumber, shredded mango and a small bowl of sauce. Make your wrap of all the ingredients then dip into the sauce, your mind will be blown with every bite.

Where to find:

• Nem Nướng Ninh Hòa Đặng Văn Quyên

Branch 1: 16A Lan Ong street, Nha Trang City

Opening hours: 8:00 - 20:30

Branch 2: 4 Phan Boi Chau street, Nha Trang City

Opening hours: 15:00 - 22:00

• Nem nướng Vũ Thành An - 15 Le Loi street, Nha Trang City

Opening hours: 7:00 - 22:00

Price range: 40,000 - 100,000 VND (~ $2 - 5 USD)

5. Shredded chicken rice with chicken egg butter sauce (Cơm gà chiên bơ)

Chicken rice is a popular dish that comes from the middle region of Vietnam. However, in Nha Trang, this recipe is upgraded by adding egg butter sauce on the dish. Rice is cooked from chicken broth and chicken fat to turn it into yellow. The ready-to-eat plate will be a mixture of yellow rice, shredded chicken, shredded onions, herbs, special fish sauce and a spoon of butter. It’s chance to delight your tastebuds with the outstanding flavour!

Where to find:

• Cơm gà Trâm Anh - 10 Ba Trieu street, Phuong Sai Ward, Nha Trang City

Opening hours: 7:00 - 20:30

• Cơm gà Hà - 75 Ngo Gia Tu street, Tan Lap Ward, Nha Trang City

Opening hours: 9:00 - 22:00

• Cơm gà Tô Vĩnh Diện - 8 To Vinh Dien street, Nha Trang City

Opening hours: 15:30 - 22:00

Price range: 35,000 - 60,000 VND (~ $1.5 - 3 USD)

6. Jellyfish Vermicelli Noodle (Bún sứa)

This is another kind of noodle in Nha Trang street food that you cannot miss out because of the stunning ocean aroma in the broth and its main ingredient - jellyfish. The base broth is similar to fried fish vermicelli (Bún chả cá) so, usually, they are sold in the same food stall. Jellyfish bring the crunchy texture and natural sweetness to the dish. The light broth, along with a slight tart of tomato and pineapple, soft noodle and crunchy jellyfish is the harmonious combination you can’t forget.

Tip from Inspitrip: Don’t let the food cool down if you wanna enjoy the unique taste.

Where to find:

• Bún sứa chợ Đầm - Dam market, Ly Quoc Su street, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 5:00 - 17:00

• Bún cá sứa - 3 Tang Bat Ho street, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 6:00 - 10:30

• Bún cá sứa & chả cá - 24 Nguyen Cong Tru street, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 15:30 - 22:30

Price range: 20,000 - 35,000 VND (~ $1 - 1.5 USD)

7. Fried fish cake soup (Bánh Canh Chả Cá)

As I stated above, coming to Nha Trang, you will be welcomed by “vermicelli family” but each dish has its own signature. Fried fish cake soup has the same ingredients with fried fish vermicelli (Bún chả cá); however, the thicker strip noodles will bring a different experience. The noodles are made from tapioca, making the texture thicker, more slippery and chewy. The amazing broth from sailfish and mackerel along with home-made fish cake, mackerel fillet and some quail egg on the top have created one of the most stunning and aromatic Nha Trang street food soup.

Where to find:

• Quán Hồng - 42 Nguyen Thai Hoc street, Nha Trang City

Opening hours: 6:30 - 21:00

• Cô Liên - 26 Nui Mot street, Nha Trang City

Opening hours: 6:00 - 21:00

• Bánh canh Trần Thị Tính - 4 Tran Thi Tinh street, Nha Trang City

Opening hours: 15:00 - 20:00

Price range: 15,000 - 30,000 VND (~ $0.8 - 2 USD)

8. Lac Canh’s Grilled Beef (Bò nướng Lạc Cảnh)

With the 40-year history serving the grilled beef in Nha Trang, Lac Canh is absolutely the must-try restaurant in your Nha Trang adventure trip. Lac Canh grilled beef is the signature dish in the menu. The raw beef cut into the dice and marinated with special seasonings that will wake up your taste buds by the smoky, juicing and savory flavor. Besides grilled beef, there is a variety of dishes which can be directly grilled at your table on the small coal brazier. It’s the ideal place for having BBQ party with friends or family gathering.

Where to find:

• Bò nướng Lạc Cảnh - 44 Nguyen Binh Khiem street, Nha Trang City

Price range: 35,000 - 275,000 VND (~ $2 - 12 USD)

9. Mango rice paper (Bánh Tráng Xoài)

Being called the “paradise of mango", Cam Ranh is home to mango rice paper, which is traditionally produced by many local families for years. This unique snack is simply made from mango juice that is boiled until viscous then put on a tray and let dry. Mango rice paper will have a chewy texture mixed with the natural sweetness and aroma of mango. You can find this ready-to-eat food at any food stall in Dam Market - the typically traditional market in Nha Trang. Not only mango rice paper but you can also buy a lot of souvenirs and authentic products in this market.

Where to find:

• Dam Market - Van Thanh, Nha Trang City

Price range: 25,000 - 30,000/ pack with 12 pieces (~ $1 - 1.5 USD)

10. Seafood on fish farm

Any trip to a beautiful seaside city would be incomplete if you missed out on tasting fresh seafood straight from the sea. Don't worry, come to fish farms in Nha Trang.  There are many kinds of alive seafood displayed in front of your eyes from the familiar ones such as squid, shrimp or crab to the more unique sea creatures: some special sea snails, sea urchins, mussels, clams, shellfish etc. The seafood here is priced by weight. After choosing the one you liked, you can ask the chief here to cook them in any style that you want (grilled, fried with sauce, steamed, or prepared in a hotpot). For more special, make your plan to four island in Nha Trang trip to actually immerse in floating fishing village. Believe me, sitting beside the ocean and enjoying the natural flavor of the seafood will be a lifetime experience!

Where to find:

• Mot Island, Nha Trang
• Hon Tre Island, Nha Trang
• Nhật Phong 3 - 63B Cu Lao Trung street, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 9:00 - 1:00

• Hạnh Xuân - 36 Cu Huan street, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 08:30 - 22:30

• Ốc Xuân Anh - 9C Thap Ba, Nha Trang

Opening hours: 16:00 - 23:00

Price range: 100,000 - 500,000 VND (~ $5 - 20 USD)

Nha Trang is an ideal destination for people who want to discover the beauty in the middle-coastal region of Vietnam. And Nha Trang street food with their special cooking style and ingredient choices will surely bring you the best culinary experience ever.