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Nha Trang

Ditch the fancy restaurants & explore the streets for some street food with the locals. If anything you’re far more safe when it comes to being able to see your food being prepared in front of you on the streets vs dishes from restaurants/plazas. I’ve been to Vietnam countless times & not once have I experienced food poisoning with street food. Unfortunately, most of the following food stands do not have websites + they do relocate every now & then so I can’t provide the exact address.

1. Vietnamese Turmeric Noodles with Pork & Shrimp
(Mì Quảng)

This place has a number of dry/soup dishes all served with a side of wonton + Vietnamese ham soup. If you’re visiting on a heated evening then you may as well grab some sugar cane juice. The stand is located in the same alley so it’s hard to miss. If you think that you have missed it, chances are it’s not operating.

Address: Along đường Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Nha Trang

2. Vietnamese Savoury Crepes
(Bánh Xèo)

This ain’t no dessert, bánh xèo is a Vietnamese savoury shrimp & pork crepe that is served with herbs & a fish sauce dipping. The traditional way to eat this is to wrap the crepe in herbs then dip into the fish sauce.

Address: Along đường Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Nha Trang

3. Phnom Penh Noodle Soup & Fish Cake Noodle Soup
(Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang & Bún Chả Cá)

There were about 5 noodle soup dishes available here, but we only tried; (1) phnom penh noodle soup & (2) fish cake rice vermicelli noodle soup. The portion was a little tiny for our appetites hence one wasn’t enough.

Address: Along đường Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Nha Trang

4. Steamed Savoury Rice Cake
(Bánh Càn)

Bánh càn is made of rice flour batter, baked on charcoal then served with fried green onion oil dipping. There’s a variety of toppings including; quail eggs, prawns, squid & meat that can be added to the batter upon request so make sure to select the whole lot for tasting. I did find the dipping rather oily for my liking so a plate of this was more than enough for me.

Address: Along đường Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Nha Trang

5. Water Fern Cake & Clear Shrimp/Pork Dumping
(Bánh Bèo & Bánh Bột Lọc)

You have got to taste these appetisers; (1) the water fern cake (bánh bèo; a steamed rice flour cake with dried shrimp) & (2) Vietnamese clear shrimp/pork dumping (bánh bột lọc) served with a light fish sauce. 

Address: Along đường Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Nha Trang

6. Sesame Hollow Doughnut
(Bánh Tiêu)

This Bánh Tiêu Miền Tây stand was the best thing ever. Since discovering bánh tiêu in Nha Trang I could never go back to being satisfied with one in Australia as the taste & texture can’t compare to how they make it in Vietnam; thin & crispy on the outside & hollow on the inside. These are small in size so I had a total of 8 to myself. It was 2,000 VND each in 2014.

Address: Along đường Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Nha Trang

7.Bánh Mì
(Vietnamese Bread Roll)

If you haven’t tried a Vietnamese bread roll yet, you’re really missing out. There’s a lot of fillings to select from; shredded pork, pork floss, chicken, pâté, Vietnamese ham/s, fried egg, pickled carrots/raddish, cucumber & herbs. I don’t usually trust bánh mì stands in Vietnam because they normally operate out in the open all day which means the food without cover. If it’s a hot day then chances are you’re going to get quite ill if you eat one. However, most of the street food in Nha Trang only start operating from 4-5pm to about 9pm including this one so my stomach & I was very happy. Grab yourself one or two!

Address: Along đường Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Nha Trang

8. Popsicles
(Kem Que)

If you don’t like icecream.. get out, just get out. Actually, I do have a friend who doesn’t like icecream & I love her to bits (means more icecream for me). Anyhow, you gotta try a few of these popsicles & by a few I mean all. They’re only 6,000 VND each & they come in flavours; pandan, mango, taro, green tea, strawberry, durian, coconut & chocolate.

Address: Nha Trang Night Market

9. Steamed Cassava Cake & Steamed Corn
(Củ Sắn & Báp Háp)

This man has been here in this same location since my last visit in 2014, but this time he has got some cassava cake! It has a soft-dry-elastic texture & is served with shaved coconut & sugar (sometimes with coconut milk & sesame as well), great for snacking. You can add coconut cream as it is quite bland in flavour.

There’s two types of corn available here; (1) sweet corn & (2) glutinous corn. The texture of glutinous corn is similar to sticky rice so it’s a little waxy & not as sweet, but I love it.

Address: Along đường Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Nha Trang

10. Rice Macaroni Soup
(Súp Nui Sừơn)

A part from all the usual soup noodle dishes, there is rice macaroni in a pork rib broth. There’s really not much to say about this dish besides the fact that it is another tasty one to try. A very comforting dish, I had two.

Address: Towards the middle of đường Tô Hiến Thành, Nha Trang

11. Grilled Pork Summer Rolls
(Chả Nem Cuốn)

DIY rolls with grilled pork, rice vermicelli noodles, herbs, mango, carrots, raw shallots, cucumber & rice paper served with their orange homemade sauce (fish sauce, sticky rice, potatoes, pineapple, & pounded pork/shrimps). Don’t be deceived by the texture of the rice paper. It may not appear edible, but it instantly dissolves at your first bite. The rice paper we get in Australia is not so fresh & much thicker so we need to soak it in water prior to rolling. I did find the consistency of their homemade sauce rather thick & not strong enough in flavour for a dipping though.

Address: Nem Nướng – Đặng Văn Quyên 2-4 Phan Bội Châu, Xương Huân, Nha Trang

12. Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
(Bún Bò Húê)

Bún bò húê is not a Nha Trang dish, it originates in Huế which unfortunately, I have not visited yet. All along Tháp Bà Street towards the corner of Cù Huân Street are many street food open stands that serves a variety of rice vermicelli soup noodle dishes. Always go with the one/s that appear the busiest.

Address: Along đường Tháp Bà towards the corner of đường Cù Huân, Nha Trang

13. Snails & Shellfish
(Ốc)

Snails & shellfish has got to be the death of me; I can never get enough of this. Unlike the dippings for snails & shellfish in Hanoi, the dipping here at Ốc Xuân Anh is not that special. Regardless, snails & shellfish still taste great & if you love seafood as much as I do then you’ll be coming back for more. Do be mindful that it is common for menus to not display set prices when it comes to seafood places like these so if you are not familiar with prices here (& they do change ever so often) you will most likely be ripped off or as the locals call it ‘get chopped’. It was only when I revisited with my local friends that I had then realised that I had been chopped almost x4 the local price. So! My advice is to always be confident about your price negotiation & start off with a ridiculously low price for everything & work your way from there. You’ll be surprised at how willingly they will come to negotiate.

Address: 9C Tháp Bà, Nha Trang

14. Alcohol Friendly Foods
(Món Nhậu)

These are perfect for a late night snack for when you’re done with eating mains & just want to chill. Ofcourse, try the quail eggs (trứng cút lộn) & some dried squid (mực khô). I’ve noticed that quail eggs are served with different style dipping in every city. For instance, in Hanoi you’ll get fish sauce/lemon grass dipping where as in Nha Trang & Ho Chi Minh you’ll get salt & pepper (sometimes with additional lemon). Make sure you ask for the price first & advised on whether or not you want ice otherwise they’re just going to go ahead with the assumption that you do & thus pour it into a cup for you.

Address: Along đường Tô Hiến Thành, Nha Trang

15. Fried Rice Paper
(Bánh Tráng Chiên)

If you walk down Tháp Bà Street towards the main road, you will locate this open stand which is not so distant from Ốc Xuân Anh. It’s basically rice paper soaked in egg yolk with a filling of your choice; a selection of dried ingredients that are then fried & served with a sweet sauce. This was quite a good snack to munch on, though the texture of rice paper does become soft if left aside for too long so do eat it immediately.

Address: Along đường Tháp Bà, Nha Trang towards the ocean

16. Fruit Shakes/Fresh Coconut Water/Coffee
(Sinh Tố/Dừa Tươi/Cà Phê)

You can’t really go wrong with fruit shakes/fresh coconut water, I find that they are all quite similar in both taste & value on the streets of Nha Trang so I don’t really have a favourite place to recommend. In terms of coffee though, you will find that there are more than plenty cafes to chose from. I visited Flamengo Cafe a few times & quite like; (1) the wide selection of drinks & (2) the outdoor garden-like setting.

Address: 62 Thái Nguyên, Phương Sài, Nha Trang

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17. Champa Garden Restaurant

I know I said ditch the restaurants, but this one is a little different, promise. Champa Garden Restaurant is an outdoor, river looking, Japanese style dining restaurant on one side & has a menu that’s ideal for groups. It’s a restaurant that I have been returning to since discovered a few years back. If you love hot pots, yep go here because there are a few options to select from. There is no doubt that the prices here are more expensive vs the usual street food, but taste & quantity is great. I’ve had stomach troubles with other restaurants, but I’ve eaten here numerous times & not once with a stomach upset so you’ll be fine. My favourite dishes here are; (1) hot & sour ray fish hot pot served with vermicelli noodles (lẩu cá đuối chua cay), (2) seaweed soup (súp rong biển), (3) scorched rice (cơm cháy) served with a sweet-as-sugar dipping & (4) jelly fish salad (gỏi sứa).

Address: 304 2/4, Vĩnh Phước, Nha Trang

18. Làng Tre

It was quite a bit of a walk from the entrance of Làng Tre to the actual restaurant, but I wasn’t complaining. This countryside restaurant has a very natural & peaceful atmosphere with outdoor tables overlooking the Cái river & mountains. They also appear to grow their own produce from the look of existing veggie gardens so you are bound to want to explore every corner of this place. The dishes here are presented in a traditional manner & is very ideal for groups/sharing.

19. An Việt Thôn

You will fall in love with the entrance to An Việt Thôn restaurant. Similarly to Làng Tre, the arrangement of this place made me feel as if I was at a very traditional part of Vietnam; natural, cultural & peaceful. Although this place may not be as beautiful as Làng Tre, the food was by far more satisfying. I even tried raw fish which is one among the many things to avoid, but my travelling friends convinced me otherwise. They said that they have had it here before & did not experience anything concerning so took a bet on it. Turns out that they were correct, I’m still alive & it was delicious Lol. The only thing I disliked about this place was the display tanks which had a number of live creepy crawlies including snakes.