Seafood and Street Food in Nha Trang
Part of the Nha Trang travel guide — see every topic in All Nha Trang Guides.
Nha Trang is a fishing city, and seafood is at the heart of local food. Boats bring in fish, squid, crab and shellfish every day. The city also has its own noodle soups and snacks that are hard to find elsewhere in Vietnam. Eating well here is easy and usually cheap if you follow the local crowds.
Local noodle soups
Bun cha ca is the classic Nha Trang breakfast. It is a light, clear broth with rice noodles, fish cakes and pieces of fish, served with herbs and chilli. Every family has its own recipe. Bun sua is a local favourite made with soft jellyfish, fish cake and noodles in a tangy broth. It sounds unusual but is fresh and light. Both soups are sold at small shops and street stalls in the morning and at lunch. Look for busy places with local customers. Add lime, chilli and fresh greens to taste.
Grilled pork rolls and banh can
Nem nuong comes from Ninh Hoa, north of the city, and is popular all over Nha Trang. Grilled pork sausages are rolled in rice paper with herbs, green banana, cucumber and a crunchy rice paper stick, then dipped in a thick sauce. Banh can are small rice cakes cooked in clay moulds over charcoal. They can be plain, with egg or topped with squid, shrimp or other seafood. You dip them in fish sauce with green mango and chilli. Banh can stalls light up the streets in the late afternoon and evening.
Seafood restaurants
Seafood restaurants line the streets near the beach and the fishing harbours. Many keep live fish, crab, lobster, clams and snails in tanks at the front. You choose what you want, pay by weight and say how you want it cooked, such as grilled with salt and chilli, steamed with lemongrass or fried with garlic. Always ask the price per kilo before they cook it, and check the weight. Places a little away from the main tourist street are often cheaper and full of local families. Grilled scallops with spring onion oil are a must.
Markets and evening food
Dam market is the largest market in the city, in a big round building north of the centre. It sells fresh seafood, dried fish and squid, fruit and snacks, and is good for food gifts. There is also a small night market near the beach with souvenirs and snacks. In the evening, food stalls appear on many street corners selling grilled meat, rice paper snacks and sweet soups. Try fresh coconuts and sugar cane juice on hot afternoons. Be careful with raw seafood and ice at very small stalls if you have a weak stomach.
Seafood and Street Food at a glance
| Getting there | Food streets near the beach; Dam market north of the centre |
|---|---|
| Hours | Noodle soups morning to lunch; banh can and seafood late afternoon to night |
| Cost | Street food cheap; seafood priced by weight, ask first |
| Best time | Breakfast for bun cha ca; evening for grilled seafood |
| Must try | Bun cha ca, nem nuong, banh can, grilled scallops |
| Tip | Agree the price per kilo before cooking |