How to Experience Quy Nhon Food Street Like a Local and Discover Its Culinary Roots

Quy Nhon's food strip has real flavours and daily life that you can't get in bigger towns.  If you want to really experience the area, get off the major roads and into the small shops and food stalls that people use.  This is how you can spend your time eating, exploring, and learning about the history of Quy Nhon's kitchen.

Start Your Day Early with Breakfast

After settling into a place of stay, such as Anantara Quy Nhon Villas, set out early to start your day.  At dawn, vendors start making rice porridge (cháo) and savoury pancakes (bánh xèo).  You may see workers and kids from school gathered around metal tables for noodle soup.  Order a bowl of mì Quảng and sit down to watch the streets wake up.  There are many street vendors and Quy Nhon Restaurants that sell thick noodles and soup with prawns and pork in it.  There are small dishes of herbs and lime on the side.

Walk About After Breakfast for more Morning Snacks

Take a walk through Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Bach Dang.  Look for banh mi carts on the corner that sell warm bread with egg filling.  You will see many people getting rolls and light food before they go to work.  Many sellers change their fillings based on what's fresh, so ask them about their daily specials.  Boiled peanuts and tofu pudding are light, cheap snacks that are easy to carry about.

Main Markets for Lunch

Go to Quy Nhon Market for lunch.  At the entryway, you will see older women frying fish cakes.  Go inside for bun thit nuong, which is grilled pork on vermicelli noodles with peanuts and a sour fish sauce on top.  By midday, every table will be filled, and you may need to share space. Families in the area share daily stories with each other as they enjoy their meals.  Vendors bring out trays of steamed rolls (bánh cuốn) that are filled with mushrooms and seasoned pork.

Try Street Sweets and Drinks

Street treats have tastes that will surprise you.  Chè is a pudding composed of beans, coconut milk and jelly and shaved ice.  A lot of stores close to Hai Ba Trung sell chè in plastic cups.  Tea stands line the street, serving green tea and lemonade made from scratch.  On trays, you can find khô bò (dried beef) and fresh fruit slices.  If you question a vendor about their favourite flavour, they will smile and go into detail of what to try.

Dinner and Grilled Specialities

At night, the food street changes.  Barbecue booths cook chicken and fish on skewers.  Near parked motorbikes, hot pots are bubbling. Order chả ram tôm đất, which are fried shrimp rolls that are only found in Quy Nhon.  People in the area stop for dishes of squid and shellfish with salt and chilli. People serving grilled corn walk by with spicy toppings.  The shops serve a fish stew with tomatoes with steamed rice, and fresh greens.

Families Get Together for Noodles at Night

Families share bowls of bún cá, a noodle soup with fish and fresh herbs, when the sun goes down.  There are people laughing and music playing from the surrounding stores.  Night vendors cook swiftly and provide steaming meals with little trouble.  People who come here often tell you about recipes that have been passed down for years.

Learn About the History of Food Street

Ask the owners of the stalls about their pasts.  A lot of people have old pictures of their parents and grandparents in the same store.  Recipes are full of memories from the fishing communities and rice farms in the area.  Find out what meal reminds them of their youth.

Look for Your Favourites to Take Home

Choose some treats to take home.  You can buy rice crackers and dried shrimp at corner stores.  Fruit merchants put mangos and dragon fruit in tiny bags.  Most people will be happy to let you taste before you buy.