(VNF) - As a port city, Quy Nhon has a bountiful supply of seafood. Naturally, there are dining establishments that serve the best catch from the sea. Aside from seafood, there are plenty of local specialities and rice dishes yo should try.

FISH NOODLE – BUN CA

Just like Nguyen appears in the first name of many Vietnamese names when it comes to food, it’s the bun (or noodle) that usually begins the name of a Vietnamese dish. Among the countless types of noodle in Vietnam, bun ca Quy Nhon is one of the most popular ones. It is so easy to spot a cart that sells bun ca when you’re in Quy Nhon but the preparation requires a lot of effort. Every ingredient has to be prepared separately the night before. From kneading, shaping, and boiling a mixture of rice powder and flour to make the vermicelli; to elaborately making the fish fillet and patiently stewing the fishbone and head for hours to make a flavourful broth, this dish will not disappoint. A bowl of fish noodles is usually served with a dish of fresh herbs. It tastes even better when you dip the fish fillet in the fish sauce.

The best bun ca in Quy Nhon

Phuong Teo

Address: 221 Nguyen Hue, Tran Phu W., Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 6 AM – 10 PM

Price range: VND 25,000 – 30,000 (USD 1.1 – 1.3)

Bun Ca Thuan Hong

Address: 415 Nguyen Hue, Tran Phu W., Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 6:30 AM – 11:30 PM

Price range: VND 25,000 – 30,000 (USD 1.1 – 1.3)

“JUMPING” SHRIMP PANCAKE – BANH XEO TOM NHAY

The term “jumping shrimp” is used to describe the freshness of the shrimp. This pancake is much smaller than the southern version. I enjoy the sizzle of the heat as the mixture of liquid flour makes contact with the hot pan. The filling of central banh xeo is rich. You can also eat this pancake with squid, egg, or rare beef which is then complimented by bean sprouts, onion, and green onion. This central pancake feast isn’t completed without a tray of greens herbs, rice paper, and sweet fish sauce. To eat it, grab a piece of rice paper, top it with salad, herbs, and the pancake. Then it’s time to roll! Finally, take a bite and feel the steaming texture of a fried pancake, the freshness of the seafood, and the refreshing flavor of herbs.

The best banh xeo in Quy Nhon

Gia Vy 2

Address: 14 Dien Hong, Le Hong Phong W., Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 6 AM – 10 PM

Price range: VND 25,000 – 30,000 (USD 1.1 – 1.3)

Ong Hung

Address: 24 Dien Hong, Ly Thuong Kiet W., Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 8 AM – 10 PM

Price range: VND 25,000 (USD 1.1)

Rau Mam

Address: 91 Dong Da, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 9 AM – 10 PM

Price range: VND 25,000 (USD 1.1 – 1.3)

Ba Nam My Cang

Address: My Cang’s Bridgehead, Phuoc Son District., Quang Nam Province

Business hours: 8 AM – 9 PM

Price range: VND 25,000 – 40,000 (USD 1.1 – 1.8)

JELLYFISH NOODLE – BUN SUA

Here comes another bun dish! Not every jellyfish can be cooked in a delicious bowl of noodles, it must be a milky jellyfish. The cook immerses the vermicelli noodles in boiling water, then moves it to a bowl when done. Next, the cook places slices of jellyfish, fried fish fillet, and pours a decent amount of broth (made of stewed pork bone) into the bowl. Last but not least, grinded peanut is added to the beautiful bowl of noodles as a delicious crunchy topping. Just like other Vietnamese dishes, the veggies that accompany jellyfish noodles are mango to contribute a sour taste, slices of cucumber, and some greens like salad, coriander, and mint leaves. All of the ingredients are blended so well together and create a pleasant flavor in your mouth. Bun sua is perfect for those of you who love eating anything that is chewy and crunchy.

The best bun sua in Quy Nhon

Hoa Hoa Seafood Restaurant

Address: 318 Phan Chu Trinh, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 9 AM – 9 PM

Quan Thuy

Quan Thuy Bun Ram Bun Cha Ca

Address: Dien Hong St.

Price range: VND 15,000 – 20,000 (USD 0.7 - 0.9)

GRILLED NEM

Nem is a kind of meatball (usually pork) that often comes in the shape of a cube wrapped in banana leaves and herbs. Quy Nhon-Binh Dinh nem is a specialty that people usually buy to gift to their family and friends whenever they travel to this region. Normally, nem can be eaten without having been cooked. The nem is grilled until the surface is a little burnt, then the cook will either use it for spring rolls or serve it with the greens, bitter banana, cucumber, and star fruit. In every bite, you will taste the light texture of the grilled nem, it won’t be too dry. Dip it in soya sauce or chili sauce to enhance the taste.

The best grilled nem in Quy Nhon

Co Tuyet

Address: Hai Thuong Lan Ong – Xuan Dieu

Business hours: 3 PM – 9:30 PM

Price range: VND 7,000 (USD 0.03)

Nem Nuong – Cha Nuong

Address: 7 Hai Thuong Lan Ong, Tran Phu W., Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 3 PM – 9 PM

Price range: VND 7,000 (USD 0.03)

An Vat Ba Be – Nem Nuong & Muc Rim

Address: Near 62 Mai Xuan Thuong, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 5 PM – 10 PM

Price range: VND 10,000 (USD 0.45)

BANH HOI SERVED WITH PORK INTESTINE – BANH HOI LONG HEO

This dish is a favorite breakfast of people in Quy Nhon. Made of rice vermicelli, banh hoi is another kind of noodle that the Vietnamese love. It is prepared with a spoon of oil and finely chopped chives, and the intestine is placed in the middle of the banh hoi plate. The side dish of banh hoi long heo is a helping of boiled bean sprouts, basil, salad, and coriander or a bowl of porridge. The sauce also plays a very important role in completing the taste of this delicacy. First, the server cooks down the fish sauce with sugar until it’s thicker. Second, ground garlic, lime juice, and a few slices of chili are added to the fish sauce. Later, it is poured into a small bowl.

The best banh hoi long heo in Quy Nhon

Chi Hong

Address: 20 Dien Hong, Ly Thuong Kiet, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 5 AM – 10 AM

Price range: VND 30,000 (USD 1.3)

Man

Address: 76A Tran Phu, Quy Nhon City.

Business hours: 7 AM – 10 AM

Price range: VND 25,000 – 30,000 (USD 1.1 – 1.3)

VIETNAMESE RICE PYRAMID DUMPLING – BANH IT LA GAI

This pyramid dessert is a specialty of Quy Nhon-Binh Dinh. Locals wrap a cake with gai leaves and stuff it with coconut flesh, peanut, green beans, and ginger. A good quality cake is soft, bland, and not too sweet. “Don’t think, just chew” to feel the interesting texture. Wait until you bite the sweet stuffing, it is probably unlike any dessert you have tried. Don’t worry about the sweetness as even those who don’t like a sweet taste can’t deny having a second one.

The best banh it la gai in Quy Nhon

Thanh Liem

Address: 128 Chuong Duong, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 3 PM

Price range: VND 3.500/each (USD 0.16)

Ba Du

Facebook: Banh It La Gai Ba Du

Price range: VND 3,000/each (USD 0.13)

WATER FERN CAKE – BANH BEO

This dish is not originally from Quy Nhon but beo cake is a flavorful snack with good flavor in this region. The water fern cake in Quy Nhon is made of rice flour, topped with chopped chives, dried shrimp, and ground peanuts. The best version of this dish has crunchy fried breadcrumbs on the top. Add a decent amount of sweet fish sauce and this snack will be ready to go.

The best banh beo in Quy Nhon

Ba Xe

Address: Tran Nguyen Dan, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 4 PM – 9 PM

Price range: VND 15,000 – 25,000 (USD 0.7 – 1.1)

Kim Dinh

Address: 20 Nguyen Hue

Business hours: 7 AM – 10 PM

Price range: VND 10,000 – 22,000 (USD 0.5 – 1)

Banh Beo Cay Man

Address: 742 Tran Hung Dao, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 1 PM – 8 PM

Price range: VND 15,000 – 33,000 (USD 0.7 – 1.5)

BEEF RAGU SERVED WITH BANH MI – BANH MI RAGU

Another popular breakfast in Quy Nhon is beef ragu served with bread. The beef is stewed for hours to make it firm but soft so when you bite down, it will be chewy but not too tough to swallow. A bowl of beef ragu contains a lot of nutrition. Besides meat, you will also find carrots, peanuts, and some other spices. A banh mi is what makes this food even more addictive. The good smell of butter spread on bread is so alluring that you can’t help but keep thinking about it afterward. On a chilly day, nothing is better than holding a warm banh mi in your hands, tearing it apart, stopping for a second to smell the good scent of butter, bread, and beef ragu. Dip the banh mi into the broth and slowly relish the symphony of flavors in your mouth.

The best beef ragu in Quy Nhon

171 Nguyen Hue

Address: 171 Nguyen Hue, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 5 PM – 9 PM

Price range: VND 35,000 (USD 1.6)

132 Ngo May

Address: 132 Ngo May, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 7 AM – 9 PM

Price range: VND 15,000 – 20,000 (USD 0.7 – 0.9)

05 Pho Duc Chinh

Address: 05 Pho Duc Chinh, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 4 PM – 10 PM

Price range: VND 15,000 – 25,000 (USD 0.7 – 1.4)

GRILLED COCONUT PAPER – BANH TRANG NUONG DUA

The land of Tam Quan is famous in Vietnam for having many recipes that contain coconut in the ingredients. Coconut paper is the most popular one. It is made of flour, rice flour, sesame, and coconut juice. After coating a pan with the mixture, it will be left in the sun until dried. The grilled coconut paper is a favorable snack that tastes a little sweet because of the coconut juice and smells good due to the sesame. Locals usually bring it home as a Quy Nhon gift to their loved ones.

The best banh trang nuong dua in Quy Nhon

Ba Quan

Call to buy

Phone number: 01692414215

Business hours: 6 AM – 9 PM

Price range: VND 50,000 (USD 2.27)

FRESH SEAFOOD – HAI SAN TUOI SONG

You can’t go to the beach without trying any seafood. So wake up early in the morning and pay a visit to the fishing village. With 72 kilometers of coast, seafood in Quy Nhon is very perse! There you can easily find shrimp, sea snails, crabs, king crabs, clams, scallops, and more. You can buy seafood directly from the fisherman or in the wet market. If you enjoy the freshness of seafood, you should try boiling or steaming it to taste the true flavor. But don’t forget to dip it in salt, pepper, and lime sauce.

Some dishes you should try are sea snails sautéed with coconut (oc len xao dua), scallops/echinus grilled with oil and green onion (so diep/con nhum nuong mo hanh), fresh oyster served with lime (hau tai chanh), steamed sea clams (ngheu hap), Huynh De Crab sauteed with tamarind (cua Huynh De rang me), or grilled fish (ca nuong).

The best seafood in Quy Nhon

Ngoc Han Cong Chua street

This street is known as the sea-snail paradise where many carts full of sea-snails stand next to each other, with a variety of dishes.

Oc Co Xi

Address: 40 Dao Duy Tu, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 10 AM – 10 PM

Price range: VND 30,000 – 100,000 (USD 1.5 – 4.2)

Oc Thuy Kieu

Address: 5D Tang Bat Ho, Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 7 AM – 9 PM

Price range: VND 10,000 – 100,000 (USD 0.4 – 4.2)

Co Anh

Address: Nguyen Tat Thanh, Le Hong Phong W., Quy Nhon City

Business hours: 2 PM – 6 PM

Price range: VND 15,000 – 20,000 (USD 0.7 – 0.9)

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