Food

Hoi An is known for cooking classes that include a market tour and hands-on cooking of local dishes (pho, spring rolls, banh xeo). Popular schools: Red Bridge Cooking School, Green Bamboo Cooking School, Morning Glory Cooking School. Cost: $25-55 per person.

Bottled water is sold everywhere (5k-10k VND per 1.5L bottle). Refillable water stations are increasingly common in Da Nang. Many coworking spaces and hotels offer free filtered water. Bring a reusable bottle to reduce plastic waste.

Food delivery is widely available in Da Nang and Hoi An via GrabFood and ShopeeFood. Delivery fee: 5k-20k VND. Options range from street food to international chains. Cash or card accepted. Typical delivery time: 20-45 minutes.

Da Nang's An Thuong area has a dense concentration of international restaurants: Italian (La Masa, Limoncello), Korean (many BBQ restaurants), Japanese (Sushi Bar, Maki), Indian (Family Indian Restaurant, Taj Mahal), Mexican (Los Tacos), and Western/Aussie brunch spots.

Mi Quang is Da Nang's signature noodle dish — thicker than pho, drier than a soup. Turmeric-yellow noodles with pork or shrimp, egg, peanuts, and a small amount of fragrant broth; topped with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and a crispy rice cracker. A proper bowl at a street stall: 35,000–55,000 VND. Key foreigner tip: don't eat it like soup. Break the cracker into the bowl, let the broth soak in a little, then eat with chopsticks like a noodle dish. It's also a morning-heavy food — most places close by noon or run out by 11am. Best spots in Da Nang: small shophouses on Tran Binh Trong or around the Hai Chau and Thanh Khe market areas. Versions near An Thuong run 30–40% higher for the same bowl.

Cao Lầu is a Hoi An-specific noodle dish featuring thick noodles, sliced pork, fresh greens, and crispy croutons in a savory broth. The noodles are traditionally made using water from the ancient Ba Le well. Best tried at local restaurants in Hoi An Old Town.

Da Nang's Son Tra Night Market (near My Khe Beach) and Helio Night Market (Hai Chau) offer extensive street food options in the evenings. Helio also has a dedicated food court zone. Hoi An Night Market along Nguyen Hoang Street is a major tourist attraction with food stalls.

Da Nang takes seafood seriously — it's a fishing city first, beach city second. The main strip is Hoang Sa and Truong Sa streets along My Khe beach, lined with outdoor restaurants where you pick from tanks and pay by weight. Expect 200,000–600,000 VND per dish depending on what you order: whole grilled fish, crab, and prawns all fall in this range. Two pricing things to know: foreigners sometimes get quoted higher than locals, so ask the per-100g price before ordering. And early arrivals get the best selection — if you show up at 8pm on a Saturday, the tanks are thin. For a less touristed version: the Han Market (Cho Han) has a seafood floor upstairs where lunch is local-price and genuinely fresh. If you're in the city center, it's a better option than the beachfront strip for a quick solo meal. Family spots tucked off Hoang Sa usually give better value than the big open-front operations that target tourist foot traffic.

Bánh Mì Phương (2B Phan Chau Trinh, Hoi An) is one of the most famous banh mi shops in Vietnam, popularized by Anthony Bourdain. A banh mi costs 20k-40k VND. Long queues are common. Other renowned spots: Banh Mi Queen (Hoi An) and Banh Mi Ba Lan (Da Nang).

Da Nang and Hoi An have a growing number of vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Notable: Quan Chay Tu Tam (Da Nang), Tam's Pub and Surf Shop (vegan brunch, Da Nang), Karma Waters (Hoi An), Minh Hien Vegetarian Restaurant (Hoi An). Buddhist tradition means many local restaurants serve chay (vegetarian) on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month.