Although a small town, Hoi An is surprisingly rich in local specialties, many with fascinating histories and made from unique ingredients found only here.
While you could spend several days eating your way through Hoi An without repeating a single dish, here are some suggestions to get you started! Bon appétit!
1) White Rose Dumplings (Bánh Bao Bánh Vạc)
Bánh Vạc is a delicate dish made from thin rice flour discs, folded around a small shrimp-stuffed dumpling, forming a shape reminiscent of a white rose.
Crispy fried shallots on top, dipped in fish sauce, give it a texture similar to chewy ravioli. You can enjoy it as a snack or pile a large plate to make a full meal.
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Large plate: 70,000 VND
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Small plate: 40,000 VND
2) Fried Wontons
This dish might not look stunning at first, but its flavor is incredibly enticing. The base is a large flat wonton filled with shrimp, topped with a sweet and sour tomato sauce, pineapple, wood ear mushrooms, onions, and scallions.
It doesn’t resemble any other traditional Vietnamese dish; it’s more like a local twist on sweet-and-sour Mexican nachos! Once it’s in front of you, you’ll definitely want to try it.
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Large plate: 100,000 VND
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Small plate: 40,000 VND
3) Fresh Seafood Cooked to Order
Blessed by nature, Hoi An sits by the Thu Bon River and the East Sea. If you ask locals where to eat seafood with family, away from tourists, they might point you to a few small restaurants along the beach road opposite the Golden Sands Hotel at Cua Dai Beach. They’ll say: “A Roi is the best… and affordable. Take a taxi or motorbike down the coastal road to A Roi.”
You’ll see plastic tanks filled with all kinds of seafood, with noisy compressors supplying oxygen. A scale nearby ensures you pay a fair price for whatever you select.
After flipping through the laminated menu, you’ll find the main dishes: tamarind shrimp (80,000 VND), grilled stingray (57,000 VND), steamed clams (69,000 VND).
Choose your protein and cooking method—steamed with beer, garlic-fried, pan-seared in sweet and sour tamarind sauce, deep-fried with tomato sauce—so many options!
A feast of sweet-and-sour shrimp, crispy fried fish with tomato sauce, a plate of stir-fried morning glory, and a beer can all cost between 125,000–160,000 VND.
4) Rice Cakes
Central Vietnam is famous for rice flour snacks. “Bánh bèo” is a simple, light dish: a steamed, chewy rice flour cake topped with dried shrimp and crispy toppings. You can find this at street vendors around Hoi An Market.
5) Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese Savory Crepes)
While savory crepes filled with bean sprouts, pork, and shrimp are common across Vietnam, the Central Vietnam version is smaller than the giant Saigon-style ones. Visit Tra Que Vegetable Village just outside town for the best experience.
Take a large lettuce leaf, add a piece of bánh xèo, top with basil and mint leaves, roll it up, and dip in lime-chili fish sauce for amazing flavor and texture. Enjoy it right in the village and see the organically grown vegetables—truly “farm to table”!
6) Cao Lầu Noodles
The origins of Hoi An’s specialty noodles are unclear—they carry Chinese influences with five-spice char siu and chewy noodles reminiscent of Japanese udon—but this is very much a local dish.
Legend says the unique noodles must be made with ash from the Cham Islands off Hoi An’s coast, giving the noodles a dark brown color, then cooked in water from an ancient well called Ba Le. You won’t find authentic Cao Lầu outside Hoi An.
Locals usually recommend Bà Thanh’s small eatery at 26 Thai Phien as the best place to try it, served in a casual street-style setting under trees with plastic stools and metal tables.
For a more refined experience, try Cao Lầu at Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa, overlooking the infinity pool and palm-fringed beachfront.
