“The dishes were absolutely incredible and you could tell this whole tour was created by a local. ”
— Emogin, 2026
01 Food tours
Original food tours, curated with our local tastemakers to showcase the neighbourhood kitchens, markets and family-run eateries that define Da Nang.
02 Meet the tastemakers
The local food experts who help us research, refine and lead every A Chef's Tour.
Grilled seafood on Non Nuoc beach, banh xeo crackling in cast iron, mi quang with peanuts and turmeric, banh trang cuon thit heo pork rolls. Da Nang cooks central Vietnamese classics with a laid back coastal touch.
04 The pantry
- Fresh seafood, straight from the boats at My Khe beach
- Turmeric, fresh yellow root pounded into mi quang
- Mam nem, funky anchovy sauce for dipping raw and grilled food
- Rice paper, produced in central Vietnam's largest rice-paper towns
- Chilli, fresh green and dried red used liberally in central cooking
05 In the kitchen
- Wrapping banh trang cuon thit heo rolls with pork and herbs at the table
- Grilling seafood over charcoal on the beach at sunset
- Pressing mi quang noodles thick, wide and yellow
- Pounding fresh chilli, garlic and lime into central-style dipping sauces
- Steaming banh xeo crepes in small clay pans over coals
06 Eat this first
- Mi quang, turmeric noodles with pork, prawn and crushed peanuts
- Banh xeo, crispy turmeric crepes stuffed with prawn and beansprouts
- Bun cha ca, fish-cake noodle soup unique to the central coast
- Banh trang cuon thit heo, boiled pork wrapped in rice paper with herbs
- Banh mi, the central Vietnamese baguette layered high with grilled pork
What happens inside a hammam kitchen
A morning with the cooks who feed the neighbourhood before dawn. Charcoal, dough, the smell of a bakery working its second oven.
09 Recipes
A collection of authentic recipes we couldn't leave behind.
A tall glass layered with mung bean, red bean, tapioca, lotus seed, pandan jelly and coconut cream over crushed ice. The classical Vietnamese "mixed everything" dessert.
Cubes of soft white milk pudding, cool almond-scented syrup, poached longan and crushed almonds. Ho Chi Minh City's modern minimalist chè.
A soft fluffy omelette bulked out with chopped fresh mugwort leaves, seasoned lightly with fish sauce. Northern Vietnam's traditional restorative dish for post-illness recovery.
Whole bananas wrapped in coconut sticky rice and banana leaves, then grilled over charcoal until dark caramelised. Ho Chi Minh City's late-night street dessert, drenched in sweet coconut cream.
Thin slices of raw anchovy cured briefly in lime, tossed with rice powder, roasted peanuts and mixed herbs, then wrapped in rice paper with vegetables. Da Nang's coastal specialty.
Thin flat rice-flour cakes topped with a small mound of pork and shrimp, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Hue's flat cousin to bánh bột lọc.
10 Field Notes
Quick field notes to help you get accustomed to Da Nang.
Weather
Tropical. Hot dry summers (30°C-plus, best beach months February to August) and cool, wet winters with typhoon risk October to December.
Currency
The Vietnamese dong (VND). Cash for markets and street food; cards for restaurants, hotels, and cafés.
Language
Vietnamese. English coverage is decent in the tourist strip along the beach.
Etiquette
Modest dress at temples and at the Marble Mountains. On the beach, topless bathing is not the norm.
Getting around
Grab bikes and cars work well; the city is spread out. Walking is only comfortable in the beach and centre areas. Motorbike hire is common for confident riders.
Prayer
Predominantly Buddhist and folk-religion. The Marble Mountains hold cave pagodas that have been active pilgrimage sites for centuries. Cao Dai communities are also active.