10 Best Local Dishes from Hoi An

Hoi An's finest local cuisine uses fresh vegetables, herbs, fish, meat, and even water sourced from nearby islands and farming villages. These include Cu Lao Cham, Tra Que Vegetable Village, Ba Le Well and Cam Nam Village. Once an important trading port of Vietnam, Hoi An has a wide range of specialties as a result of Chinese, French and Japanese influences. 

The streets of Hoi An Ancient Town are filled with  dining options, from chic Vietnamese eateries to riverside eateries. Read on for our list of the best local food in Hoi An and the famous dishes that locals love to eat in this famous and UNESCO World Heritage town.

1. Cao Lau

Cao Lau is Hoi An's signature dish, consisting of chewy and soft noodles, Chinese-style grilled pork, bean sprouts, toasted bread and fresh herbs in a pork-based sauce. This local delicacy is only available in Hoi An because the noodle soup is only  cooked with ancient Cham well water, while the fresh noodle is taken from Tra Que vegetable village.  You can find Cao Lau at most Vietnamese restaurants in Hoi An.

2. Banh Bao Vac

 Banh bao vac is a local appetizer that looks like delicate white roses  on a tray. Each dumpling is made by wrapping shrimp or pork filling in flat rice flour before steaming. Once soft and translucent, the dumplings are neatly stacked on a flat plate, garnished with shallots and served with a dipping sauce made from shrimp broth, chili, lemon and sugar. 

 

 Available at most local restaurants in Hoi An, the dumplings are not offered by a local family living on Hai Ba Trung Street, where you can see how this signature dish is made.

3. Com Ga 

 Com Ga is a hearty meal of fragrant rice, shredded  chicken,  herbs, black pepper and chili jam. Originating from China, is a very popular dish in Southeast Asia, but Hoi An is said to use only top quality rice and farm-raised chicken. 

 

 The rice is also cooked in a mixture of pandan leaves, chicken broth and turmeric in a wood-fired earthenware oven, giving it its characteristic pale yellow color. Each plate of chicken  rice comes with a small bowl of clear soup, sauce, and pickled green chili.

4. Mi Quang 

 Mi Quang consists of yellow rice noodles, bone broth seasoned with fish sauce, black pepper, purple onion and garlic, topped with a variety of local meats, herbs and  greens. Traditionally, the filling has been slices of chicken, pork or beef, but many restaurants now add squid, boiled quail eggs, snails and frogs. 

 

 As with most vermicelli and rice dishes in Vietnam, mi Quang also features a wide variety of fresh herbs and other toppings such as basil, peanuts, coriander, thinly sliced ​​banana flowers and sesame rice paper. 

5. Bun Dau Mam Tom

Bun Dau Mam Tom is a simple dish made from fried tofu, thin rice noodles, cucumber and  herbs. This local specialty is also served with fermented shrimp paste or shrimp paste. Note that this savory dip isn't for everyone, but you can easily tone it down with  lime juice and black pepper. 

 

 One of the best places in Hoi An to sample this unique dish is Quan Dau Bac, located along Phan Chu Trinh Street. You can enjoy a meatless variation of the dish or enjoy a full plate of vermicelli with steamed pork, beef, fish balls and mushrooms.

6. Banh Xeo 

 Banh xeo is a typical Vietnamese snack or appetizer. It is made with rice flour, coconut milk and turmeric,  with ingredients such as vermicelli, thinly sliced ​​chicken, pork or beef, shrimp, thinly sliced ​​onions, bean sprouts, and mushrooms. 

 

Banh Xeo is sold at roadside stalls, markets and restaurants in Hoi An, eaten like the locals by wrapping  crispy cakes in mustard, bay leaves or rice paper rolls with spring rolls (pork skewers with lemongrass), silver leaves. mint  and basil and then dip it in a fermented peanut sauce. 

7. Banh Mi (Vietnamese baguette)

Banh mi is a hearty baguette made with pickled vegetables, pâté, butter, soy sauce, cilantro, chili and hot peppers. As one of the typical dishes of Vietnam not to be missed. 

 

Depending on the restaurant or eatery, you can also choose from a variety of meat fillings for your sandwiches, including roast pork (roasted pork belly), fish cake (fried fish with turmeric and dill), pork rolls (sausage). boiled sausages), xiu mai (meatballs), thit ga (boiled chicken), Trung op la (fried eggs), thit nuong (grilled pork loin) and xa xiu (Chinese grilled pork).  

8. Bun Thi Nuong (Vermicelli noodles with grilled pork)

 Seasoned vermicelli with white vermicelli, chopped fresh lettuce, sliced ​​cucumber, bean sprouts, pickled paprika, basil, chopped peanuts and mint. The last dish is  sweet and fragrant slices of pork (thit nuong)  grilled on a charcoal stove. 

 

 Although the dish is quite hearty, you can also choose to add green chili, fresh lettuce and peanut sauce to mix into the vermicelli for extra flavor. Noodles with seasoning can be found at old-fashioned restaurants in the Old Quarter, but there are many restaurants along the banks of the Hoi An River that sell this dish at a much cheaper price. 

9. Vietnamese rice crackers

Vietnamese rice crackers is a traditional snack only available in Cam Nam Village,  about 10 minutes  from Hoi An Ancient Town. This inexpensive and delicious snack is made by placing a sheet of moist rice on top of another crispy rice before topping it with chickpea flour, fried shallots, and chopped scallions. 

 

Finally, another plate of crispy rice  covers the whole thing. Also known as pounded rice paper because you can smash the rice paper into pieces on the table before enjoying it with  fermented chili fish sauce. 

10. Hoanh Thanh Chien (Fried wonton dumplings)

Fried wonton dumplings is often compared to Mexican nachos because of its salsa-like counterpart, but it is actually a fried wonton  with a variety of meat fillings. Made with rice flour,  wonton is made with diced pork, shrimp, eggs and various spices before frying until golden brown. 

 

 Ideal as a snack or appetizer, thanh chien is then garnished with a mixture of sautéed pork, corn, shrimp, tomato rolls and cilantro leaves.