Nha Trang is a coastal city, so most of what is worth eating here starts with fish. What sets it apart is what locals do with it.
Bun ca is the standard way to open the day: a clear, gently sweet broth built on fish bones, served with both fried and steamed fish cake. The good places start early and close when the pot is empty.
Banh canh cha ca belongs to the same family but uses thick, soft noodles in a heavier broth. Bun sua, made with jellyfish, is seasonal and usually appears in the summer months.
Nem nuong Ninh Hoa is the one to make time for: pork paste grilled over charcoal, rolled in rice paper with herbs, green mango and a shard of fried rice cracker, dipped in a thick fermented soybean sauce. Late afternoon is its natural hour.
Banh can are cooked in clay moulds and eaten hot with mango fish sauce — the city’s classic snack. Banh xeo muc folds whole fresh squid into the pancake, and only exists where the boats land.
Seafood scales to your budget, from roadside places along Thap Ba street to restaurants built on floating rafts. The rule everywhere is to confirm the price per kilo before ordering. Bird’s nest is the Khanh Hoa speciality, though it usually travels home as a gift rather than being eaten on the spot.
Where to go: Dam Market and the surrounding streets hold the long-established stalls. Thap Ba street leans seafood. For nem nuong, look along Le Loi and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai.