Nha Trang may be known for its turquoise seas and golden sands, but its culinary treasures are just as unforgettable. From sizzling grills to fragrant bowls, the city’s food scene tells stories of tradition, creativity, and coastal charm. Here are dishes you simply can’t leave without tasting.
1. Nem Nướng – Grilled Pork Rolls
Mention Nha Trang cuisine, and nem nướng Ninh Hòa instantly comes to mind. This beloved specialty is made from savory grilled pork, often paired with fresh herbs, pickled vegetables, and rice paper for rolling. While nem nướng (grilled) is the star for most visitors, nem chua (fermented) is a popular takeaway gift for family and friends.
Unlike its northern cousin from Thanh Hóa, Nha Trang’s version swaps banana leaves for tangy gooseberry or star fruit leaves, adding a unique aroma. Each bite blends smoky meat with sweet, sour, crispy, and spicy notes, especially when paired with crunchy green papaya salad. It’s a harmony of flavors you’ll remember long after your trip.
2. Bò Nướng Lạc Cảnh – Lac Canh Grilled Beef
Another Nha Trang legend is the famous bò nướng Lạc Cảnh. Locals love to joke, “If you visit Nha Trang without tasting this beef, you’ve only experienced half the city!” Joking aside, the dish truly lives up to its fame.
The magic lies in the marinade—a secret blend of honey and over ten aromatic spices. The beef is sliced and grilled over glowing charcoal until tender and fragrant. Served with fresh greens, it’s delicious on its own or wrapped in rice paper or tucked into a warm baguette. Every bite carries the smoky-sweet charm of coastal Nha Trang nights.
3. Bún Chả Cá – Fried Fish Noodle Soup
In Nha Trang, bún chả cá is a bowl of sunshine from the sea. Its clear, golden broth is slowly simmered from sailfish and codfish bones, giving it a natural sweetness that feels both light and comforting. A true Nha Trang touch is the addition of tender jellyfish and cá dầm—steamed sailfish meat, gently torn into delicate strands that infuse the soup with a subtle aroma and pleasing bite.
Topped with golden pieces of fried fish and a sprinkle of fresh spring onion, the steaming bowl invites you in with its fragrance alone. Paired with crisp sliced vegetables, a splash of chili-laced fish sauce, and the coastal breeze in the air, it’s a flavor that lingers long after your last spoonful. Bonus: this wholesome dish is perfect for those looking for a lighter, diet-friendly meal.
4. Seafood at the Fishing Villages
As a coastal gem, Nha Trang boasts seafood so fresh you can taste the ocean in every bite. While you can savor it at countless seaside restaurants, the most authentic experience lies in the fishing villages. Here, fishermen bring in their daily catch straight from the turquoise waters.
Hop on a small ferry to floating seafood restaurants, where you can pick your own treasures—shrimp, squid, oysters, snails, or even try your hand at catching them yourself. For something truly local, order grilled gecko fish (cá tắc kè), known for its delicate aroma, sweet flavor, and satisfying chew—especially when dipped in chili salt. Adventurous eaters might even sample live salmon, a rare coastal delicacy.
5. Bánh Căn – Mini Rice Pancakes
Few things warm the heart like gathering around a glowing charcoal stove on a breezy day, watching skilled hands pour silky rice batter into clay molds. Bánh căn, a humble yet beloved street food of central and southern Vietnam, is a Nha Trang favorite.
The batter is made from rice flour, enriched with scallions, eggs, and sometimes a touch of fat for richness. Modern variations are filled with shrimp, squid, or other seafood, each creating its own burst of flavor. Served with fresh greens and a sweet-sour dipping sauce made from Nha Trang’s famed fish sauce—enhanced with onion, pepper, garlic, and crispy fried pork—it’s a simple pleasure that feels like a warm embrace from the city itself. You can find some of the best bánh căn on Lê Thánh Tôn and Nguyễn Thiện Thuật Streets, where the scent of sizzling cakes fills the air.
Nha Trang is not only famous for its beautiful beaches but also many delicious and unique local foods. You should try these food to learn more about culinary in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
Nem nuong (Grilled Pork)
Talking about the cuisine of Nha Trang, people will surely mention nem nuong (girlled port) Ninh Hoa or Nha Trang. The ingredients include nem chua or nem nuong. More popular one is nem nuon which almost tourists would like to enjoy here; then they buy nem chua as a gift for their relatives.
Nem Ninh Hoa also uses sliced pig skin as nem chua Thanh Hoa. However, instead of wrapping nem in banana leaves, nem in Nha Trang is wrapped by gooseberry leaves or star fruit leaves to make its flavor better.
Enjoying nem Ninh Hoa, you will feel the flavor of meat, sweet sour, crispy, and spicy blended together. What a wonderful flavor! Especially, a new flavor is created when you enjoy nem nuong with green papaya salad. So fantastic!
Thit bo nuong Lac Canh (Grilled beef Lac Canh)
Grilled beef is also one of the specialties in Nha Trang. Gourmets usually say that “visiting Nha Trang without enjoying grilled beef Lac Canh, it means that you just know a half of Nha Trang”. In fact, although this is just a joke, it is really not so exaggerate. In culinary handbook of international tourists, there is always the address of the restaurant serving grilled beef Lac Canh.
The secret of making this dish delicious is on recipes. They mix beef meat with honey and more than 10 spices. Then beef is sliced and grilled on charcoal. This dish is served with raw vegetables. However, you can also order more bread or rice paper to eat together.
Bun cha ca (Fried fish noodle)
This dish is quite unique with its broth that is stewed from sailfish and bone of codfish. Because of this reason, the broth will be sweeter and more delicious. A special bowl of fried fish noodle Nha Trang is added jellyfish and Ca Dam, it means that sailfish meat is steamed and torn into small pieces, creating good smell, nice broth as well as tough meat.
A hot bowl noodle with its clear broth, good smells, nice fried fishes and spring onion on the top makes you so excited. You should enjoy this dish with sliced raw vegetable and a cup of fish sauce and chili. All of them will give you a forgettable taste. In particular, Bun cha ca is very suitable for those who want to be on a diet.
Seafood of fishing village
As a coastal city, seafood in Nha Trang is very rich and fresh. You can enjoy seafood at restaurants or local stores along the coast. However, you should visit fishing village to enjoy the fresh seafood which has been caught in the sea. Moreover, the locals can also take you to seafood restaurants on the sea by ferry. Here you can choose the fresh seafood or catch them by yourself and have restaurant’s chef cooked seafood.
Besides of the shrimp, squid, oysters or snails, you should try grilled fish in Nha Trang. Especially, grilled gecko fish (Ca Tac Ke) in Nha Trang is very famous with its nice smell, sweet and chew when you dip it in chili and salt. Besides, if you can eat live seafood, you should try salmon.
Banh can (Can cake)
Sitting around the warm coal stove, watching the skillful bakers pouring flour into the mold, and then trying the hot Banh Can in a windy day will be interesting experiences. Banh Can is a popular local food in the Central and the South of Vietnam.
The ingredients of this cake contain rice flour, fat, spring onion and eggs. Today, there are many kinds of Banh Can with cores from shrimp or squid. It is served with the raw vegetable, sweet and sour sauce from Nha Trang fish sauce and other spices such as onions, pepper, garlic and salty fried pork. You can enjoy this local food of Nha Trang on Le Thanh Ton and Nguyen Thien Thuat Street when coming to Nha Trang. (Translated by Cam Nhung)
