Wide turmeric-yellow rice noodles under just enough intense broth to coat them, topped with shrimp, chicken, peanuts and a shard of sesame rice cracker.
Mì Quảng is central Vietnam's answer to the noodle soup, except that it is barely a soup at all. The defining feature is the broth, or rather how little of it there is: instead of a bowl of liquid, you get a shallow pool of intensely concentrated stock, ladled just deep enough to reach halfway up the noodles. Everything is meant to be tossed together so the broth coats rather than submerges. The noodles themselves are wide, flat rice sheets cut into ribbons, often tinted yellow with turmeric and noticeably thicker and chewier than the ones used in beef noodle soup. On top go shrimp, chunks of free-range chicken or pork belly, quail eggs, a scatter of roasted peanuts, a fistful of raw greens including shredded banana flower, a green chili to bite, and a wedge of banh trang me, the toasted sesame rice cracker you snap over the bowl for crunch. It is the everyday dish of Da Nang and the surrounding countryside, eaten at any hour, and it tastes less like a broth than like a sauce that happens to be liquid.
Main ingredients
The city's dense middle is where most of the long-running places are, generally serving chicken or shrimp-and-pork versions all day. They are easy to reach on foot or by a short ride-hailing trip from the beach hotels on the eastern side of the river, and most have picture menus or a display of toppings by the door.
Around 30,000-50,000d per bowl (roughly US$1.20-2)
The old Quang Nam region south of Da Nang is where the dish originated, and the versions here tend to be plainer, more intensely seasoned and served with herbs grown in the market gardens outside town. Places range from Old Town storefronts to roadside stops on the way to the beach, and prices outside the tourist streets are noticeably lower.
Around 25,000-45,000d per bowl (roughly US$1-1.80)
Between the two cities and inland, small market stalls make the most rustic version: hand-cut noodles, small local shrimp, a very concentrated broth and a stack of sesame crackers on the counter. If you are traveling by car or motorbike between Da Nang, Hoi An and the mountains, these are the stops worth making.
Around 20,000-35,000d per bowl (roughly US$0.80-1.40)
Typical price
~$1–$2.5 (25,000–60,000₫) Estimate per bowl: around 25,000-40,000d (roughly US$1-1.60) at a neighborhood place, and 45,000-60,000d (roughly US$1.80-2.40) at busier spots or with premium toppings such as shrimp, ribs or frog. Prices vary.
An estimate — the price moves with the place, the neighborhood and the hour.
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