Helen Le, a Vietnamese food expert and native of Da Nang, is working to raise the profile of mi quang, a traditional noodle dish from central Vietnam. Unlike the better-known pho, mi quang features thick rice noodles coated in a turmeric-infused broth rather than submerged in soup. This dish is typically garnished with peanuts, fresh herbs, spring onion, and a variety of proteins such as chicken, pork, beef, fish, or frog legs.

Le, who has been sharing Vietnamese recipes online since 2011 and offers cooking masterclasses and food tours in her hometown, highlights the flexibility of mi quang’s preparation. “People do improvise” when making the dish, she says, but fresh greens and crushed peanuts are vital to its texture and flavor. The broth is served warm rather than boiling to preserve the freshness of the vegetables.

During a recent food tour led by Le in Da Nang’s Hai Chau district, the group first visited Mi Quang Nhung, a popular street stand specializing in the dish. Though frog legs were sold out, the snakehead fish option was noted for its firm, flaky texture.

Le describes central Vietnamese cuisine as the most diverse and flavorful in the country, with a strong agricultural base in the highlands influencing local produce. She contrasts it with the northern region’s milder flavors and the sweeter, coconut-based cuisine of the south. Within central Vietnam, she notes that dishes from Da Nang tend to be less spicy than those from nearby Hue.

The tour continued at Trinh Ca Phe, a local café chain featuring a coffee roasting workshop and a serene garden setting. Founded by a couple from Da Nang and Dak Lak—an area renowned for robusta coffee cultivation—the café offers distinctive drinks such as avocado coffee topped with caramelized coconut and a sweeter coconut coffee variant.

Le’s journey to becoming a food influencer began in 2009, when she and her sister, chef Summer Le of Michelin-recommended restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, created a blog to introduce Vietnamese cuisine in English. Their efforts gained traction through a YouTube channel and led to food tour opportunities.

Other stops highlighted by Le included Banh Mi Ga Co Chi, known for its Da Nang-style banh mi sandwich filled with pork floss, mayonnaise, cucumber, and pickled papaya, and Banh Xeo Ba Duong, a long-standing eatery famed for banh xeo, crispy Vietnamese crepes stuffed with prawns and bean sprouts. The banh xeo is traditionally wrapped in rice paper with fresh vegetables and served with peanut sauce.

Le observes that Da Nang’s food scene has expanded significantly alongside the city’s economic growth. “Now that there are more tourists coming from all over the world, we have more new restaurants,” she said. She notes greater diversity in the local dining options compared to a decade ago, including halal and Indian cuisines, reflecting the city’s evolving culinary landscape.

For residents and visitors alike, Da Nang continues to emerge as a vibrant destination for exploring the rich flavors of Vietnamese food beyond its most famous dishes.