Unlike Hanoi and Saigon, Hue in the evening is not as crazy, yet, it still has a special bustling and charming vibe for visitors. One of the best things to do in Hue at night is to do a self-guided food exploration in busiest areas of Hue. This post will help you to find the many great Hue Street Food corners to walk in the evening in Hue, Vietnam.
I. Nguyen Dinh Chieu Walking Street: best Hue bites found here.
1. Where is Nguyen Dinh Chieu Walking Street?
It is located right at the foot of the Trang Tien bridge, next to the Perfume River. Nguyen Dinh Chieu night market has been a hang out place for local residents and tourists alike who crave for some Hue famous dishes in the evening. You can find a wide range of Hue local food from Banh Loc, Nem Lui to chè and many colorful souvenir stalls. Sometimes you can spot live music performance over the weekends.
The most ideal time for having street bites at Nguyen Dinh Chieu walking street is from 17:00 to 21:30.
2. What Hue street food you can find?
Banh Mi Truong Tien
A well-known name among young locals who often swing by late for a quick bite, Banh Mi Truong Tien is the only Banh Mi stall in Hue which open till 5 AM in the morning. Yes, you read it right!
It has this simple look from the outside with the inside filled up quickly by the order of their customers. Their Banh Mi eaters can choose the filling to their liking. Some enjoy a Banh Mi with egg and ham. Some love the paste sauce on top of nice slides of Chinese sausage. Only when you taste, you will know the value of this street food that ate by the world.
You only spend about 7,000 VND for single ingredient stuffing and 10,000 VND for a create-you-own bread roll with multiple stuffings.
Seeing the beauty of Hue at night with the shimmering lights over Truong Tien bridge and enjoying the busy corner with a special Hue street food is a great night out to many young locals in Hue.
Read more about: Banh My, a World Famous Vietnamese Cuisine Phenomenon
Banh Loc Tran: Naked Banh Loc with sauteed spring onions
Many of you probably have heard of Banh Loc, Banh Nam and Banh Beo before, however, Banh Loc Tran is definitely a tasty version to try. It does not have the elephant ears leaves wrapping. Instead, it is made like dumpling version with either sauteed shrimp and pork or mung bean paste as stuffing.
Banh Loc Tran is quick Hue bites topped with stir-fried spring onions and finished with an addictive sweet and sour fish sauce. Order yourself a plate of Banh Loc, it’s only 10,000 VND/ portion.
When you walk in Nguyen Dinh Chieu street night market, notice a small lady who has a full bowl of shrimp dumplings. Maybe it’s worth for you to look to her neighbor. They also serve many other Hue dishes such as Banh beo or Nem Lui.
Che Hue (Hue sweet soup)
Have you heard about 20 kinds of sweet soup yet?
As you know that Chè is a popular dessert in the list local food in Hue city. It’s a must-do Hue dessert even for us in summer time. You can make any kind of beans into che. Simply boiling the beans till they are soft and edible, che creators mix it with cane sugar and vanilla. The many colors from the beans create this interesting painting of che you see above.
Che is 8,000 VND for small glass and 10,000 VND for full glass. Such cheap price for a great value it brings to you during this walk of food hunt.
Read more: 5 Hue Desserts Perfect For a Hot Summer Day
II. Hue Train Station: A Unique Hue Street Food Corner
1. Where is Hue Train Station?
Just opposite the main train station in Hue, this special hang out corner is known for its lightened candles and the train horns every hour. Many shop owners here started their drink and food business simply to serve passengers who rode train to North and South of Vietnam. They placed a candle in front of their shop to hint by-passers that they were open still regardless what time it was.
Many new shop owners came later also start this culture. Thus, it becomes a unique thing in Hue that attraction local residents ever since for its romantic and nostalgic atmosphere.
2. What Hue street food you can find?
Bun Bo Hue (Hue beef noodle)
Many visitors to this corner look for a late night bite that help them to recover from a party. There is a need for a kind of tasty soup to dissolve their thirst and hunger. Thus, Bun Bo Hue is a perfect dish for it. True to its name, Bun Bo Hue is cooked with beef shank, pig knuckles finished with fresh vegetable and so on. Moreover, the dish has this balance of its spicy and flavors perfect for a winter night in Hue. The price ranges from 15,000 VND to 25,000 VND.
Gan kieu (Beef Tendon mixed with sour onion pickles)
An unspoken dish for many foreign visitors but a name for every Vietnamese style party, Gan Kieu is a catch for its crunchy and tasty beef and onion pickles. Its simple ingredients such as beef tendon, sometimes you can even try cow balls Gan Kieu, goes well with beers.
It’s topped with well-fried peanuts and pork skin topping. Be careful with Gan Kieu if you can not handle spice very well.
This dish varies from 25,000 VND to 50,000 VND.
Ga bop hanh (Shredded chicken onion salad)
Chicken meat is well shredded then mixed in a bowl with multiple ingredients. They are cinnamon basil, coriander, onion, pepper and minced chives. Finally shop owners squeeze a little lemon and mix well.
This salad is mouthwatering with nice texture from the well-marinated chicken to the strong taste from onion slices. It usually comes with a plate of sticky rice.
Costing from 30,000 VND to 50,000 VND. You can order it from any of the stores in front of Hue Train Station.
Vietnamese Tea with pumpkin seeds
Many young locals come here just for the green tea and pumpkin seed. Simply a place to mingle, this interesting custom is unknowingly practiced and becomes hot spot for people in Hue at night. When guests arrive, they can choose their own seat in the open space, usually under the banyan trees, the servers will automatically bring out a set of green tea (10,000 VND), two plates of pumpkin seeds and watermelon seeds (5,000 VND each) and some sesame candies (10,000 VND per plate).
Some can smoke, can order a traditional pot that looks like a tube. Smokers will prepare some tobacco and place at a small hole. When sucking the tube, it creates a very funky noise that becomes a distinctive thing for this nightlife area in Hue.
Young girls and boys specially enjoy the atmosphere of Hue Train Station due to these special characters. As for you visitors, you can walk to Hue Train Station around 9 PM for a cup of tea or a can of beers or simply learn a unique thing to do in Hue at night.
III. Dong Ba Market
1. Where is it?
For century long, Dong Ba market is an address for difficult eaters in Hue to seek for their food crave in the evening. This street food corner of Hue starts around 4 PM in the afternoon and last all the way till 12’00 midnight. Walking through Dong Ba is a joy with its colorful vegetable and fruits. Its main food area is at the front gate of Dong Ba where you find typical small chairs queuing up waiting for diners to arrive. Some food vendors even grill their barbecue for the dish Nem Lui and Barbecue Noodle, making it a very tempting and interesting scene of Vietnam.
Tips: Firstly, as a foreigner looking for street food in Vietnam, you might be likely to get overcharged. Thus, you can take note the price we list for Hue dishes you should try in Dong Ba market below to make a good bargain. Secondly, always ask for price first before ordering food.
2. What Hue bites you can find here?
Nem Lui Hue (Hue Lemongrass Skewer)
Nem Lui is the most popular Hue snack and it is known as Vietnamese grilled spring rolls. The recipe is quite simple with the main ingredient is meat. Meat will be well-grounded and attached to a stalk of lemongrass. This helps to increase fragrance of this dish. Hue Lemongrass Skewer is great choice for your walking food hunt in Hue regardless the seasons.
The best way to eat Nem Lui Hue is rolling it in rice paper with green vegetables such as lettuce, cucumber, green mango, star fruit and green papaya. Moreover, delicious dipping sauce will determine up to 50% of the value of the dish. They often add sugar, chopped garlic, chili, and lime juice into the fish sauce. Overall, this food will not make you disappointed, it brings unforgettable experience otherwise.
Price ranges from 5,000 VND/ skewer to 7,000 VND/ skewer.
Chao Bo (Beef Rice Soup)
This local Hue food is a favorite dish for many eaters who comes to Dong Ba Market. Chao Bo is made of simple ingredients such as beef, rice and fresh vegetables. The rice is well cooked until softened then added more of broth made from beef bone stew for a long time. Vendors later add slices of beef, beef knuckles and a piece of beef blood custard. For eaters in Dong Ba Market, it’s quite a difficult decision to choose Bun Bo Hue or Chao Bo or other dishes available. Food vendors thus decorate their table nicely in order to attraction diners to choose them.
Chao Bo is 20,000/ bowl. You can ask to add types of beef you like. It’s also a perfect dish to cure your hangover at night. Thus, Chao Bo lady in Dong Ba Market tends to be the last one to stay opened till midnight.
Bun Nghe (Turmeric Pig Guts noodle)
I am sure that anyone who intentionally walk to Dong Ba Market food corner will notice a colorful dish which has yellow noodle, something-look-like-guts and herbs on top of it. It’s called Bun Nghe or Turmeric Pig Guts noodle. A wonderful creation of Hue people who knows by heart the use of turmeric in cuisine. It helps to reduce stomachache and adds irresistible flavors to the dish at the same time. The yellow noodle comes from the mixture of turmeric and white vermicelli. Also, Hue eaters love the well marinated taste of pig guts in the turmeric combined with Hue basil on top. Try it for once in your life!
A bowl of Bun Nghe costs about 10,000 VND. You find the lady who sells Bun Nghe near the entrance of Dong Ba Market. Best time to go for this food hunt is around 17’00 to 20’00.
Read more about: Dong Ba Market: an Authentic Vietnamese Market in Hue City
IV. Chi Lang Gia Hoi Ancient Town
1. Where is it?
Gia Hoi is located in the Phu Cat and Phu Hiep wards, is an ancient residential area of Hue City, located on an island surrounded by Huong River and Dong Ba River. It’s not very far from Dong Ba Market, you can simply walk over Gia Hoi bridge and there it is! Chi Lang Gia Hoi used to be an old trade port with similar function like its sister, Hoi An Ancient town with many Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese living together during 16th and 17th century.
With such interesting history, Chi Lang Gia Hoi stands as a paradise of street food in a charming old town that visitors rarely notice. We will introduce you some of their signature Hue local food you can find in Chi Lang Gia Hoi Ancient town.
2. What you can find here?
Giam Nuoc noodle (Jellyfish noodle in crab sauce)
Nuoc is an animal that looks like jellyfish but much smaller and more delicious. Normally, Nuoc is only available in May, so in order to eat Giam Nuoc Vermicelli, visitors have to choose the right time. There are two types of Nuoc: Nuoc tai (softly crispy) and Nuoc chan (very crispy). This dish is very complicated to cook but the result is quite pleased to see. The crispy translucent Nuoc combining with golden braised shrimps, crab soup, baby tomatoes, roasted ground peanuts, slices of grilled girdle-cake and the broth-which is made from crab grounded meat.
Herbs such as banana blossom, coriander, hyssop, and bean sprouts are also required in this dish. If you find this dish interesting, then you can give it a try at Restaurant Bun Giam Nuoc at the beginning of Chi Lang Gia Hoi.
Price is 25,000 VND for a bowl and it is not too expensive. Moreover, the lady who sells this only from 14’00 to 19’00. Make sure you time your walk precisely to catch her.
It would be fun for you to join a street food in case it’s hard to find this dish on your own. You can book our Hue Walk of Street Culinary to explore a world of rarely spoken dishes in Hue.
Banh Canh Cua (Crab noodle soup)
Banh Canh Cua is one of the famous Hue local food you must try. Crab balls are made from pureed meat and noodle is freshly made from rice flour. When eating the crab soup, you will feel the sweetness of crab meat in the mouth as well as a nice texture of noodle cooked instantly for eaters. Banh Canh Cua is easily spotted on the side of Gia Hoi bridge. Its costing is from 10,000 VND to 15,000 VND.
Hến xào (Stir-fry clams with sesame and basil)
Hen Xao comes mainly from a Con Hen island, a silty land in the middle of Perfume River. It’s called the paradise of clams due to its fertile silt that comes every year during flood season. Clams here is well-known for its sweetness and abundance. Thus, local residents here create many dishes with tiny clams such as Clam noodle, Clam rice or Clam porridge, which you can try everywhere in this island.
One of the most outstanding creations from clams is the Hen Xao. Bunch of tiny clams will be carefully washed and dried out. Restaurant owner will fry it with sauteed oil and add seasoning till clams have nice fragrance. Finally, she will top it up with sesame and Hue basil. Hen xao eats best with crunchy sesame rice cracker.
Costing from 20,000 VND to 30,000 VND per dish with rice cracker. You can find it at Quán Ốc 149 at 149 Chi Lang street.
V. An Cuu Bridge
1. Where is An Cuu street food corner?
Located near Big C Supermarket, An Cuu is well-known as a fun night out corner for Hue residents with a distinctive dish called Banh Canh Ca Loc. Food vendors gather around two sides of An Cuu bridge thus creates this bustling atmosphere from 18’00 to 22’00. Let’s learn what Banh Canh Ca Loc is and how special it is in An Cuu bridge.
2. What street bites you can find?
Banh Canh Ca Loc
“Banh canh ca loc“ is made from freshly made tapioca noodle topped with well-marinated cat fish filet, sometimes, eaters can add boiled quail eggs, finished with spring onion. The key for this dish is the texture of cat fish. Cat fish must be done freshly and marinated all together with seasonings. With price of 12,000 VND per Banh Canh Ca Loc. You can find this dish easily at Banh Canh O Sen on the side of An Cuu bridge.
Above is a list of 5 Evening Street Food corners in Hue, Vietnam. One of the best thing to do when traveling is to explore the food culture of its city. Hue is a perfect place for you to satisfy your crave for food. Coming to Hue, you cannot miss out this cultural beauty at night and see how Hue people enjoy living in this paradise. The charm of these corners combined with tastiness of Hue local food, you will totally have new look on Hue at night.
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