If you have 1 day in Dong Hoi, what should you eat?

Starting a new day in Dong Hoi, nothing is better than a piping hot bowl of snakehead fish thick noodle soup. This dish is famous for its clear, sweet broth made from fish bones and chewy, soft noodle strands made from rice flour or cassava starch. The snakehead fish is cleaned, steamed, deboned, and lightly stir-fried with fried shallots to create a natural, rich sweetness.  

A few prominent eateries: 

- Suong Hong Snakehead Fish Thick Noodle Soup (No. 36 Nguyen Trai, Dong Hoi): The eatery has a spacious, airy space, located right in front of the water, making it extremely pleasant. Clean streets with comfortable car parking. The food here is delicious, especially the firm snakehead fish meat; you can order extra pork sausage and spring rolls as side dishes. Remember to try it with Quang Binh's signature ground chili, spicy but making the dish even richer and much more delicious! 

- O Huong Snakehead Fish Thick Noodle Soup (145 Phung Hung, Hai Thanh Ward, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh): A small, casual spot, the soup here has a light, sweet broth from pork ribs and fish, tasting very rich. The spring rolls are crispy, with a flavorful filling and well-balanced taste. The eatery retains a true local, rustic, and simple culinary style. Note that the shop is open from morning until afternoon! 

 Price: 20,000 – 35,000 VND/bowl.  

After "recharging your energy", you can drop by a cute coffee shop to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of Dong Hoi. This city has no shortage of coffee shops with beautiful spaces, ideal for checking in and chilling out for a bit before continuing your journey. 

Suggested beautiful cafes in Dong Hoi:  

- Tree Hugger Cafe (30 Nguyen Du, Dong Hai, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh): A small and cute coffee shop, surrounded by green trees, creating an airy and pleasant feeling – extremely suitable for those who like quiet, relaxing spaces. In addition to delicious coffee, the cafe also has an information counter with maps for you to check out prominent dining and check-in spots in Dong Hoi. Going up to the second floor, you will come across an exhibition corner about Vietnamese ethnic groups along with a cute souvenir counter where you can pick a few unique gifts to take home. A place that is both chilling and interesting to explore, give it a try! 

- Atena Bakery & Café (58 Tran Hung Dao, Dong Hai, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh): Located right in the city center, with a spacious storefront and easy parking. The interior space is airy and beautifully decorated, especially with a very cool and pleasant balcony area. The pastry menu here is very rich, from sweet to savory, offering many attractive options. The drink menu is also very diverse, guaranteed to satisfy you.

See more: Explore beautiful cafes with "super chill" views in Quang Binh

For lunch in Dong Hoi, Bombay duck fish hotpot is the top choice. This is a rustic yet extremely delicious dish, featuring fresh Bombay duck fish cooked in a rich, sour, and spicy hotpot broth. Bombay duck fish has tender meat that melts in your mouth, combined with fresh vegetables and fresh rice vermicelli, creating a flavor-filled lunch from the coastal region.  

If you don't like hotpot, you can choose snakehead fish porridge – a light-on-the-stomach dish that is still nutritious. The porridge is cooked until smooth, and the snakehead fish is thoroughly seasoned and stir-fried until fragrant before adding to the porridge, creating a natural, easy-to-eat sweetness.  

Prominent Bombay duck fish hotpot restaurants:

- Minh Ha Restaurant (45 Truong Phap, Bac Ly, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh): A casual place that is always crowded, especially with locals – proving that the food here is authentic and delicious. The must-try dish is the Bombay duck fish hotpot, with tender, naturally sweet fish meat that melts right in your mouth. Located right opposite the river mouth, the space is airy and spacious; enjoying delicious food with a super chill view is fantastic! 

Price: From 250,000 VND/hotpot (depending on the number of people).  

In the afternoon, you can enjoy Quang Binh's specialty cakes. The small, cute water fern cakes made from tapioca flour, topped with shrimp and pork, eaten with sweet and sour fish sauce, create an unforgettable signature flavor. In addition, tapioca dumplings and steamed rice cakes in banana leaves are two snacks you cannot miss. Chewy tapioca dumplings filled with rich shrimp and pork, dipped in spicy fish sauce, are absolutely delicious! 

A few prominent eateries: 

- Co Van Water Fern Cake Eatery (80 Le Thanh Dong St., Bac Ly, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh): The water fern cakes here feature crispy pork rinds and smooth, soft cake batter, served with piping hot dipping sauce, making them extremely mouth-watering. The savory fried pancake is special for its dipping sauce made from soybean paste, offering a unique yet surprisingly delicious flavor. The friendly and sweet owners make you feel comfortable when visiting. Additionally, the place offers a few other casual dishes such as grilled pork vermicelli and lemongrass skewers, which are also worth trying!

- Me Xuan Tapioca Dumplings Eatery (5 Le Thanh Dong St., Bac Ly, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh): The shop opens from 10:00 AM, so anyone wanting to eat should remember to avoid coming too early! The clear tapioca dumplings here are super delicious, especially the flavorful, well-balanced dipping sauce. The eatery also sells cakes to take home as gifts, very convenient for those who want to buy presents for relatives. In addition, the sweet soup here is highly rated, from pomelo sweet soup, corn sweet soup to chewy sweet potato soup, every dish is fragrant, sweet, and attractive! 

Price from: 10,000 – 30,000 VND/plate.  

Having evening in Dong Hoi without eating seafood is truly missing out! With the advantage of a long coastline, the seafood here always guarantees freshness, firm meat, and reasonable prices. You can enjoy lobster, crab, flower crab, sweet snails, fresh oysters, fresh squid, grouper, cobia... prepared in many ways such as steamed, grilled, in tamarind sauce, hotpot, or porridge. In particular, grilled scallops with scallion oil, grilled oysters with cheese, or grilled squid with chili salt are must-try dishes when visiting. Besides quality, Quang Binh seafood also scores points thanks to rich preparation methods that preserve the natural sweet flavor. 

 A few prominent restaurants: 

- Binh Yen Seafood Restaurant – 8 Huong Giang, Hai Dinh, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh

- Minh Luu Seafood – 185 Truong Phap, Bac Ly, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh 

- Luong Chinh Seafood – 180 Truong Phap, Bac Ly, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh 

Price: 150,000 – 500,000 VND/dish (depending on seafood type).  

Before ending your day wandering around Dong Hoi, try a hot bowl of oyster porridge. Rich and creamy fresh oysters, combined with finely cooked porridge, added with a pinch of ground pepper and herbs – guaranteed to warm your stomach without being overly full. 

A few prominent eateries: 

- Xu Nghe Eel & Oyster Porridge (60 Dong Hai, Bac Ly, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh): Clean eatery with a spacious car parking area, very convenient. In addition to creamy oysters, the eatery is also famous for eel porridge and eel soup, featuring a rich, distinctive flavor hard to find elsewhere. A place worth visiting! 

- Thu Mai Eatery (3 To Huu, Nam Ly, Dong Hoi, Quang Binh): Quite crowded, bustling with both locals and tourists. The rock oysters here are soft, rich, meticulously prepared while preserving the freshness of milk oysters. 

Price: 30,000 – 50,000 VND/bowl.  

With just one day strolling around Dong Hoi, you can taste almost the full culinary essence of the coastal city of Quang Binh – from fresh seafood, tapioca dumplings, thick noodle soup to sweet and fragrant mango dessert. The flavors here not only satisfy your taste buds but also carry the breath of the sea and the rustic, sincere character of the Central region people.

If you want your journey to be even richer, let Sovaba Travel guide the way with Dong Hoi Quang Binh travel tours combining unique culinary experiences, where you can not only visit famous sights but also discover authentic local eateries – places that only Quang food lovers know. Don't miss the opportunity to savor the flavors of Quang Binh in the most complete and memorable way!