EXPLORE VIETNAM
A timeless and iconic destination

Mi Quang – the noodle dish that defines Da Nang

Mi Quang appears simple on the surface, but behind Da Nang’s hero dish is an origin story that spans centuries.

Anyone who knows Da Nang well will tell you that there’s more to the city than meets the eye. Just as the mini metropolis’ luminescent bridges eclipse pre-war architecture and its polished skyscrapers overshadow an ancient citadel, Da Nang’s varnished veneer veils centuries of history.

Mi Quang, Da Nang’s iconic noodle dish, also contains multitudes. At first glance, it presents like many other noodle dishes in Vietnam, with broth, veggies, protein and a crunchy accompaniment (in this case, a rice cracker). But when you sink your teeth into the origins of the dish, a complex story unfolds.

“When I started food blogging 15 years ago, I needed a local hero dish,” says Da Nang native Summer Le, founder and executive chef of Nén Danang, a MICHELIN-selected restaurant in The MICHELIN Guide Vietnam 2024, which holds the country’s first MICHELIN Green Star. She grew up eating mi Quang every week, and her mother would often cook the dish for visiting friends. “I picked mi Quang [as the hero dish] because this really is our dish. It reflects the lifestyle and the philosophy of Da Nang and Quang Nam.”

Mi Quang takes its name from Quang Nam, the province that Da Nang was part of until municipal independence in 1997. This autonomy helped Da Nang become a prosperous city, but this was a poor corner of Vietnam throughout much of its history. Unlike the north and the south of the country, central Vietnam never enjoyed the fertility bestowed by great river deltas – and brutal typhoons regularly battered these coastal lowlands. Unlike Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s two major cities, Da Nang has never achieved capital city status – and the wealth that this bequeaths.

Where to find Mi Quang?

Mi Quang may be found on countless menus across Da Nang, but a select few establishments, each with a distinct dedication to this iconic dish, have been spotlighted in The MICHELIN Guide Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City & Da Nang 2024. These are the ones we think are worth your time.