Nha Trang Guide
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5 places for Banh Can Nha Trang

Rating: 4.5 / 5 — Our own score, not an average of guest reviews

Our own score, not an average of guest reviews

Small batter cakes fired in clay moulds, dipped in fermented sauce or pork broth

City centre

Photo supplied by Hai Phượng - Yến

Photo supplied by Hai Phượng - Yến

Photo supplied by Hai Phượng - Yến

Photo supplied by Hai Phượng - Yến

Photo supplied by Hai Phượng - Yến

Photo supplied by Hai Phượng - Yến

Photo supplied by Hai Phượng - Yến

Photo supplied by Hai Phượng - Yến

Address
Carts and small stalls across the city. Five of them, with addresses, listed below
Opening hours
Mostly late afternoon onwards, until they run out
Price range
30,000 – 45,000₫/dish
Best time to go
17:00 – 20:00

Overview

Bánh căn is the street food of Vietnam's south-central coast: rice batter poured into clay moulds over charcoal and fired until the edges crisp and the bottom chars. Eaten hot in pairs, dipped in thinned fermented fish sauce, pork-meatball broth, or braising liquid depending on the stall.

This is cart-and-stool food, not restaurant food. You find it by following the charcoal smoke and the clatter of moulds. The central streets around To Hien Thanh and Le Thanh Phuong, and the lanes near Cho Dam market, have plenty of stalls, mostly from late afternoon onwards.

How to eat it: they arrive in pairs, two shells pressed together, and you dip them straight away while hot. Let them cool and the crispness is gone. The sauce varies by stall: thinned fermented anchovy, a pork-ball broth, or braised-fish liquor. Ask for whichever they have, and try both if there are two.

Because this is a dish rather than an address, there is no single point to pin. The five shops listed just below are the addresses instead. Choosing is simple: sit where the locals are, because a busy stall means constant turnover and nothing sitting around. Skip an empty one during the rush, however large its sign. Bánh căn is mostly an early-evening thing, 30,000–45,000₫ a serving, sold until the batter runs out.

In the same family: squid bánh xèo, bánh đập and nem nướng.

Some shops, with addresses

  • Hai Phượng - Yến

    Open map →

    46/27 Hung Vuong, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa

    The most visitor-facing of the five: the menu is printed in five languages. Vietnamese, English, Russian, Korean and Chinese, with a photograph of every dish. It also has the widest price ladder: 30,000–120,000₫ for a plate of six, from plain egg up to tiger prawn. Beyond bánh căn there is bánh xèo, beef-stew bánh mì, fresh spring rolls and crisp shrimp rolls. Enough to make a meal rather than one plate. It sits in an alley in the night-market quarter.

    Reference photos from sources on the internet.

  • Tiệm Bánh Căn Tháng Năm

    Open map →

    32 Cuu Long, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa

    Open 8:00 – 21:00

    It opens at 8:00. The earliest of the five, and the only one here where bánh căn is a breakfast, since most stalls have not lit their coals by then. It is also a proper shop with tables indoors rather than a cart. Sold in portions of five, 25,000–75,000₫ depending on the filling. Two things to know before the bill: the pork meatballs here are 10,000₫ each, twice what the others charge, and a cold towel is 3,000₫.

    Reference photos from sources on the internet.

  • Bánh Căn Cô Ly

    Open map →

    186 Thong Nhat, Tay Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa

    Open 11:00 – 21:30

    The cheapest of the five, and cheap in a way you can check: 25,000₫ for a plate of eight with chicken or quail egg, where the other four charge 25,000–30,000₫ for five or six. The rest go by the plate of five: mussel or pork 25,000₫, beef 30,000₫, squid 40,000₫, prawn 80,000₫; the mixed plate is 55,000₫ for seven. Pork meatballs are 5,000₫ each. One caveat on the hours: the shop's own menu says it runs to 22:00 while the map says 21:30, so do not leave it until nine.

    Reference photos from sources on the internet.

  • Bánh Căn 51

    Open map →

    9 Thai Nguyen, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa

    Open 10:00 – 22:00

    It still signs itself by the old To Hien Thanh address; the map now calls this stretch Thai Nguyen. Two things printed on the menu are worth reading before you go: it sells by the plate only, never by the piece, and it gives priority to customers who ring ahead so they do not wait, which means walk-ins do. Prices: 25,000₫ for six with chicken or quail egg, 40,000₫ with beef, pork belly or mussel, 45,000₫ with an egg added, and 160,000₫ for six with prawn or squid, the dearest seafood version of the five. The special mixed plate is 100,000₫ for eight, one of each.

    Reference photos from sources on the internet.

  • Bánh căn bánh xèo Cô Tư

    Open map →

    6A Thap Ba, Bac Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa

    Open 7:00 – 22:30

    The only one on this list that makes both bánh căn and bánh xèo, so two people who want to try both can do it in one sitting. The bánh xèo is sold singly at 20,000₫, with mixed filling, squid or prawn. Bánh căn goes by the plate of eight: 30,000₫ with chicken or quail egg, 60,000₫ with squid, prawn, quail-egg-and-beef or mixed. Pork meatballs are 10,000₫ each. The board carries Chinese and Korean labels stuck on beside the Vietnamese. It is north of the river near the Po Nagar towers and opens at 7:00, so it pairs with a morning at the temple.

    Reference photos from sources on the internet.

Addresses come from each shop's own Google Maps listing, and the Open map button opens that shop's pin rather than running a search. 18 shops on the site have no listing we could confirm, so they have no button: the address lookup returned a different business, and a button that points at the wrong place is worse than none. A Google score appears only when Maps carries both the score and the number of reviews — a bare average cannot be weighed, so this page leaves it out. Street-food stalls change hours and close without telling anyone; call ahead if you are travelling across town.

What to order

  • Crisp edges and a charred, smoky underside
  • The quail-egg version
  • The dipping sauces, each stall differs; ask to try both
  • Shredded green mango or scallion oil spooned over the top

Practical tips

  • Eat it the moment it leaves the mould, two minutes and it's soft
  • Ordered by the plate (usually 5–10 pairs), around 30,000₫ a plate
  • Don't confuse it with bánh khọt, which is deep-fried; bánh căn is dry-fired
  • The seafood versions cost far more. The board at the shop lists 60,000₫ for six with mussel, pork or tiny shrimp, 70,000₫ with oyster, 100,000₫ with squid and 120,000₫ with tiger prawn. Read it before ordering.

Frequently asked

How is bánh căn different from bánh khọt?

Bánh căn is baked in clay moulds over charcoal with no oil, so it is dry and crisp at the edges. Bánh khọt is fried in oil, so it is softer and richer.

Where and when is it sold?

From carts and small shops around To Hien Thanh, Le Thanh Phuong and Dam market, mostly from early evening, roughly 17:00–20:00. For a morning plate there is Cô Tư from 7:00 and Tiệm Tháng Năm from 8:00, both on the list below.

What does a serving cost?

25,000–30,000₫ for a plate with chicken or quail egg, going by the boards at all five shops listed here. Beef, mussel or pork takes it to 40,000–60,000₫. Seafood is another matter: 75,000–120,000₫ at three of them, and 160,000₫ for six with prawn or squid at Bánh Căn 51. Bring cash.

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