Cheap Eats in Hai Phong: Full Meals Under 50,000 VND

Hai Phong doesn't get the same food press as Hanoi or Hue, but locals here eat extraordinarily well and extraordinarily cheap. If you know where to look, 150,000 VND covers three solid meals with drinks to spare.

Breakfast — Start at the Markets

The best cheap breakfasts in Hai Phong happen before 8am, near the wet markets.

Banh Mi Thit Nuong — 15,000–20,000 VND

Hai Phong's version of "banh mi" leans heavier on the grilled pork and lighter on the cold cuts compared to Saigon-style rolls. The stalls clustered around Cho Sat (the iron market on Tran Hung Dao Street) open around 5:30am and sell out fast. Look for the ones with a charcoal grill out front — the smoke smell is your navigator. A full roll with pate, pickled daikon, and charred pork runs 18,000–20,000 VND. Pair with a plastic cup of "ca phe sua da" from the adjacent cart for another 15,000 VND.

Banh Cuon Hai Phong — 25,000–35,000 VND

"Banh cuon" here is slightly different from the Hanoi (하노이 / 河内 / ハノイ) version — the rice rolls are thinner, the filling drier, and they're often served with a side of cha lua (pork sausage) and a fiercer dipping broth. The lane running off Minh Khai Street near the old post office has two or three good spots side by side; the one with the longest queue of motorbikes is usually the right call. A full portion with all the toppings lands around 30,000 VND.

Lunch — The Real Meal of the Day

Hai Phong lunch culture means eating between 11am and noon, before spots run out of the good stuff.

Bun Ca — 30,000–40,000 VND

This is the dish Hai Phong is quietly famous for. "Bun ca" (fish noodle soup) is built on a turmeric-tinged broth, fried fish cakes, fresh dill, and vermicelli. It's lighter than pho but more complex than it first looks. The definitive cheap version is found on Cat Cut Street — several open-front shops compete on the same block. Thirty-five thousand dong gets you a large bowl with extra fish cake if you ask. Add a fried dough stick on the side for 5,000 VND more.

Com Binh Dan — 35,000–50,000 VND

"Com binh dan" (everyday rice) joints are the workhorses of Vietnamese lunch. In Hai Phong, the versions near the port districts on Nguyen Duc Canh Street are particularly good — aimed at dock workers, which means large portions and no frills. You pick three or four items from the display trays: braised pork belly, stir-fried morning glory, fried egg, pickled mustard greens. At 35,000–45,000 VND for rice plus three dishes, it's the best calorie-per-dong ratio in the city. Eat by 12:15pm or the best dishes are gone.

Mi Quang Hai Phong-Style — 30,000–40,000 VND

Not the canonical Central Vietnam version, but Hai Phong has absorbed "mi quang (미꽝 / 广南面 / ミークアン)" and made it its own — wider noodles, a pork-and-shrimp broth that's slightly oilier, topped with roasted peanuts and rice crackers. It's filling and costs around 35,000 VND at the stalls on Le Loi Street. Worth trying if you want something that isn't soup.

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Dinner — Evening Street Food Circuits

Hai Phong evenings are made for eating outside. The heat drops, the plastic stools come out, and the grilling starts around 5pm.

Bun Rieu — 30,000–40,000 VND

"Bun rieu (분지에우 / 蟹肉米粉汤 / ブンリュウ)" (crab and tomato noodle soup) is a dinner staple here. The evening spots on Bach Dang riverfront set up from around 5:30pm and offer large bowls packed with tomato, crab paste, fried tofu, and a handful of fresh herbs. For 35,000–40,000 VND you get a full bowl and a small plate of crunchy shrimp crackers on the side. The riverfront setting costs nothing extra.

Cha Muc — 40,000–50,000 VND per portion

This is Hai Phong's signature dish that visitors almost always skip: "cha muc", or squid cake. Fresh squid is pounded and fried into dense, chewy patties with a slightly smoky exterior. It's eaten as a snack or alongside rice. The area around Dinh Hang Street near the night market has vendors selling it by weight — 40,000 VND buys a generous plate. Dip in tamarind sauce, eat with cold "bia hoi (비아호이 / 鲜啤 / ビアホイ)" from the corner joint next door (7,000–10,000 VND per glass), and you have a very good evening for almost nothing.

Banh Da Cua — 35,000–45,000 VND

Another Hai Phong original: "banh da cua" is a red-brown rice noodle soup built on crab broth, topped with crab meat, pork ribs, water spinach, and crispy shallots. The red noodles come from red rice — they're chewier and slightly nuttier than white vermicelli. Evening stalls on Lach Tray Street serve it from around 4pm until they run out, usually by 8pm. Forty-five thousand VND gets you a full bowl.

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Practical Notes

Most of these spots are cash only — bring small bills (5,000 and 10,000 VND notes are genuinely useful). Hai Phong's central food streets are compact and walkable; a slow circuit from Cho Sat to Bach Dang riverfront covers most of what's listed here in under two kilometers. Street kitchens tend to open early and close the moment food is gone, so arrive on the earlier side of the windows given above.