If Hanoi has pho for breakfast, Hue has bun bo, then Da Nang – Quang region has Mi Quang at noon. It's called noodles but is not submerged in broth, just enough to soak the golden rice noodles, each bowl is a colorful painting: yellow of turmeric, red of shrimp, dark brown of braised pork belly, deep green of fresh vegetables, and tiny white dots of crispy grilled sesame rice paper.

People in Da Nang often say, to know if a Mi Quang restaurant is good or not, look at the piece of sesame rice paper. The rice paper must be grilled over charcoal, thick enough so that when broken into the bowl, it absorbs the broth without becoming soggy. The noodles are freshly made, wide, with a natural turmeric color, not dyed. Fresh vegetables must include enough varieties: lettuce, bitter herbs, basil, mint, banana flower, bean sprouts, cilantro, water spinach, and shredded banana heart.

Da Nang has many places that have become landmarks in the culinary map like Mi Quang 1A Hai Phong Street, Mi Quang Ba Vi 155 Trưng Nữ Vương, Mi Quang Phu Chiêm Le Dinh Duong Street, or Mi Quang Ba Mua An Nhon area. Each place has its own style: some eat with shrimp and pork, some prefer wild snakehead fish, there are places that specifically make chicken noodles, and some sell vegetarian noodles for temple visitors. The price is only 25,000 – 50,000 VND per bowl but is as filling as a meal.

To eat Mi Quang properly, you must add spicy green chili, a bowl of Nam O fish sauce with garlic, and a hot cup of iced tea. People from Quang say, eating Mi Quang without hearing the crunch of the rice paper, without savoring the green chili is not considered finished. Try it once: a bowl of noodles, a noon in Da Nang, and you will surely understand why people from Quang carry this noodle recipe in their hearts wherever they go.

Content generated by AI. Image: Wikimedia Commons (free source). Reference information: Vietnamese Wikipedia, Da Nang tourism portal (danangfantasticity.com), and domestic travel newspapers.