Aunt Gia's Mixed Jackfruit — the 'addictive' street food snack that I love the most in Da Nang

If you ask me which street food snack is most 'truly Da Nang' in essence, I wouldn't hesitate to choose mixed jackfruit. Hearing the name seems simple, but biting into a piece makes you understand why the locals here are so crazy about it.

Boil young jackfruit, shred it, mix with shrimp and crispy pork skin, add roasted peanuts, fragrant fried shallots, a touch of sesame, Vietnamese cilantro, and fish sauce that's sour, sweet, and spicy. The best thing is not eating it with chopsticks — you break off a piece of crispy sesame cracker, scoop up some jackfruit on it, and bite down with a 'crunch.' You get the crispiness of the cracker, the chewiness and sweetness of the jackfruit, and the salty, spicy, rich flavor all at once… You can eat it forever and never get tired of it.

The most famous place is probably Bà Già's Mixed Jackfruit in a small alley on Lý Thái Tổ Street (Thanh Khê). The shop has been selling for over 30 years, doesn't have any fancy signs, but is packed every afternoon, and many days you have to squeeze in to find a seat. The student price is amazing — just around 15,000–20,000đ per portion.

What to call it / How to eat it:

- Order 1 portion jackfruit mixed with pork skin + add sesame rice paper (remember to order extra rice paper, there's never enough)

- Feel free to order an extra plate of bánh bột lọc to go with it

- Squeeze in a bit more lime, add chili if you can handle Central Vietnam-style spice

The restaurant opens in the afternoon (around 2 PM onwards), so it's best to visit in the late afternoon. Besides Bà Già, several restaurants like Bà Diệp (on Điện Biên Phủ) or Cô Lưu (on Trưng Nữ Vương) are also very much beloved by local people. If you come to Da Nang and haven't tried mixed mango pudding, then you're missing out on an essential part of the experience!