Stirling’s first Vietnamese restaurant has opened in the city centre.
Hoi An Quan is serving up authentic dishes, from pho to Vietnamese coffee, at 34 Murray Place.
Sushi, smoothies, fresh spring rolls, noodles and more are also on the menu.
Dinh Chien Nguyen decided to open the restaurant after friends and family who loved his cooking encouraged him to start his own business.
Opened on March 17, the family-run eatery was reportedly “jam-packed” during its first week.
Muhammad Hamza Yusuf, who is helping the owners launch the business, said: “The response had been amazing. People are loving the food.
“Dinh is making the food himself – he’s the main chef.
“He loves to cook and serve customers.”
A focus on authentic Vietnamese food
Hoi An Quan is striving to be as authentic as possible, while also serving some Japanese cuisine.
Its pho, a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup, takes around 12 hours to prepare.
Dinh and his wife are also serving their country’s coffee, which comes with condensed milk.
Chicken or beef brisket pho, gyoza, fresh spring rolls, maki sushi, and ramen are the “hot-selling items” so far, according to Yusuf.
Stirling is a ‘great’ location
Dinh moved to Scotland from Vietnam around five years ago.
The 41-year-old ran a nail bar in Glasgow with his wife before looking to open a restaurant.
For the couple, Stirling provided the perfect opportunity to run a “unique” eatery.
Yusuf added: “They were trying to get something nice in Stirling.
“We don’t have anything about Vietnam here.
“When friends and family liked the cooking, Dimh decided to make it into a business model.”
And Hoi An Quan, which seats 75 people, has already proven to be a hit with locals.
Yusuf said: “Last week, our first week, we were jam-packed.
“This weekend was a lot busier. It’s been very busy.
“Stirling has welcomed us. It’s brilliant.”
The restaurant takes the place of burger and chicken restaurant Smokeys, which went up for sale in August 2024.
It then took six months to convert the premises into the Asian eatery.
Hoi An Quan is open from 11.30am to 10pm, seven days a week.
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