There is awesome Vietnamese food in southern California. However, we aren't in California anymore, and North Carolina isn't exactly known for its Vietnamese cuisine. Lang Van, however, is easily on par with the best Vietnamese food I've had anywhere.
This place seems unassuming and maybe a little run down on the outside. There's a big parking lot in the back, which isn't immediately obvious. Inside, though, it's nicely maintained.
We had the temple rolls (fried tofu spring rolls) which came with a savory peanut sauce. I've had many peanut sauces that were sweet and peanuttier, but this one had more soy sauce in it, and maybe some wine. We ate every drop of it. The rolls themselves were also excellent. The tofu was perfect, and they were also filled with vermicelli, bean sprouts, and mint.
I had the fresh rice noodles (#72, I think). This reminded me somewhat of Thai drunken noodles: wide, flat noodles, stir-fried with veggies and fried tofu in garlic sauce. Mine came with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, snow peas, bean sprouts, and onions. My husband had the special fried rice, and it was no problem for him to get it without shrimp. While we both loved our meals, the menu is so big that I'll be tempted to try something else next time.
Instead of the usual fortune cookie, here you get what I like to think of as a mini dessert buffet: peanut cookies, fortune cookies, little tamarind candies. Prices are a little high, but worth it for the quality of the food and service. If it weren't for the fact that we live over two hours away, we'd probably have already gone back here.