Microorganism strains as the starter culture for the manufacture of fermented rice noodles were selected. A total of 41 yeasts and 60 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from the traditional fermentation of rice noodles, and the enzymatic activities (catalase, β-glucosidase, lipase, α-amylase, proteolytic enzyme), growth under varied pH and temperatures, and acidification capability were characterized. Principal component analysis indicated that 11 isolates of yeast, and 19 isolates of LAB exhibited potential technological traits. After identification using internal transcribed spacer sequence for yeasts and 16S rRNA gene for LAB, the isolates were grouped into three yeast isolates and four LAB isolates by their genotypes and phylogenetic trees. Noodles fermented by a LAB isolate from the Lactobacillus plantarum group (CSL 23) led to higher tensile strength, hardness, cohesiveness and cooked weight, and lower adhesiveness and cooking loss, than that by the other LAB isolates. Noodles fermented by a yeast isolate from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae group (CSY 13) were of better qualities than that by the other yeast isolates. Thus, these two isolates were the potential starter cultures for preparing rice noodles. The results would provide a guidance for maintaining consistent quality during large-scale production of fermented rice noodles.