There is no doubt that Ben Thanh Market is a must-visit sightseeing landmark in Ho Chi Minh City thanks to its great ancient architecture and long time existence. Coming to this famous market, visitors buy clothes and accessories, souvenirs, learn about the real local life in the area selling fresh foods including live animals, vegetables. The spacious food area in the market consists of many food stalls selling hundreds of great dishes, most of which are Vietnamese traditional. In addition, there are many restaurants and food stalls around the market, many of them are as long standing as the market. Bloating fern-shape cake, fried scrambled egg rice cake, crab noodle soup and sweet soup are delicious foods that shouldn’t be missed at Ben Thanh market. Let’s learn more about these Top 5 Dishes at Ben Thanh Market, choose your favorite foods and enjoy the best trip at the iconic market.
Table of Contents
1. Mixed Hue Cakes (Banh Hue)
There is a long standing stall that has been open for 40 years serves Hue cakes inside Ben Thanh Market, next to Gate 7. The stall opens from 8:00 to 14:30 daily. The signature of this stall is a mix of traditional Hue cakes including Bloating-fern-shaped cakes (Banh beo), Tapioca shrimp dumplings (Banh bot loc), Mung bean shrimp and pork rice dumplings (Banh it tran), topped with crispy bread cubes, green onion oil, pork roll, Fermented pork roll (optional), and poured over with fish sauce dip.
A plate of traditional Hue cakes, served with toppings and sweet and sour dipping fish sauce
The round Bloating-fern-shaped cakes made from rice flour and topped with ground roasted shrimps and mung beans; Tapioca shrimp dumplings filled with shrimps; Mung bean shrimp and pork rice dumplings filled with minced shrimps; pork and mung bean paste; Vietnamese pork roll
The small stall has an old female owner who made the foods and usually sits behind the glass food container and some waiters. Customers sit on plastic high stools. Besides Hue cakes, they also sell Fermented pork rolls and Honeycomb cake with pandan leaf (Banh bo)
2. Crab Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu)
The smelling and flavorful crab noodle soup’s broth is cooked from ground crab from rice fields and lakes. Although the broth is the soul of this food, toppings (tomato, morning glory, pork pie, deep-fried tofu…) and vegetables make Bun rieu a perfect dish ever. The 40-year-old Bun Rieu Ganh Restaurant which is in the opposite of East Gate of Ben Thanh market serves you one of the best Bun rieu in the city. The restaurant is located at 4 Phan Boi Chau Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It opens from 9:30 to 19:00 daily, prices are from VND 50,000.
Bun Rieu Ganh literally means shoulder pole of Crab noodle soup. In front of the restaurant are placed a stove and a big pot containing broth and toppings , decorated with a hanger making it look like a street food shoulder pole
Would you like to try such a healthy and tasty bowl of Crab noodle soup consists of rice noodles, broth, fried tofu, blood pudding, tomatoes, crab cake, Vietnamese beef roll? It must be listed as one of Top 5 dishes at Ben Thanh Market
Bun Rieu Ganh serves Crab noodle soup with shredded morning glory and banana blossoms, Vietnamese beef roll wrapped in banana leaf, dip made from fermented shrimp paste, tamarind sauce, minced chili. The restaurant is not too spacious but not too small. Diners sit on low plastic stools and stainless steel tables
Menu: Crab noodle soup: VND 50,000/bowl, Beef roll: VND 10,000/roll. Customers can choose any combination of toppings
3. Vietnamese Sweet Soup
There is a 40-year-old sweet soup stall named Be Che next to the Gate 7 of Ben Thanh market which serves many kinds of Vietnamese Sweet Soup in South Vietnam’s style. Colorful and tasty banana, corn, various beans, taro, jelly at the stall definitely satisfy sweet lovers. Sweet soups can be served hot or cold. There is no better choice than eating these amazing desserts after the main dishes at the market. The stall opens from 7:30 to 16:30 daily.
Mixed sweet soup (Che thap cam) – the signature of Be Che Sweet Soup Stall consists of cendols, red beans, mock pomegranate, coconut milk sauce and shave ice
Menu: Fermente glutinous rice balls: VND 50,000; Glutinous rice wine: VND 50,000; Jelly: VND 20,000; Flan cake: VND 20,000; Coconut: VND 25,000; Yougurt: VND 20,000; Sparkling: VND 25,000; Grass jelly: VND 25,000; Basil seed drink: VND 25,000; Lotus seeds and sugar: VND 35,000; Chinese tonic sweet: VND 25,000; Ginkgo: VND 35,000; Cendols with mung bean: VND 25,000; Mock pomegranate with water chestnut: VND 50,000; Jelly, mock pomegranate and mung bean: VND 50,000; Mixed sweet soup: VND 25,000
Mixed sweet soup with red beans, mock pomegranate, longan, jackfruit; Sparkling; Red bean, ginkgo, lotus seeds; Sterculia foetida gum
Ingredient for Chinese tonic sweet: Lotus roots, water chestnuts, seaweeds, Job’s tears
Coconut candies or Sugar preserved coconut meat; Steamed banana cake; Black-eyed bean sweet soup, Glutinous rice dumplings with syrup, Lablab purpureus sweet soup; Pig’s ear cakes
4. Fried Scramble Egg Rice Cake (Bot Chien)
Located at a corner in the opposite of East gate of Ben Thanh Market, the fried scramble egg rice cake stall is always crowded with a line of people waiting for their favorite food. To make fried scramble egg rice cake, the cook fry steamed rice cube on a pan until it’s crispy and put egg at last. This food is served with soybean sauce dip, chili paste, chopped green onion and oil and pickled papaya.
5. Rice Noodle Soup with Macerated Fish and Shrimp (Bun Mam)
The 40-year-old restaurant serving bun mam in the opposite of East Gate is one of the best places to eat rice noodle soup with macerated fish and shrimp in Saigon. The restaurant is located at 22 Phan Boi Chau Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It opens from 8:00 to 19:00 daily. A bowl of Rice Noodle Soup with Macerated Fish and Shrimp costs VND 78,000.
Both crab noodle soup and rice noodle soup with macerated fish and shrimp have origin in Mekong Delta. Rice noodle soup with macerated fish and shrimp’s broth is cooked from macerated fish and shrimp so that it has a special, strange and unique flavor. Rice noodle and broth are served with fresh toppings such as snakefish, shrimp, roasted pork, fish pie. A plate of vegetables (knotgrass, yellow velvetleaf, salad…) and Tamarind Dipping Sauce aren’t be missed. It’s worth every bite.
Rice Noodle Soup With Fermented Fish Paste Or Bun Mam consists of healthy ingredients. Although the broth is cooked from Fermented fishes, it is rich, flavorful and deliclious.
Summary of Top 5 Dishes at Ben Thanh Market
If you have a chance to be in Saigon, you should enjoy these Top Dishes at Ben Thanh Market on your first day in this city. It’s a good start in the multicultural Ho Chi Minh city with lots of cultural parts and foods to learn and a wide range of activities to do.
Eating Saigon is a great thing to do on your trip. How to eat the city to its fullest? It is easy to eat at fine dining restaurants which are for rich people or tourists. However, the real Saigon is at local restaurants which are favorite places of many Saigon people. Finding and reaching good local restaurants outside of District 1 sometimes is difficult for foreigners. A Saigon Food Tour is a great choice to immerse into the city life, enjoy all the exotic foods with your tour guides as friends.
Warmest Greetings To All from Tracy Do! If you have any questions about Vietnam including Vietnam tours, do not hesitate to contact me.
- Tel (Call/SMS/Whatsapp): 090 919 0247
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Tracy’s team is proud to provide excellent Ho Chi Minh City Day Trips including Ho Chi Minh Motorbike Tour, Ho Chi Minh Food Tour, Mekong Delta Tour, Cu Chi Tunnel Tour, Ho Chi Minh Transfer Service and Shore Excursion to thousands of guests for 10 years. Let us have a chance to show you South Vietnam to the fullest.
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