Top 5 Dishes in China Town Saigon

China Town (Cho Lon) – an area in District 5, 6, 10 and 11, Saigon is home to many Chinese people for many years. There you can see Chinese signs everywhere and people still talk Chinese together. China Town, Binh Tay market and Thien Hau temple are attractions in Saigon any tourist shouldn’t miss. Coming to China Town, learning more about Chinese life in South Vietnam, tourist will have a big chance to enjoy lots of Chinese dishes such as Dumplings, Pork Organ and Chinese Sweet Soup… Maybe you have tried many Chinese foods in China, Singapore, Hong Kong… and you think that there’s no reason to come here. But Chinese dishes in Saigon are different from other Chinese dishes because they have been changed to meet local taste over time. The following is a list of Top 5 Dishes in China Town Saigon.

1. Noodle Soup with Stewed Duck Leg (Mi Vit Tiem)

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The main ingredient of this food is big duck leg which is marinated with soybean sauce, black pepper, sugar, salt.. and fried until it turns brown-yellow. Wine is used to remove the duck meat smell. The broth is cooked from pork and many kinds of Chinese herbs so that it has dark-brown color. The broth must be clear, the yellow noodle must be chewy and tender. The food is a perfect mix of all ingredients and it’s worth a taste.

2. Stewed Pork Organ (Pha Lau)

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Pork organs (lung, stomach, gut), pork tongue and ear which are thrown in Western countries can be used to cook Pha Lau. It takes some hours to cook until these ingredients become tender. The broth is enough flavorful and smelling to make any foreigner love to eat if he doesn’t know it’s cooked from organs. Pha Lau is usually served with baguette or noodles and fresh vegetables. The dish is comfortable to eat, especially in the evening. Driving around China Town at night, you can see many people sit around Pha Lau stall on the streets or in alleyways, sip the broth and eat organs. That’s life in Cho Lon.

3. Ravioli Soup (Sui Cao)

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Ravioli soup is a Chinese traditional food which consists of ravioli, greens, and broth. In Cho Lon, they use many different ingredients such as squid, fish ball, pork skin, shrimp… The filling is usually made from shrimp and pork so that it isn’t greasy. The clear broth can win the heart of any foodie. There is a street named Ha Ton Quyen in China Town which is full of restaurants serving Ravioli Soup. Coming here, you can see hundreds of people are enjoying this tasty food. How about you? Would you like to eat some?

4. Ho Clear Rice Noodle Soup (Hu Tieu Ho)

There are many kinds of Clear Rice Noodles in Vietnam such as Hu Tieu My Tho, Hu Tieu Nam Vang… The highlight of Hu Tieu Ho is that the noodles are thin rice sheets. In addition, tapioca is put into the broth to make it a little glutinous. Ho Clear Rice Noodle Soup is topped with pickled greens, pork stomach, and tongue. There are only some long-standing restaurants which serve this food in Saigon.

5. Chinese Sweet Soup (Che)

Photo by Scooter Saigon Tour

Photo by Scooter Saigon Tour

Most of Sweet Soups in China Town is cooked from rock sugar. There are various strange kinds of Sweet Soups such as Sweet Soup with Egg and Tea, Sweet Soup with Tofu and Almond, Sweet Soup with Coix Seeds and Quail Egg… There are some long-standing Sweet Soup stalls in Cho Lon you should know such as Hà Ký, Thanh Tâm, Nhà Đèn.

Are you exciting about eating Top 5 Dishes in China Town Saigon? 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 and tourists. However, the real Saigon is at local restaurants which are the favorite places of many Saigon people. Reaching the local restaurants outside of District 1 sometimes is difficult for foreigners. A Saigon Food Tour is a great choice to immerse yourself into the city life, enjoy all the exotic foods with your tour guides as friends.