Ho Chi Minh City Foods

Ho Chi Minh City Foods: Saigon is a vibrant and bustling city in Vietnam known for its exotic street food and vibrant culinary scene. Tasting Saigon specialty dishes is a must on your trip to the interesting Ho Chi Minh City. Let’s discover the wonder of Saigon foods with Tracy Do who has spent lots of time to write hundreds of blog about this topic.

Would you like to be advised of Saigon Food Tour and other tours in Ho Chi Minh City, do not hesitate to contact us via email support@scootersaigontour.com or  WhatsApp/WeChat +84 938 3143 86 for the best price and suitable program.

How to enjoy Ho Chi Minh City Foods?

  • Search for good and restaurants eateries on the internet, visit eateries by taxi/motorbike/cyclo/private car and order the foods at your wish. Some restaurants have English menus but most of the food stalls do not support foreigners.
  • Join tours and your meals will be arranged by tour operators. They usually serve you popular dishes for tourists at restaurants for foreigners.
  • Book a Saigon street food tour by motorbike or a Walking Ho Chi Minh food tour in order to learn more about the local life in far districts and enjoy exotic foods at local eateries for Saigonese.
  • Enjoy Dinner on Cruise while seeing the beautiful sights on the banks of Saigon River.
  • Participate in a Saigon Cooking Class in the center of the city or at a farm in Cu Chi District/Mekong Delta.

Recommended foods to taste in Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnamese pancake

A classic Vietnamese crepe known as Bánh Xèo is made from rice flour, water, and turmeric powder and is usually stuffed with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, and herbs. Regular accompaniments include lettuce leaves, herbs, and dipping sauce.

Broken rice

Broken rice, also known as Cơm Tấm, is a popular dish in Vietnamese cuisine made from rice grains that are too small or broken. It is typically served with grilled pork, fried egg, shredded pig skin and topped with pickled carrot and daikon radish, cucumber, tomato and served with fish sauce.

Vietnamese pizza

Bánh Tráng Nướng is often referred to as “Vietnamese pizza”. It is not made from wheat flour dough but a thin rice paper crepe. It can be topped with many ingredients such as ground pork, shrimp, chicken egg, quail egg, cheese, green onions, mayonaise, then grilled over charcoal until crispy and sweet smelling. It is typically served with fresh herbs, cucumber, lettuce leaves, and a sweet chili dipping sauce.

Grilled banana in sticky rice

Chuối Nướng is a sweet Vietnamese dessert made from ripe bananas wrapped in sticky rice and grilled over charcoal. The sticky rice is typically mixed with coconut milk, sugar and salt to create a sweet and fragrant wrap. The whole banana in sticky rice is wrapped in banana leaves before being grilled. The smelling Chuối Nướng is often topped with sesame seeds and served with a sweet, condensed coconut milk sauce.

Khot cake

Banh Khot is a popular Vietnamese street food dish which has small size and yellow color. The crispy cake is pan-fried and filled with shrimp, ground pork and mung bean paste. It is often served with lettuce leaves, fresh herbs, and a sweet and savory dipping sauce.

Stuffed rice pancake

Bánh Cuốn is made from a thin, steamed rice flour batter. It is filled with a mixture of ground pork, mushrooms, shallot, green onion, and sometimes shrimp. It is often served with fresh herbs, lettuce leaves, cucumber, Vietnamese pork roll, and a sweet fish sauce dipping sauce. A special cookware set of pot, cloth, lid and stick is used to make Stuffed rice pancake.

Crab soup cake

Bánh Canh Cua is a Vietnamese noodle soup including thick noodles made from a rice flour, broth, crab meat, crab roll, pork leg, blood pudding, shrimp, scallop,… It is a hearty, savory dish that is often garnished with herbs such as cilantro, green onions. Lime wedges and chilli are available on tables so that dinners can make the broth sour and spicy at their wishes.

Top markets to eat street foods in Ho Chi Minh City

  • Ben Thanh Market (in District 1)
  • Tan Dinh Market (in District 1)
  • Binh Tay Market (in District 6)
  • Cambodian Market (in District 10)
  • Co Giang Street (in District 1)
  • Vinh Khanh Street (in District 4)
  • Nguyen Tri Phuong Street (in District 10)
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