Food safety and hygiene on Saigon food tour: Ho Chi Minh food tour is one of the best choices to explore the lifestyle of local people and discover the authentic Vietnamese cuisine and its features including Saigon street food. Food safety and hygiene are among the top concerns of travelers to Vietnam. Diarrhea and other food-related illnesses can destroy your trip and cause long-term health consequences. Here are some useful need-to-know and less-known information about eating and drinking safe, and some helpful advice on Food safety and hygiene on food tour in Ho Chi Minh.
Table of Contents
Food safety and hygiene on Saigon food tour
List of the most popular local dishes served on Saigon food tours
- Banh mi – Vietnamese sandwich
- Rice noodle soups: Pho beef noodle soup, Clear rice noodle soup with seafood/chicken/pork, Crab soup/pork leg cake soup, Vermicelli soup with chicken/duck,…
- Savory cakes: Vietnamese pancake (Banh xeo) and Mini pancake (Banh khot), Stuffed rice roll with pork and wood ear
- Vietnamese pizza (Grilled girdle cake with meat, dried food, herb toppings)
- Seafood dishes: Steamed/grilled/stir-fried fish/crab/shrimp/ocean crab/oyster/clam
- Broken rice with grilled pork, steamed pork and egg meatloaf, shredded pork skin, pickle, cucumber, tomato
- Salad with noodles, grilled pork, fried roll, vegetables
- Stewed beef in Vietnamese style
- Flan cake, ice cream with avocado, coconut, longan,…
- Sweet soups
- Sugar cane juice, iced tea, lemon tea, Vietnamese coffee.
Raw foods such as raw vegetables
Raw fresh vegetables are a major part in Vietnamese cuisine. They use uncooked vegetables to make dozens of delicious and refreshing salads. In addition, vegetables are served raw with a wide range of Vietnamese dishes:
- Rice noodle soups: Bean sprouts and herbs are usually served with hot rice noodle soups to balance the warm, soothing, rich broth and boost the aroma of the dishes.
- Uncooked vegetables such as lettuce, bean sprouts, aromatic herbs are must ingredients for famous Vietnamese dishes such as Rice noodle and grilled pork salad (Bun thit nuong), wraps including Spring roll (Goi cuon), Pho roll (Pho cuon),…
- Stuffed rice roll, Vietnamese pancake, Mini pancake, Hue mixed cakes, and other Vietnamese savory cakes are served with shredded cucumber and assorted herbs.
- Broken rice is served with cucumber, tomato, and pickles.
- Grilled dishes and seafood dishes are usually served with fresh vegetables and herbs.
- Banh mi consists of cold cuts, other cooked meat, cucumber, picked carrot and daikon, coriander,…
Sometimes, raw vegetables contain harmful germs such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria that can make you sick. However, without raw vegetables, an American hamburger can not be the most delicious, a Vietnamese sandwich can not be the most tasty. So travelers on Saigon food tours should believe in the food quality. You should not eat spoiled, soggy, wilted vegetables served to you at the restaurants or street food stalls, and let your tour guide know about that. If it is possible, you can tell them to blanch beansprouts, lettuce, other vegetables including herbs before eating to make sure that you eat safe.
Food safety and hygiene on Saigon food tour
Cold foods vs. hot foods
Certainly, hot foods are always safer than cold foods. A hot bowl of rice noodle soups and warm steamed dishes are great choices for travelers with sensitive stomachs. Cold foods are amazing choices to beat the heat in Saigon. So you can eat them if you have a normal stomach.
Food safety and hygiene on Saigon food tour
Making sure that your foods are well-done
Raw or undercooked meat, seafood, and snails may contain harmful viruses, bacteria, or parasites, such as Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, or Trichinella. So you should not continue eating if you recognize your foods are undercooked, some parts of seafood or snail meat are still cold, cooked meat is red inside. If they ask you to choose rare, medium, or well-done beef for your Pho bowl, your safest choice is well-done beef. Undercooked snails are a little viscous and smell rotten, uncooked fishes are red inside and smell fishy.
Cleaning your hands
You should wash your hands before and after eating. Where to wash your hands if the toilet is not too clean or there is no toilet at an eating place? It is recommended to bring a mini hand sanitizer in your bag. It is helpful to sterilize your hands and protect you from various harmful bacteria and viruses.
Foods that are difficult to digest
Seafood dishes and snail dishes, deep-fried dishes, dishes with uncooked ingredients are considered difficult to digest. Soft and well-cooked vegetables, tender rice noodles are great things to eat. Fermented shrimp and acetes pastes are ingredients for some Vietnamese dishes and used to make special sauces for specialty foods such as Bun dau mam tom (Rice noodles and fried tofu with shrimp paste), but they are not very good for your stomach and digestion.
Is Banh mi safe to eat?
Banh mi is one of the safest food in Ho Chi Minh City. When filling the food, they usually use gloves to make sure the bread and fillings are not infected. At some good Banh mi shop, they bake the bread again before selling or serving to make sure the crust is crispy and warm enough. Fillings are kept in glass food display cabinet and in refrigerator. Fresh vegetables such as cucumber, coriander, Vietnamese cold cuts, and pattee are notable ingredients. In Vietnam, they have said that Only eat when you believe. You should choose a trusted tour company to book the Saigon food tour and consider at the Banh mi shop.
How about grilled food?
Vietnamese grilled foods are amazing and you should not miss them on your trip to Ho Chi Minh City. Many tour companies serve amazing grilled dishes on Saigon food tours. As mentioned above, you should make sure your foods are well-done before eating.
Should you eat seafood and snail dishes?
Eating a lot of snails and seafoods such as shellfishes, clams, oysters, crabs, ocean crabs, shrimps, seawater fishes in one meal can cause indigestion and bloating. They are exotic specialty foods of Ho Chi Minh City so you should not deny them on your food tour. My recommendation is that you should not eat too much.
Food safety and hygiene on Saigon food tour
Is fish sauce dip safe?
Fish sauce is considered the soul of Vietnamese cuisine and the hidden secret to flavorful dishes. Foreigners find it difficult to recognize the absence of this ingredient when eating some Vietnamese dishes. They may know themselves or be introduced about fish sauce dip which is made by mixing fish sauce with garlic, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, chili,…
Fish sauce can be high in sodium and may contribute to health issues like high blood pressure, so you should not consume it in excess. In fact, they use water or coconut water to enough to dilute fish sauce and make it less salty. At most eating places in Vietnam, sweet and sour fish sauce dip is rather safe to eat because they have cooked the mix before serving. In case they serve you pure fish sauce as dip sauce, it is recommended to eat a little.
Choosing a trusted food tour company
Be careful on a Saigon food tour is not better than choosing a right food tour company. There are many advices on choosing the best tour agent when traveling around the world so I do not need to write so much about this topic. For food tour companies, you should read reviews about food safety and hygiene, satisfactions of customers, tastes of the foods. Google, TripAdvisor, and OTAs are great websites to research and learn more about food tours in Ho Chi Minh.
Scooter Saigon Tour is one of the oldest and best food tour company in Ho Chi Minh City. Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information about food tours in Ho Chi Minh City and best prices for your group.
Toilets at local restaurants and street food stalls
In Ho Chi Minh City, not all toilet rooms are clean and comfortable for travelers to empty the body of urine or solid waste and clean your face, hands, feet,… I must say that some toilets at street food stalls and casual restaurants does not meet standards. You should go to the toilet before joining the food tour and not drink too much water or beer on the tour.
Ice cubes and cold drinks in Ho Chi Minh City
Ice cubes are important to make delicious cold drinks in Saigon, but not all of them are safe to consume. Some drinking stalls serve dirty ice which can be toxic or transport bacteria and viruses. However, many restaurants, cafes and reliable eating places on the streets and in alleys serve good ice. Which are the must-try drinks in Ho Chi Minh City? Iced sugar cane juice, iced tea, iced coffee with/without condensed milk, cold local beer are delicious drinks in Saigon.
Is local beer safe?
It can be said that local beers including craft beers are safe. You can be serve one or a few cans or bottles of Saigon/Tiger beers on your Saigon food tour. On craft beer tours, you can be served various local craft beers and beer foods.
Food safety and hygiene on Saigon food tour
Conclusion and Which Ho Chi Minh City food tour for your choice?
There is no 100% reliable and safe excursion in the world. Eating and exploring Ho Chi Minh City is rather safe activities. It is a big miss if you do not try sampling some specialty foods in the paradise of street foods and Vietnamese dishes. Whether you choose a night or day food tour, a food tour or a mix of food and sights, a tour with local student, professional tour guide or female tour guide in Ao Dai traditional top and bottom of Vietnam, walking or motorbike food tour, you should choose one of the best travel agent providing food tour services.
- Saigon Night Food Tour: classic and popular choice, great street foods
- Saigon Sightseeing & Food Tour: a great mix of tourist attractions and street foods
- Saigon Unseen & Food Tour: a great mix of tourist attractions and street foods
- The AoDai Foodie: traveling with nice female riders in Ao Dai traditional dress
- Street Food Tour with local students: budget choice, going with talented local student, more simple but impressive menu
- Walking Ho Chi Minh City food tour: the most popular choice for travelers that wouldn’t like to sit on motorbikes
- Ho Chi Minh City food tour by vintage vespa: more expensive and unique experience
- Ho Chi Minh City food tour by jeep: more expensive and unique experience on open-air jeep
- Morning Saigon Street Food Tour: exploring the city and trying amazing foods that locals eat for breakfast and lunch
- Saigon Food Tour with Chef: going around and eating with a professional Vietnamese chef
Please contact Tracy Do & Bill Bui at +84938314386 (Whatsapp/iMessage/Viber/SMS) for detailed information about food tours in Ho Chi Minh City and best prices for your group.
