Is it safe to join a Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour? Traveling to a new city is always interesting, experiencing being like locals by trolling in food areas, reach hidden food stalls, enjoying amazing local dishes is the best way to see and learn the city at its best. Ho Chi Minh City is known as the kingdom of street foods and local dishes in Vietnam. So it will be a big miss if you only enjoy your meals at touristy restaurants in the city center. There are many opinions about Saigon food tours, many tourists wonder if food tour in Ho Chi Minh City is safe.
Table of Contents
Is it safe to join a Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour?
Food safety and hygiene
The Vietnam Food Administration is responsible for managing food safety, hygiene, and quality. Establishment in 1999, this organization has made significant progression. Thanks to the increasing food imports and the growth of export markets, food safety is put on a high priority in Vietnam, the Food Administration of the country aims to reduce the threats of foodborne disease. With the help of World Health Organization, the Food Administration has demonstrated commitment to the food safety challenges, and has embarked on an innovative capacity building activity.
In 2019, Vietnam was ranked 54th in the world and 4th in Southeast Asia on the Economist Intelligence Unit food security index. Vietnam ranked 46th in the Global Food Security Index 2022 which showed a deterioration in the global food environment for the third year, threatening food security.
Certainly, the food in Vietnam is not as safe as in developing countries such as Japan, the U.S., France, Swiss, England,… However, it is safe enough for travelers to eat in Ho Chi Minh – one of the biggest cities in Vietnam. To protect yourself from food poisoning and other health issues on your trip to Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City, you should not go to local places to eat local dishes on your own. It is recommended to book a Ho Chi Minh City food tour with a reliable and experienced tour operator.
Read more about Food safety and hygiene on Saigon food tour
Is it safe to join a Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour?
Travelers with weak stomach
Many healthy travelers feel great and are safe on Ho Chi Minh City food tours. Traveling with a sensitive stomach is not easy and happy. However, you should have some knowledge about food, ingredients, and ways of eating in Vietnam. I would like to provide need-to-know information about Vietnamese cuisine and Saigon foods so you can protect yourself from being sick.
Many local dishes such as noodle soups, wrapped dishes, savory cakes are served with fresh leaf vegetables, bean sprouts, herbs,… Raw vegetables may harbor a variety of bacterial pathogens, enteric viruses, and parasites. So you should tell them to scalding the vegetables in boiling water before serving you or do not serve you the vegetables. Certainly, blanched vegetables or removing vegetables reduce the deliciousness of the local dishes.
It is normal to eat Pho beef/chicken noodle soup, Hue beef noodle soup, Soup cake, Crab noodle soup, Clear rice noodle soup (Hu tieu) without vegetables and aromatic herbs. In Southern Vietnam, they prefer eating Pho with herbs and beansprouts. In Northern Vietnam, they do not eat Pho with any vegetable. Without herbs, lettuces and some leaf vegetables, oily and greasy dishes such as Banh xeo (Vienamese pancake), Banh khot (Mini pancake), Fried roll, and Banh cuon (Stuffed rice roll), Noodle salad with grilled pork,…
Hot pots, noodle soup dishes are safer foods because they consist of boiling broth and well-done toppings. Stuffed rice roll, Broken rice with grilled pork, Vietnamese pancake, Mini pancake, Fried roll are safe to eat because they are cooked until well-done. Pho with rare medium beef is popular and a favorite choice, dinners with weak stomach should order well-done beef.
Sweet and savory steamed sticky rice dishes, sweet soups, flan cake are delicious and safe for foreigners.
You should tell them to grill meat and seafood until well done when ordering seafood and grilled dishes to make sure you do not have any stomach problem after eating. Snail dishes are must-try foods in Ho Chi Minh City, but you should be careful, consider before sampling, and do not eat too much.
Cold dishes such as Noodle salad with grilled pork or fried roll, salad with banana flower/young coconut core, Noodles and fried tofu with fermented shrimp paste are not very safe.
Food restrictions and allergies
Lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance or sensitivity, vegetarianism, veganism, kosher, keto, diabetes, dairy-free, low carb, food allergies (wheat, nut, fish, shellfish, egg, soy), renal diet, cholesterol-restricted diet, raw food, paleo diet, low-sodium diet, Halal,… are common food restrictions and allergies. You do not need to worry about that because Ho Chi Minh City has diverse foods for a large number of local people and foreigner people. There are many pagodas, temples, mosques in the city. Sizable Muslim communities and Buddhist communities living around mosques and pagodas. There are any restaurants and food stalls serving Halal foods, vegetarian foods. In addition, you should choose a professional food tour company that is experienced on taking care of guests with food restrictions and allergies so they can plan your trip perfectly as well as arrange appropriate foods and menu for you.
Is it safe to join a Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour?
Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour by car, jeep, motorbike, walking – Which is the best choice and the safest?
Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour by motorbike is perhaps the most popular thanks to the effectiveness of the means of transportation, local experience, adventurous feelings, ability to reach hidden corners and great places in small alleys. In some foreigners’ opinion, it is more dangerous to sit on a motorbike than on a car or a jeep. However, it is rather safe to weave Saigon streets and back alleys by motorbike. Because of the large number of vehicles, drivers can not drive fast in Ho Chi Minh City. Moreover, experienced and well-trained drivers on food motorbike tours often drive slowly and carefully. On many tours, drivers are also English-speaking tour guides so passengers can let them know if they feel uncomfortable.
If you are really confused and decide to join a car tour, it is fine. You will sit in a car and enjoy the air conditioning on the way. It is recommended to open the windows to see the real local life and many interesting things outside. For example, motorbike drivers will drive through alleys lined with flower shops and eateries at local markets and flower market, guests on car food tours usually hop off the cars and walk around to discover these local places. They also walk to hidden food stalls or restaurants in narrow alleys. In the rush hours, cars are slower than motorbikes. You can find the Walking Ho Chi Minh food tour option with taxi transfer between stops and 2-3 km walking distance.
On open-air jeep tours, you can see many amazing things such as shops, food stalls, vehicles, vendors, parks, markets,… The minuses of this choice are being easily get stuck in traffic jams and the high price because of the high cost of jeep transfer.
Is snatch theft and pickpocket popular in Ho Chi Minh City?
It can’t be said that there is no crime, snatch theft and pickpocket in Ho Chi Minh City – one of the most crowded and busiest cities in the country. However, it is safe if we known how to protect ourselves against crime. You should use anti-theft bag, cross-body bag, anti-theft travel accessories, anti-theft cellphone tether/trap/case. We do not recommend you to wear too many pieces of jewelries, take photos and videos without using anti-theft traps when sitting on the motorbike, in local markets, at eateries.
Is morning, afternoon, or night food tour the safest?
Night food tour is the most popular choice in the non-sleeping and sunny Ho Chi Minh City. It is great to explore the city when it is cool and lit by colorful lights. Many tourists and businessmen have plans during the day and are free at night. Most of the street food stalls are open after 4:00 PM. So Ho Chi Minh City night food tour is a perfect choice. Some people choose morning and afternoon tours to meet their expectations. Tour guides and drivers know how to protect their guests from crime and weather on food tour whether it is at night, in the morning or afternoon. Tour companies design tours so tourists can visit hidden and safe places in the city.
The sun is strong from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM in Ho Chi Minh City. Moring Saigon food tour usually starts at 8:00 AM and ends at 12:00 AM. Afternoon Saigon food tour usually starts at 1:00 PM and ends at 5:00 PM. Evening (night after dark) usually starts at 5:00 – 6:00 PM and ends at 9:00 – 10:00 PM. Some tour companies offer flexible start time and you can choose to start at any time you want.
Is it safe to join a Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour?
Being sick from strong sun
For travelers who join Ho Chi Minh City during the day, I would like to recommend to drink more than 500ml of water, wear sunglasses, hat/cap, anti-UV coat or sleeves, long trousers, apply sunscreen. Local dishes consisting fresh vegetables and broths, refreshing drinks are great choices. Roofed food markets and indoor restaurants are great places to enjoy Saigon foods. Outdoor dining places are suitable for eating in the evening.
Should I join a Saigon food tour in the rainy season?
In many travel guides, they recommend readers not to visit Vietnam in the wet season. If you must visit the country, especially in Ho Chi Minh, you can book and join a Ho Chi Minh City food tour safely. It does not rain all the day, the rain starts and stops repeatedly. Rain also moves around the city. Sometimes, it rains heavily for from a few minutes to 30 minutes, then stop suddenly. So it is okay to join a Saigon food tour in the rainy season. Certainly, you should watch weather forecast before booking any tour in the wet season in Vietnam.
What to carry on Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour to be safe?
- Allergy medications should be easily accessible on your trip in Ho Chi Minh City. You should carry them in your bag on your Ho Chi Minh City food tour.
- Digestive medicines.
- Sun protection accessories: coat, headwear, sunglasses, sunscreen/sunblock.
- Raincoat and rain footwear (in the rainy season).
- Anti-theft accessories and anti-theft bag.
- Hand sanitizer to sterilize your hands before and after eating or touching something dirty.
Read more about What to carry on Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour? and Tips on booking Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour
Is it safe to join a Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour?
There is nothing truthly safe 100%. Although I have provided so many pieces of information about the safety on Ho Chi Minh City food tour and you have had some knowledge about this excursion, you should choose an experienced and professional tour company to book and be safe on your trip in Saigon. They know how to protect their guests from any danger and ensure you enjoy the tour to its fullest.
Which Ho Chi Minh City food tour for your choice?
- 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
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.
