The special Saigon hidden gems food tour led by our 100% Female Riders in the elegant traditional dress—the Ao Dai—is a perfect mix of the rich culture and cuisine of Saigon. An Ao Dai female rider gracefully navigating a scooter is one of the most beautiful and unique images in Ho Chi Minh City. What is better than sitting safely on the back of a scooter, zipping through far districts, and exploring new things entirely different from the tourist traps in the city center? The biggest part of this tour is “ĂN” – EATING. Our charming female guides will serve you 15 amazing dishes, delivering a truly authentic Vietnamese street food scooter experience.
Highlights of the Ao Dai Female Rider Tour
On this special Saigon hidden gems food tour with local female riders, we will visit multiple districts, bustling local markets, hidden food areas, and authentic local restaurants that you would never find on your own!
1st stop: Over 30-year-old Bot Chien restaurant
- Vietnamese Pancake & Khot Cake
2nd stop: Over 30-year-old Bo la lot restaurant
- Beef Stew with bread or Beef noodle soup or Crab noodle soup
3rd stop: Ho Thi Ky Flower Market & Cambodian Local Food Market
- Vietnamese pizza (Grilled rice paper with toppings)
- Lotus seed (seasonal)
- Sugarcane juice
4th stop: Ngo Gia Tu old apartment building & street food area & a dessert shop since 1975
- Coconut ice cream with coconut water or Vietnamese beef stew dish with bread
5th stop: Seafood
- Steamed clam with lemongrass
- Grilled scallop with green onion oil
- Roasted ca na snail with salt
- Fertilized duck egg if you dare enough
- Local beer
- Non-seafood dishes are available if you can’t eat seafood and snail
- Flan cake
6th stop: Bonus hidden places
This exclusive Ao Dai female rider tour will show you the Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment buildings (one of the oldest apartments in Saigon) and take you through lots of hidden alleys for incredible photo opportunities.
Text us via webchat or email vietnambookingtoursvn@gmail.com to book this unique adventure and get our quick response as well as confirmation if you get bored of filling the booking form and waiting for our response.
Information of the Saigon Hidden Gems Food Tour
Price $45 USD $56
- Child from 3 to 6 years: 50% off
- Child from 7 to 8 years: 30% off
- Free pick up & drop off in center of Saigon.
Payment method
- Pay in advance or at the end of the tour in USD or VND cash. We accept
- Free cancellation
Start time At your wish 6:00 PM recommended
Duration 4 hours
Inclusion
- Travel Insurance
- Free hotel pickup and drop off
- Bottle of mineral water
- English-speaking female rider wearing the traditional Ao Dai
- Scooter, fuel, high-quality helmet, rain poncho (if needed)
- All foods & drinks
- Pictures from this special authentic Vietnamese street food scooter tour
Don’t forget, this special Saigon hidden gems food tour includes all food and drinks, so make sure to come with an empty stomach & a hunger for adventure!
Safety is a priority for Scooter Saigon Tours, so all guests ride safely behind our experienced and licensed riders.
Book Now
Text us via webchat or email vietnambookingtoursvn@gmail.com to book the tour with an Ao Dai female rider and get our quick response as well as confirmation if you get bored of filling the booking form and waiting for our response.
Memories of Our Ao Dai Female Rider Tour
Itinerary of the Saigon Hidden Gems Food Tour
Our nice female rider in an elegant Ao Dai picks you up at your hotel (or any location requested by you). After a short riding instruction and program introduction of the Ao Dai female rider tour, we hop on. The guide makes sure you are comfortable and secure, then zips through Saigon’s huge main streets and narrow back alleys to explore the city and enjoy amazing local foods.
1st stop: Over 30-year-old Bot Chien restaurant
We stop at an over 30-year-old restaurant where we see how the skillful cook fries Pan-fried scrambled egg rice cake on a flat pan. Pieces of steamed rice are fried until crispy, eaten with shredded green papaya, and a dipping soy sauce. Tiny dumplings with a chewy and tender crust and delicious fillings, topped with Vietnamese mint and some special sauce will win your heart.
We also eat a roll called Bo pia which is less known than the famous Vietnamese spring roll but very tasty. These foods are Saigon’s specialty foods which perhaps could not be found in other regions.
2nd stop: Over 30-year-old Bo la lot restaurant
After that, we have a short walk on the pavement to reach an over 30-year-old restaurant to see how they grill beef wrapped in green wild betel leaf. Although there are hundreds of grilled beef recipes in the world, this unique recipe is worth trying. Wild betel leaf is the soul of this food; it adds a distinct smell and flavor to the beef roll.
To eat, you wrap grilled beef with rice noodles, lettuce, herbs, sliced green banana, pickles, and rice paper, then dip it in a special sauce made from fish, pineapple, and secret spices.
3rd stop: Ho Thi Ky flower market & Cambodian local food market
Passing through the Nguyen Thien Thuat buildings built in the 1960s, you learn more about real Saigon life. It is like being in the past because the buildings, restaurants, vendors, and the park have not been changed for over 50 years.
Then we stop at Ho Thi Ky flower market – the biggest flower market and known as the non-sleeping market. We walk through alleyways lined with flower shops holding thousands of colorful and sweet-smelling flowers including roses, lilies, lotus flowers, orchids, and other flowers. If you come in the season of lotus, we grab a lotus seed-pod, peel, and enjoy fresh lotus seeds.
There is a local market hidden in Ho Thi Ky, the Cambodian market is always crowded with vendors and foodies coming to eat their favorite foods every evening. We could not miss a big chance to eat at this food area. Stopping at a Banh trang nuong stall, you learn to grill a banana girdle cake, break it in a funny way, and enjoy the crispy and sweet-smelling cake. We buy a glass of iced sugarcane juice after seeing how to extract the juice from sugarcane.
4th & 5th stop: Ngo Gia Tu old appartment building & street food area & a dessert shop since 1975
After that, we head to one of the oldest apartment buildings – Ngo Gia Tu buildings on Su Van Hanh Street. This place is full of restaurants and food stalls. Certainly, we have something to eat here. We take you to a dessert shop established in 1975 to eat ice cream in half of a coconut, topped with colorful toppings, and drink fresh coconut water.
We continue this wonderful trip, stopping at a long-standing Broken rice restaurant. We buy a portion of Broken rice with grilled pork, Bi strips, pickles, cucumber, green onion oil, and fish sauce. Broken rice has won the heart of all ages in Saigon and other regions of the country. This food could not be missed in any list of Saigon specialty foods so that we will not miss it on this tour.
6th stop: Former mafia hotspot but a hustle street food area in the recent & Xom Chieu vibrant street food market & Vinh Khanh snail street
Next, we head to District 4 – a tiny humble island district separated from the city’s other parts by channels and rivers. District 4 was the mafia hotspot run by Nam Cam, a notorious crime boss. However, it is a paradise of foodies in recent years. A drive around Xom Chieu market – one of the top vibrant street food markets with countless stalls, foods, busy street vendors, and dinners in narrow back alleys shows you a Saigon in “Hẻm”. District 4 with its Vinh Khanh street is famous for tens of snail restaurants.
There we enjoy the most popular dishes such as Roasted ca na snail with salt, Steamed clam with lemongrass, and Grilled scallop with green onion oil. We tell you how to use bamboo sticks to eat snail meat, how to eat shellfishes with dipping fish sauce, drink local beers, and cheer “1,2,3 dzo” like locals. If you dare enough to try Fertilized duck egg, we are happy to help you crack the egg and eat it. If snails and shellfishes are not your things, we will order amazing meat dishes for you.
Delicious dishes at Vinh Khanh snail street with our Ao Dai female rider tour
Lastly, your lovely Ao Dai female rider safely returns you to your hotel. It is time to say goodbye; the ultimate authentic Vietnamese street food scooter adventure ends, but memories last forever.
You are welcomed to customize the tour program (INCLUDING TOUR ROUTE AND FOODS) at your wish because this is a private tour. We can accommodate all food allergies, dietary restrictions, and vegetarians. Let us know your idea when you book the tour or on the tour itself.
Our Ao Dai Female Rider Tour is the best way to get a Taste of Local Authentic Life in Ho Chi Minh!
Looking for a daytime adventure? We highly recommend our Private Cu Chi Tunnels Half Day tour or exploring the river life with our Mekong My Tho – Ben Tre Full Day trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why choose an Ao Dai female rider tour?
This signature tour offers an incredibly unique cultural experience. Our 100% female rider team, elegantly dressed in traditional Ao Dai, provides warm hospitality and expert local knowledge while safely navigating the city’s hidden culinary gems.
Is it safe to ride on the back of a scooter in Saigon?
Absolutely. Safety is our top priority. Our female riders are highly experienced, carefully trained, and fully licensed. We also provide high-quality helmets and drive at a safe, leisurely pace.
What happens if it rains during the food tour?
Tropical rain in Saigon is common but usually brief. We provide high-quality rain ponchos for all guests. The tour will continue safely, and eating hot street food under a canopy while it rains is actually a memorable, authentic experience!
Can the tour accommodate vegetarians or people with food allergies?
Yes. Because this is a private tour, we can easily customize the 15-dish tasting menu to accommodate vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free diets, and any specific food allergies. Just let us know in advance via vietnambookingtoursvn@gmail.com.
Do the female guides speak English?
Yes, all our female riders are fluent in English. They are eager to share stories about the food, the city’s history, and local culture, making it easy for you to communicate and fully enjoy the experience.