The ultimate guide to Ho Chi Minh City food tour: Vietnam was ranked 22nd on a list of the 100 best cuisines in the world compiled by international food magazine TasteAtlas in 2023. According to readers of Canadian magazine The Travel, Vietnam has been named among the top 10 countries in the world with the great food. Street food has a special place in cultures in our country and Ho Chi Minh City. It is an amazing window into learning the culture of Saigon (former name of Ho Chi Minh). You can only eat some Vietnamese dishes at touristy restaurants in the center of Ho Chi Minh City and on popular tours such as full day sightseeing tour, Mekong Delta Tour from Saigon,… The best way to dive in the world of specialty food in Saigon is a 3 – 5 hour Ho Chi Minh City food tour. Let me share with you all the things you need to know before booking any Ho Chi Minh City food tour.
Table of Contents
Some popular food tours in Saigon
It needs to know that there is a number of choices for travelers who would like to do a Ho Chi Minh City food tour. Morning, afternoon, and evening food tours are differences because some street food vendors serve breakfasts and only open in the morning, or serve dinner and supper after dark. There are some means of transportation: jeep, motorbike, Vespa, private car, taxi and walking. Some tour agents offer tours with both male and female tour guides or only female riders. Nice Ao Dai riders are favorite choices of many travelers. Some people prefer joining Saigon food tours with professional chefs. So there are different in price.
- Saigon Night Food Tour: classic and popular choice, great street food after dark
- Saigon Sightseeing & Food Tour: a great mix of tourist attractions and street food
- Saigon Unseen & Food Tour: a great mix of tourist attractions and street food
- 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 food that locals eat for breakfast and lunch
- Saigon Food Tour with Chef: going around and eating with a professional Vietnamese chef
The ultimate guide to Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Ao Dai food tour with nice girls
What to eat on Ho Chi Minh City food tour?
Ho Chi Minh City is full of street food vendors and local restaurants serving Vietnamese authentic dishes, Saigon specialty food, and street food. The most famous and must-try foods in the city are as follows:
Rice noodle soups: Pho beef rice noodle soup, Soup cake (Bánh canh), Hue beef noodle soup (Bún bò Huế), Clear rice noodle soup (Hủ tiếu), Fish noodle soup,…
Wraps and rolls: Spring roll (Gỏi cuốn), Vietnamese fried roll (Chả giò), Beef in wild betel (Bò lá lốt),…
Savory cakes: Vietnamese pancake (Bánh xèo), Vietnamese mini pancake (Bánh khọt), Wet cake (Bánh ướt), Stuffed rice roll (Bánh cuốn), Vietnamese sandwich, Hue mixed cakes, Vietnamese pizza, Rice paper salad,…
Seafood dishes and snail dishes: Grilled shrimp, Toasted ocean crab leg with tamarind sauce, Steamed clam with lemongrass, Grilled oyster with cheese or green onion oil, Grilled apple snail with green pepper, Stir-fried mud-creeper with coconut milk sauce, Grilled mussel sweet snail, Stir-fried finger snail with garlic, Grilled with green onion oil, topped with crushed peanuts
BBQ: Barbecued pork
Broken rice
Steamed sticky rice
Desserts: ice cream with different flavors including avocado, longan, ice cream and sticky rice in coconut cut, Flan cake, Tofu pudding, Vietnamese sweet soup,…
Read more about What to eat on Ho Chi Minh City food tour?
The ultimate guide to Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Clear rice noodle soup and Clear rice noodle salad
Which means of transportation?
Motorbike (or scooter): Motorbike is a two wheeled motorized vehicle and very popular in Vietnam. This means of transportation has become popular because the country has many tiny roads, alleys, and passageways that make it difficult for larger vehicles to drive through. A motor scooter is a two-wheeled vehicle with a step-through chassis and footrest platform. In Vietnam, some people like to ride scooters because of their elegant and fashionable designs. In Vietnam, you can choose to join Ho Chi Minh City food tour by motorbike or scooter which provides many benefits. Going around the city by motorbike, you and the rider can reach hidden places in small alleyways. You can stop at anywhere on the way to sightsee, take photos, record videos, buy interesting items,… Car parking is prohibited or stopping for too long on some streets and in some areas in the city so it is a little difficult to explore the city. Going around Saigon by motorbike is usually faster than by car because of the smaller size. If you would like to try something new and unique, a motorbike tour is a great choice.
Vespa: Vespa is known as the Italian style icon in the world of mobility since 1946 thanks to its splendid and innovative designs. Sometimes, the vehicle is considered as the symbol of wealth. Vespa is found in many museums, art galleries, and at auction houses around the world, from Serbia to Belgium. Instead of joining a Ho Chi Minh food tour by popular motorbike or scooter, you can choose a Vespa Ho Chi Minh food tour. Certainly, prices of Vespa tours are always more expensive.
Taxi (also called walking): The second most popular choice is walking Ho Chi Minh City food tour. Must travelers walk all the time? They are usually transferred by taxi or private car and walk for from a few hundreds of meters to a few kilometers to explore interesting places, stop at some eating places, and enjoy delicious dishes. Going by taxi or car and walking is a safe way to see the city and eat street food. Some travelers worry if they can sit on the back of a motorbike.
Jeep: Open air jeep is a great and unique way to explore Ho Chi Minh City and enjoy exotic foods of Saigon. Travelers also walk for a distance on jeep Saigon food tour. Prices of jeep tours are from $100 USD, rather more expensive than food tours by motorbike and walking food tours in Saigon.
Read more about Is Ho Chi Minh food tour by motorbike better than walking tour?
What to know about Ao Dai Ho Chi Minh food tour?
Ao Dai Ho Chi Minh food tour is a special choice because travelers are ridden and taken care of by female tour guides wearing Ao Dai traditional Vietnamese clothes. Gentle and careful female riders and the beauty of Ao Dai tops and bottoms are the highlights of Ao Dai Ho Chi Minh food tour. Prices of such tours are from $40 USD.
Food hygiene and safety – How to stay healthy on Ho Chi Minh City food tour?
Vietnam food is rather safe to eat but there are some restaurants and street food vendors serving low quality food. You should research on the Internet carefully before eating at an eatery. Reading reviews on TripAdvisor.com, Google Maps, Foody.vn are the best way to learn more about the places. In Vietnam, we have a tip to choose an eatery, we choose crowded eateries to eat if nothing is preselected. Below are some advices for travelers who are going to join food tours in Saigon:
- Check if your meat is cooked properly and well because undercooked food can be contaminated with viruses, bacteria, and others which can make you sick.
- Do not eat too much at one stop.
- Do not eat too much seafood or BBQ.
- Do not eat too much oily food.
- Do not drink excess alcohol-containing beverages.
- Tell them to blanch fresh vegetables or be careful with raw vegetables if you have a weak stomach.
- Make sure ice cubes do not have strange smell, color and taste.
Read more about 10 tips for staying healthy on Ho Chi Minh City food tour (protecting from dirty food, sun, rain) and Food safety and hygiene on Saigon food tour
How to protect yourself from crime in Ho Chi Minh City?
In recent days, Ho Chi Minh City is rather safe for locals and tourists. However, I would like to share with you some basic tips for staying safe from crime:
- Do not bring to many things on Ho Chi Minh City food tour.
- Do not wear something “remarkable”, such as too big pieces of gold, twinkle fake jewelry,…
- Use anti-theft bag, phone case, wallet,…
- Watch your belongings in crowded areas such as local markets and food markets, at crowded eateries.
- Be careful when taking photos and recording videos by camera, smartphone, and video recorder.
- Do not carry too much cash and many credit cards.
Read more about:
Is it safe to join a Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour? (food safety, strong sun, rain, crime, traffic)
How to protect yourself from crime in Ho Chi Minh City?
How to be healthy under the strong sun on a day food tour in Saigon?
Average temperature in Saigon is about 28°C (82°F) in the day time and it is a few Celsius degrees cooler in the night time. It is hotter in the dry season and cooler in the rainy season. The hottest month of the year is April, the coolest month is December. The lowest temperature is 16-18°C on some days. There is a very high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Ho Chi Minh City in the dry season and on days without rain in the wet season. Here are the ways to stay healthy from the strong UV rays and the extreme heat:
- Drink more water than usually.
- Wear sunglasses.
- Apply sunscreen on your face and uncovered parts of your body.
- Do not wear too thick clothes.
- Do not wear accessories and clothes in dark colors which absorb more sunlight than lighter colors.
- Use anti-UV accessories and clothes.
- Carry a thin coat, hat/cap, UV arm sleeves.
- Wear airy summer sport shoes.
The ultimate guide to Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Sunglasses protect your eyes and the skin around the eyes. You should not miss carrying some sun protective accessories and use it when the sun’s rays get stronger.
Travel booking scams and scams relating to Ho Chi Minh City food tour
In some cases, travelers book with untrusted companies and they do not operate the tours as described. For example, instead of traveling to hidden places, they take you to must-know places. Unreliable tour company may serve you fewer dishes and terrible food. Some travelers are hungry or get bored on the tours. Sometimes, tour guides speak limited English and only drive tourists around for eating. You can also book overpriced Saigon food tours.
Which are great visiting places on Ho Chi Minh City food tour?
Ho Chi Minh City has a large number of food markets, food streets, food courts, dinning areas for visitors and locals to visit and eat exotic Vietnamese dishes. There you have a chance to sample specialty dishes which can only be found in Ho Chi Minh City. Here is the list of places to eat on your Saigon food adventure:
- Ho Thi Ky Street and its alleys
- Vinh Khanh night food street – snail street
- Ngo Gia Tu apartment complex
- Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment complex
- Nguyen Thuong Hien food street
- Phan Xich Long food street
- Co Giang Street
- Tan Dinh night market
- Turtle Lake
- Co Ba Vung Tau Restaurant
- Co Lieng Grilled Beef in Wild Betel Restaurant
- Banh Xeo 335
- Banh Canh Cua 14
- Grilled banana in sticky rice Vo Van Tan food stall
Read more about eateries, locations, signature dishes, and more information at Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour
The ultimate guide to Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Ho Thi Ky Flower Market
Should families with kids join Ho Chi Minh City food tour?
Ho Chi Minh City food tour is one of the great chances for your family members to sit, talk, and eat together at local eateries in a city far away from your home. Your family will not only enjoy authentic Vietnamese dishes and Saigon street food, learn more about eating and drinking culture. You will learn more about fish sauce, rice paper, steamed rice, rice noodles – key ingredients in Vietnamese cuisine. Being a culinary adventure, Ho Chi Minh City food tour give you an opportunity to experience Saigon’s rich food history, story, and heritage.
Joining a food tour by motorbike is a challenge for American, European, Australian families because they are familiar with getting around by car. If you would like to book a motorbike tour and let your children try sitting on the back of motorbike, it will be fun. Jeep, taxi, car food tours are other choices.
Read more about Should families with kids join Ho Chi Minh City food tour and how to stay safe?
The ultimate guide to Ho Chi Minh City food tour – A family enjoys the food tour in Saigon, experience eating on the pavement.
Should elderly travelers join Ho Chi Minh City food tour?
Are you a elderly traveler and would you like to see the hidden city as well as enjoy secret local food? Many people think that the elderly should not join Ho Chi Minh City food tours which have challenging difficulty level. In fact, difficulty level of most Ho Chi Minh City food tours are easy because travelers are transferred to different places and eateries for sightseeing and sampling delicious Vietnamese dishes. Any elderly traveler having good health can join a Saigon food tour by motorbike/jeep/taxi/car. Local tour guides know how to take care older adults when traveling the city and eating local specialty food. It is better to book a private tour for an elderly traveler so that they can customize the tour program depending on the traveler’s health.
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The ultimate guide to Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Two older adults enjoy their food tour.
Is it a good idea to start Ho Chi Minh City food tour when it rains?
In Ho Chi Minh City in the Southern region of Vietnam, it rains from May to December. You do not need to worry about raining in the dry season. In the wet season, you can book a Ho Chi Minh City food tour and it can rain at the start time. How to deal with it?
If it is forecasted that the city may face a storm, you should cancel the tour as soon as possible. If it rains heavily, you and your tour guide can wait for about 30 minutes before deciding.
In case it rains lightly, you can let them start the tour. Whether you do the tour by motorbike or car/taxi, it is fine. You do not need to wear a raincoat in a car/taxi but you need to wear a raincoat on motorbike food tour to protect yourself from the small rain. You will reach the first stop quickly and enjoy delicious dishes. It is hopped that the rain is getting smaller and finally stops.
In all cases, you can tell them to change to walking and taxi/car food tour in Saigon. It is rather safe and still enjoyable to join a food tour by taxi/car/jeep. If you really worry about the rain, you can book a Ho Chi Minh walking food tour on which you are transferred by taxi or a private car.
Read more about:
Should I book a Saigon food tour in the rainy season?
Should I cancel Ho Chi Minh food tour if it rains?
The ultimate guide to Ho Chi Minh City food tour – A romantic moment on a Saigon night food tour under the rain in the wet season.
Is a private food tour or group food tour in Saigon better?
Private Ho Chi Minh food tour has many advantages such as flexibility, comfort, convenience, special care, customized itineraries, personalized menu, exploring and enjoying at your own pace. However, you can lost the chance of meeting new people and making friends on a private tour. Families, travelers visiting the city with kids, couples, elderly travelers, travelers on a diet or having food restrictions/allergies should book private Saigon food tours.
Some solo travelers and budget travelers are happy to go on group foo tours because they would like to save money or make new friends and expand their networks of friends.
Read more about Private vs group food tour in Saigon (pros and cons)
Is a day Saigon food tour or night Saigon food tour better?
Going on a night Saigon food tour, it is cooler and the air is fresher. In addition, some street food vendors are only open in the evening. They rarely sell Vietnamese barbecued during the day because it is too hot to sit outside and grill meat and seafood on charcoal. Some broken rice restaurants are called “Cơm tấm đêm” (Night broken rice) because they serve night-hawks who have the habit of going out and having fun at night. Amazing, hustle and bustle night markets in Ho Chi Minh City are worth visiting. In the evening, local people return home or going out to eat, drink, meet their friends after work. You will see a dynamic and busy Saigon at night. It is a chance to learn more about the real local life, especially the night eating culture in Saigon – one of the biggest cities in Vietnam. However, some travelers think that it is not safe to go out at night in a new city or it is better to see the city during the day. Sometimes, travelers plan to join night tours or do other other activities such as Dinner on cruise, Water puppet show, A O Show, going to pubs and bars, visiting Bui Vien Street,…
Going on day Saigon food tours, travelers can see everything clearly, take nice photos, enjoy amazing local dishes which are the best choices for breakfast and lunch in Vietnam. The disadvantages of day tours in Saigon include the strong sun from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, air pollution, missing night food markets and food streets.
Read more about Day Saigon food tour vs night Saigon food tour, Morning food tour or Afternoon food tour (Cons and Pros)
Can I join Ho Chi Minh City food tour if I am a vegetarian?
Vegetarian/vegan travelers come to the right city because local people love to eat vegan food and there are many vegan restaurants in Ho Chi Minh. You will learn more about traditional, new and creative vegetarian recipes at various restaurants on your food tour in Saigon. Some delicious vegetarian Vietnamese dishes include lotus root salad, braised tofu/straw mushroom, sweet and sour soup, hot pot, Vietnamese sizzling cake (Xeo cake), mini pancake (Khot cake),…
Read more about Is it possible for a vegetarian/vegan to go on a Ho Chi Minh food tour?
How about food allergies or restrictions?
Are you allergy to some particular food such as milk, egg, fish, peanut, gluten,…? Do you have a religious restriction? Do not hesitate to contact a reliable food tour company in Ho Chi Minh City to book a food adventure and let them know about your food allergies or restrictions. If needed, you should share with them the list of food that should be avoided.
Read more about The ultimate guide to eating food allergies, dietary and religious restrictions in Vietnam
What to carry on Ho Chi Minh City food tour?
Sun protection accessories and sunscreen (day tour), raincoat and rain footwear (in the rainy season), anti-theft accessories and anti-theft bag, hand sanitizer, medications (if needed), tissues are recommended to bring on your food tour in Saigon. Big and many pieces of jewelries, travel documents, passport, too much cash, many credit cards, snacks and light foods, bottle of water, helmet, umbrella, too big and bulky bag should not carried on a Ho Chi Minh food tour.
Read more about:
What to carry on Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour?
What shouldn’t you carry on Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour?
How much does Ho Chi Minh City food tour cost?
Ho Chi Minh City food tour costs from $17 USD to $120 USD. Prices depend on tour guides, means of transportation, durations, menus, special requests. 3.5 hour Saigon food tour with local student and budget food is the cheapest choice. If you do not need to eat too much and very special dishes, and a professional licensed English-speaking tour guide, you can choose a Student Saigon food tour and do not need to pay so much. Tours including seafood and snail dishes or BBQ are more expensive. Tours with female riders in traditional Ao Dai are usually more expensive. Jeep food tours and food tours by private cars have higher prices. On motorbike food tours, they usually provide good experiences and good food so you can choose to book a Ho Chi Minh food tour by motorbike. Walking food tours with taxi transfer are as reasonably priced as motorbike food tours. Some VIP motorbike food tours cost $80 USD while many motorbike food tours cost about $40 USD. Vintage Vespa is a luxurious choice because Saigon food tours by Vespa cost from $70 USD.
Read more about How much does Ho Chi Minh City food tour cost?
How to book Ho Chi Minh City food tour?
You can easily book a Ho Chi Minh City food tour:
- With a travel company in your country.
- With a travel agent in Ho Chi Minh City.
- On OTAs such as Viator, GetYourGuide, Airbnb, Klook, KKDay
- With a trusted tour guide.
How to book the best Saigon food tour and avoid travel booking scams? It is better to ask for advice from your friends, family, and partners, read reviews on TripAdvisor and Google Maps before booking.
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