Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour: There are hundreds of eateries in Saigon for locals and tourists to visit and enjoy amazing Vietnamese traditional dishes and specialty foods. Here are the top places recommended by Tracy Do, who is a passionate foodie and owner of Scooter Saigon Tour – one of the oldest food tour operators in Saigon.
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Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour
Ho Thi Ky wholesale flower market and Cambodian night food market
- Location of Ho Thi Ky wholesale flower market: Ho Thi Ky Street, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Location of Cambodian night food market: Ho Thi Ky Street, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City.
The two markets are located next to each other so it is a great chance to visit them conveniently. The flower shops and food stalls are located in narrow alleys of Ho Thi Ky Street. The flower market is open 24 hours and you can come there at any time. It is the best to come to Cambodian market at night when most street food stalls open and sell dozens of amazing street foods and Saigon specialty foods. Must-try dishes at the night food market are as follows:
- Grilled beef on lemongrass stick
- Papaya salad
- Clear rice noodle soup
- Hue beef noodle soup
- Grilled pork and cheese on a stick
- Crab soup
- Vietnamese pizza (Grilled girdle cake)
- Sugar cane juice
Read more about
A Saigon Street Food Tour in Ho Thi Ky Flower Market
What to eat at Ho Thi Ky Night Food Market?
Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Cambodian night market is a paradise for foodies from all over the world. During the day, the market sell fresh ingredients for cooking Vietnamese and Cambodian dishes, and other necessary items. At first, it was famous for many Cambodian food vendors so it has been called Cambodian market by local people. In recent days, the place has become of the best night food markets in Saigon. If you visit the market in the day time, there are also many delicious local dishes for you to try.
Vinh Khanh night food street – snail street
- Location: Vinh Khanh Street, Ward 8, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City.
Coming to Vinh Khanh night food street after the sun goes down, you have a chance to enjoy delicious snail dishes, seafood dishes, boiled fertilized duck egg, and BBQ. Many dinners love to drink cold local beers or iced soft drinks when eating. Travelers can learn more about beer drinking, snail and seafood eating culture in Saigon. Some good snail restaurants on Vinh Khanh Street are:
- Ốc Vũ (Oc Vu) Restaurant, 37 Vinh Khanh Street, Ward 8, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Ốc Oanh (Oc Oanh) Restaurant, 534 Vinh Khanh Street, Ward 8, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Ốc Thảo (Oc Thao) Restaurant, 383 Vinh Khanh Street, Ward 8, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City.
Read more about A Saigon night street food tour in Vinh Khanh food street
Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Ốc Vũ (Oc Vu) Restaurant
Ngo Gia Tu apartment complex
Ngo Gia Tu apartment buildings in Ward 9, District 5 were built more than 50 years ago and have been living places of a large number of old Saigonese. There are dozens of small shop-house restaurants and cafes. It becomes a hustle and bustle food paradise at night. There are some highly appreciated eateries:
- Bò Kho Gánh Sài Gòn (Stewed Beef Shoulder Pole Saigon) Restaurant, 029 Block H, Ngo Gia Tu Apartment Building, Ward 2, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City. Signature dishes: Stewed beef in Vietnamese style, Coconut ice cream.
- Bánh Xèo Thảo Vy (Vietnamese Pancake Thao Vy) Restaurant, 007 Block H, Ngo Gia Tu Apartment Building, Ward 2, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City. Signature dishes: Vietnamese pancake.
- Bánh Xèo Cô Điệp (Vietnamese Pancake Miss Diep) Restaurant, 004 Block H, Ngo Gia Tu Apartment Building, Ward 2, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City. Signature dishes: Vietnamese pancake and forest leaves, Grilled beef in wild betel.
- Chè Mâm Khánh Vy (Vietnamese Sweet Soup Tray Khanh Vy) Street Food Stall, Ngo Gia Tu Apartment Building, Ward 2, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City. Signature dishes: Vietnamese sweet soups, sticky rice.
Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Bò Kho Gánh Sài Gòn (Stewed Beef Shoulder Pole Saigon) Restaurant
Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment complex
Built in 1968, Nguyen Thien Thuat apartment complex consists of 11 blocks, each building has 4 floors. Coming there, travelers learn more about Saigon in the past, the real life of local people, and have a chance to enjoy a wide range of local dishes.
- Ốc Loan (Snail Loan) Restaurant, 012 Block C, Nguyen Thien Thuat Apartment Building, Ward 1, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Signature dishes: snail dishes, seafood dishes.
- Bún Bò Huế Cô Ân (Hue Beef Noodle Soup Aunt An) Restaurant, 001 Block K, Nguyen Thien Thuat Apartment Building, Ward 1, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Signature dishes: Hue beef noodle soup.
In addition, you can find many delicious specialty foods such as broken rice, stuffed rice roll, pan bread, bloating fern shaped cake, Nam Young clear rice noodle soup, pig leg soup cake, fermented fish paste noodle soup, duck congee, chicken hotpot,…
Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Ốc Loan (Snail Loan) Restaurant
Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Bún Bò Huế Cô Ân
Nguyen Thuong Hien food street
Nguyen Thuong Hien food street is also known as Rice paper salad street because there are many famous street food stalls selling this food. You can buy rice paper salad at:
- Bánh Tráng Trộn Long, 34 Nguyen Thuong Hien Street, Ward 5, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Bánh Tráng Trộn Chú Viên, 38 Nguyen Thuong Hien Street, Ward 5, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
Other well-known eateries are:
- Bánh Mì Chả Bò Hưng Phát (Vietnamese Sandwich with Beef Sausage Hung Phat), 325 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City (at the crossroads of Nguyen Thuong Hien and Vo Van Tan Street). Signature dishes: Vietnamese sandwiches, Vietnamese Sandwich with beef sausage.
- Bún Bò Huế Yến Hương Giang (Hue Beef Noodle Soup Yen Huong Giang) Restaurant, 323 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City (at the crossroads of Nguyen Thuong Hien and Vo Van Tan Street).
Co Ba Vung Tau Restaurant
- Location: Co Ba Vung Tau Restaurant, 40B Tran Cao Van Street, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
- Signature: Vietnamese pancake (Bánh xèo), Vietnamese mini pancake (Bánh khọt), Fried roll (Chả giò), Hue cakes, Hue beef noodle soup, Crispy noodles stir-fried with vegetables and meat, shrimp and pork salad, rice noodle salad, broken rice,…
This cozy and spacious restaurant is a great place to enjoy Vietnamese authentic dishes, especially the two traditional savory cakes Bánh xèo and Bánh khọt. Foreigners find it interesting to use their hands and chopsticks to eat the cakes and other dishes.
Read more about Vietnamese Pancake at Co Ba Vung Tau Restaurant
Co Lieng Grilled Beef in Wild Betel Restaurant
- Location: 321 Vo Van Tan Street, Ward 5, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
The signature dish of this restaurant is Grilled beef in wild betel, which is served with rice noodles, lettuce, leaf vegetables, pickles, and special dipping sauces. The restaurant is rather small and usually packed with locals and travelers. You can see they grill the rolls on charcoal on the pavement. At this restaurant, you can also try rice noodle salad (or vermicelli sheet) with grilled pork and fried roll. Co Lieng is introduced in the list of Michelin Selected Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City.
Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Co Lieng Grilled Beef in Wild Betel Restaurant
Banh Xeo 335 – Vietnamese Pancake 335 Restaurant
- Location: 335/2 Dien Bien Phu Street, Ward 4, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
Banh Xeo 335 offers delicious Vietnamese pancake and Vietnamese mini pancake at affordable prices. Crispy cakes are filled with pork and shrimp, served with fresh vegetables, sweet and sour fish sauce dip. The restaurant is a great place to experience “eating in alley” culture in Saigon.
Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Banh Xeo 335
Banh Canh Cua 14 – Crab Soup Cake 14
- Location: 221 Tran Binh Trong Street, Ward 3, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City.
A bowl of thick rice noodles, vicious broth, and diverse toppings is a great choice to fill and warm your stomach. Toppings include shrimps, crab meat, crab cakes, mushrooms, green onions,… The restaurant is spacious and you can see how they serve the food at the front door.
Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Banh Canh Cua 14. Image: Facebook Bánh Canh Cua 14
Grilled banana in sticky rice Vo Van Tan food stall
- Location: 378 Vo Van Tan Street, Ward 5, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
Grilled banana in sticky rice food stall is one of the most favorite desserts in South Vietnam. The best peeled bananas are wrapped in steamed sticky rice and banana leaves, then grilled on charcoal until crispy outside and tender inside. The grilled bananas in sticky rice are cut into pieces and served with coconut milk sauce and crushed peanuts.
Vo Van Tan food stall is one of the most famous eateries serving this amazing dish. You will sit on a plastic stool and enjoy your food right on the street like locals.
Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour – Grilled banana in sticky rice Vo Van Tan food stall
Other great places to enjoy street foods in Saigon
- Phan Xich Long Food Street, Ward 16, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City. What to eat? Street foods, Vietnamese dishes, international foods.
- Turtle Lake, crossroad of Vo Van Tan, Pham Ngoc Thach, Tran Cao Van Streets, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. What to eat? Street foods such as Grilled egg, Rice paper salad, Grilled girdle cake.
- Alley 200 Xom Chieu, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City. What to eat? Street foods, Saigon specialty foods.
- Alley 76 Hai Ba Trung, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. What to eat? Street foods.
- Co Giang Street, Ward 1, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. What to eat? Street foods, Vietnamese dishes such as Rice noodle salad.
- Tan Dinh Market, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. What to eat? Street foods, Vietnamese dishes, especially Vietnamese sandwich, noodle soups and sweet soups.
- Ha Ton Quyen Street, Ward 15, District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. What to eat? Ravioli soup and other Chinese dishes.
Summary of Top 10 places to visit on Ho Chi Minh City food tour
Any traveler can travel around the city, visit the best places to eat Vietnamese traditional dishes and Saigon specialty dishes. There are some reasons why you should book a Ho Chi Minh City food tour instead of exploring the streets and alleys, eat local dishes on your own. It is cheaper to travel with a Saigon food tour and safer to reach far districts and hidden places in the city.
- Saigon Night Food Tour: classic and popular choice, great street food
- 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
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.
