Top 10 tips on eating in Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City cuisine is a perfect mix of street foods, specialty foods in Southern Vietnam, and dishes from different provinces in the country. Coming to Ho Chi Minh City, you should not miss a great chance to sample amazing local dishes, learn about how local people eat, meet, and have fun at budget and luxurious restaurants, street food stalls. Having your meals at fine dining restaurants, Michellin, or top-rated restaurants is always recommended. Walking around food markets, local markets with food stalls, food streets, and food courts, visitors can find many interesting and strange things to see and eat. However, it is not totally safe to eat in the city. So I would like to share with you Top 10 tips on eating in Ho Chi Minh City.
Top 10 tips on eating in Ho Chi Minh City
Table of Contents
Eat at restaurants in Michelin Guide Vietnam
Looking for good restaurants in Michelin Guide – the international reference for hotels and restaurants for discerning travelers looking for impressive, memorable and high quality experiences is the first advice. There are about 50 restaurants in Ho Chi Minh listed in the Michelin Guide. Experts from Michelin have tested and decided to select the following restaurants so you can rest assured the they are reliable eating places.
1-star Michelin
- Ănăn Saigon, 89 Ton That Dam, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Vietnamese contemporary.
Bib Gourmand
- Bếp Mẹ Ỉn, 136 Le Thanh Ton, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Vietnamese food.
- Chay Garden, 52 Vo Van Tan, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Vietnamese vegetarian food.
- Cơm Tấm Ba Ghiền, 84 Dang Van Ngu, Ward 10, Phu Nhuan, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Vietnamese food, Street food. Must-try: Broken rice with grilled pork (or mixed toppings).
- Cục Gạch Quán, 10 Dang Tat, Tan Dinh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Vietnamese food.
- Dim Tu Tac, 55 Dong Du, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Chinese food.
- Hồng Phát, 389-391 Vo Van Tan Street, Ward 5, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Vietnamese food. Must-try: Hủ tiếu – Clear rice noodle soup.
- Hum Garden, 32, D10 Street, Thao Dien, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Vietnamese food. Must-try: Vegetarian food.
- Phở Chào, 52 Nguyen Cong Tru, Ward 19, Binh Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Vietnamese food. Must-try: Beef noodle soup – Phở.
- Phở Hoà Pasteur, 260C Pasteur, Ward 8, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Vietnamese food. Must-try: Beef noodle soup – Phở.
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Selected by Michelin
- 3G Trois Gourmands, 39 Tran Ngoc Dien Street, Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: French food.
- Å by T.U.N.G, 31-33 Dang Dung Street, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: European Contemporary.
- An’s Saigon, 5A Tong Huu Dinh Street, Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City. Click HERE to see the location on Google Maps. Cuisine: Innovative.
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Full list of Restaurants in Michelin Guide Vietnam (Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh)
Sample Saigon street foods
Saigon street foods is an important part of Ho Chi Minh City cuisine and it is a big miss if you do not buy and enjoy some exotic street foods at food stalls or food trucks on Saigon streets or in alleys. However, you are recommended to book a food tour to make sure to be safe on your cuisine adventure. There are unsafe corners and unsafe street foods. Going around and eating with a local tour guide is safer and more interesting. Here are some good street food tours 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
- 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.
Top 10 tips on eating in Ho Chi Minh City
Saigon dinner on cruise
Read more about Saigon dinner on cruise – the ultimate guide & everything you must know
Would you like to enjoy something romantic and special in Saigon at night? It is recommended to enjoy a dinner on a cruise along Saigon River in the non-sleeping and vibrant city. You can choose a dinner set menu of Vietnamese cuisine, a set menu of European cuisine, or a buffet menu. While enjoy the dinner, you will have a chance to enjoy a show of Vietnamese traditional music and dance, performed by talented artists or a live music show. Sometimes, they also perform magic. The best parts of the Saigon dinner on cruise are perhaps the cool river breeze and magnificent and impressive Saigon covered with the coat of colorful and twinkle lights. The most popular route begins from Saigon Port to Phu My Bride, many famous tall buildings such as the lotus bud shaped Bitexco Finacial Tower and bamboo bundle shaped Landmark 81 can be seen from the cruises.
You can combine the dinner on cruise with a water puppet show/ A O show and a cyclo ride. It is better to book the dinner with a tour agent instead of going to Saigon Port and book directly with the cruises to make sure the availability. Booking a dinner on cruise with a transfer service is always a better choice. You can also book a Water Puppet Show & Dinner on Cruise & Cyclo Tour.
Many choices of vegetarian foods
It’s estimated that more than 60% of Vietnamese people practice some form of Buddhism, this is one of the reasons why a large number of local people eat vegetarian foods. Fine dining restaurants and casual restaurants serving Vietnamese vegetarian dishes can be easily in District 1 – the center of Ho Chi Minh City and other districts. Vegetarian restaurants are around pagoda, temples, mosques,… Some of the most popular Vietnamese vegetarian dishes are Sweet and sour soup, Stir-fried mixed mushroom, Fried roll, Spring roll, Clear rice noodle soup, Steamed rice in lotus leaf,… In case you would like to enjoy many Vietnamese vegetarian foods at different restaurants in a half day, you can book a Ho Chi Minh Vegetarian Food Tour.
Safe Vietnamese foods at Ben Thanh Market
A visit to Ben Thanh Market is a perfect mix of the beautiful and unique architecture of the old market, local life, traditional culture of Vietnam, and amazing Vietnamese dishes. You can eat dishes from different regions in Vietnam at this market: Hue mixed cake, Pho noodle soup, Crab noodle soup, Clear rice noodle soup, Hue beef noodle soup, Sweet soup, Rice and side dishes, sweet and savory cakes,…
Vietnamese bread
You can find the best Vietnamese sandwich – Banh mi in Ho Chi Minh City. Besides popular Banh mi with cold cuts in Vietnamese style, pickled daikon and carrot, pattee, tomato sauce, coriander, they have created many creative and amazing Banh mi recipes. Grilled pork, char siu, meat ball, salted duck egg yolk, ostrich meat, canned fish, roasted pork,… Here are the three best Banh mi shop in the city center:
- Banh mi Huynh Hoa, 26 – 30 – 32 Le Thi Rieng, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
- Banh mi Huynh Hoa, 54 Nguyen Van Trang, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
- Banh mi Bui Thi Xuan, 122E Le Thi Rieng, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Which foods are safer?
Vietnamese noodle soups seem to be the safest thanks to the boiling broth and well-done toppings. Stuffed rice roll with pork/shrimp is a delicious and safe Vietnamese traditional dish. Vietnamese pancake (Banh xeo), Vietnamese mini pancake (Banh khot), Spring roll, Grilled beef in wild betel are tasty. Dinners should wrap Banh xeo/Banh khot/beef in rice paper with vegetables and herbs before eating. Raw vegetables are used to make salads in the country.
Raw vegetables can be contaminated by various enteric viruses. If you have a weak stomach, you should tell them to blanch vegetables, herbs, bean sprouts with boiling water before eating. Rare beef is not recommended and raw vegetables are not recommended. You should also make sure that your grilled seafood is grilled completely.
The more crowded a restaurant is, the more affordable the prices are
When you find that a restaurant is lack of customers, there are some reasons and facts. The restaurant is good but prices are too high. Foods are not delicious or cooked from low quality ingredients. If you see a restaurant packed with customers, it provides great services, good foods, and reasonable prices,…
Top 10 tips on eating in Ho Chi Minh City
Fast food and international restaurants
Being a dynamic city, Ho Chi Minh attracts lots of foreigners who come to stay there or travel. In addition, Vietnamese people are passionate with trying international foods including Korean, Japanese, American, European, Chinese foods. So you find it easy to eat international foods and fast foods in this city.
Diverse desserts
In fact, local people love to eat something sweet after eating main dishes. There is a wide range of amazing Vietnamese desserts in the city. There are dozens of hot and cold sweet soup recipes, steamed sticky rice recipes, sweet cakes. Sweet soups usually cooked from beans, agar, sticky rice, and coconut milk.
Summary of Top 10 tips on eating in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City is worth visiting, traveling, and eating. Depending on your favorites, budget, and food restriction, you should choose to eat wisely and carefully. It is recommended to read reviews about the restaurants on Google Maps and Trip Advisors first. Food safety and hygiene is a prerequisite. I hope you eat well in the city and enjoy the Vietnamese cuisine at its best.
