Welcome to the RecipeTin Eats ’ Top 10 BEST Street Food in Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City !
Top 10 BEST Street Food in Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City
The food in Vietnam is so good, I tell people it ’ randomness worth going to Vietnam just for the food. badly !
Ho Chi Minh City is the hot, buzzing food capital of Vietnam. Despite the modern boldness of Saigon, with the rise of trendy bars and restaurants, the true soul of vietnamese food will always remain the traditional street food .
Fresh, fast, bum, and above all delightful, this is the food of the people .
It ’ randomness besides the food we love to eat in Vietnam and what keeps us coming back. 4 times in the survive 12 months, to be demand !
There are literally thousands of street food vendors, stalls and restaurants serving a mind-boggling diverseness of mouth-watering dishes across the city. sol, where is a visitor to begin their Saigon street food venture ? What should you eat ? And where should you try it ?
We ’ ve got answers. We ’ ve done the research, interrogated locals and eaten our way around the city over multiple trips .
We ’ rhenium thrilled to share with you below what we think are the must-try, iconic dishes of Saigon and the best places to try them. so hop on the back of a Grab motor scooter ( OK, possibly just get a cab ) and get quick to dive into the incredible populace of Saigon street eats !
Welcome to RecipeTin Eats’ Top 10 BEST Street Foods To Try In Saigon!
( And precisely where to try them ! )
1. Grilled pork and spring rolls on rice vermicelli (Bún thịt nướng)
WHY IT’S A MUST-TRY: Slippery cool noodles, fresh lettuce and herb, fried leap roll, grilled pork. This is a riot of textures, colours and flavours in a bowl. here ’ s my recipe for the chicken version !
PRONUNCIATION: boon breast NOONG
THE PITCH: Enjoyed nationally, bun thi nuong can be found all over Vietnam except in Hanoi where they have their own version called bun cha. There are variations of bun thit nuong toppings, but grilled pork and leap rolls are the most popular and coarse. It ’ s besides a cool dish – seriously refreshing in Ho Chi Minh City ’ s sweltering climate !
BEST PLACE TO HAVE IT: Bun Thit Nuong Chi Tuyen, District 1 ( Map )
This set started as a small street stall on Co Giang Street 40 years ago and is silent going strong, morphing into a proper two-storey restaurant on the like street. It ’ s enormously popular – then much so that they barbecue pork endlessly and in bulge at a dedicated grill up the street, whizzing the skewers back to the restaurant by motorcycle !
2. Broken Rice (Cơm tấm)
WHY IT’S A MUST-TRY: A Ho Chi Minh City staple, com tam is the iconic rice smasher of the city
PRONUNCIATION: kom TAAM
THE PITCH: Often eaten for breakfast, com tam ( “ broken rice ” ) is a rice dish normally topped with a smoky grilled pork chop, a slice of pork barrel or prawn meat loaf, shredded pork peel and pickles. “ Broken rice ” refers to the cracked rice grains, which gives the rice a lusciously alone texture .
BEST PLACE TO HAVE IT: Com Tam Ba Ghien, Phuong 10 ( Map )
Com tam slingers can be found everywhere in Ho Chi Minh City but Com Tam Ba Ghien is one the city ’ s most celebrated. In clientele since 1995, Ba Ghien is known for their pork chops arsenic big as your confront, impertinently barbecued over smolder coals. Don ’ thymine forget to add a fry egg – the oozing egg yolk takes this Ho Chi Minh City favorite to next-level amazing !
3. Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Bun bo hue)
WHY IT’S A MUST-TRY: It ’ s Pho – on steroids. And it ’ s arduous to find external of Vietnam !
PRONUNCIATION: blessing bo HWAY
THE PITCH: Everybody who loves vietnamese food knows and adores beef pho, and we are evenly hopeless pho tragics. But travelling to Vietnam offers the gamble to broaden your noodle soup horizons and open your sass to some of the state ’ s lesser known but evenly delectable offerings .
Bun bo hue is another of our front-runner attic dishes and is revered across Vietnam. Hailing from Hue, this attic soup is a flavor disco of full-bodied beef broth, lemongrass, shrimp paste all turbocharged with a effective bang of fiery chili oil. Have a laugh when you see me suffer in the video !
BEST PLACE TO HAVE IT: Bun Bo Hue Dong Ba, District 1 ( Map )
It ’ sulfur been around since the 1920s and though it might look like it hasn ’ triiodothyronine seen a renovation since, look past the moth-eaten department of the interior. With its friendly staff, commodious localization, and lusciously fragrant bun bo imbue, Dong Ba is still a Ho Chi Minh City local anesthetic favorite and one of the best bowl we ’ ve had in the city !
4. Street Food Ghetto
This following invest international relations and security network ’ t a cup of tea, it ’ s a food experience area that ’ randomness well worth a sojourn. It ’ s an area called Nguyen Thien Thuat apartments ( Map ). One local dearly dubbed it a Street Food Ghetto, and nowadays we do excessively because it ’ mho easier to pronounce !
It ’ s a local sphere and it ’ s pumping ! ! THIS is what I love about traveling – seeing the real local anesthetic areas, getting away from the tourist trap !
As you stroll down the wind alleys, you ’ ll see push of locals going about their daily routine and vendors serving up all sorts of tasty foods .
Marinated pork grilled over charcoal, fresh easy rice paper rolls filled with rispy rice grilled over coals and filled with shrimp, egg and slathered with butter – oxygen
But my front-runner food to have here is snail .
Yes. SNAILS. But not your common garden variety snails ! They are sea snails and they taste like mussels !
Nibbling on sea snails and chugging down ice cold beers on the bantam plastic stools is the equivalent of public house back home !
Sea Snails ????Top Pick!????
WHY IT’S A MUST-TRY: Eating snails while rubbing shoulders with the locals is one of the most authenticate feed experience you can have in Vietnam !
PRONUNCIATION: OCK
THE PITCH: Eating snails is a social tradition deeply embedded in the culinary culture of Vietnam. Groups of friends gather at forte snail restaurants or street stalls to chat, share plates of mollusk and wash them down with beer over an evening .
Diners choose from piles of mollusk and water-dwelling snails of all shapes and sizes on display. The kitchen will then cook up the snails in one of many lip-smacking preparations, from stir frying with garlic and butter to braising them in ample coconut curries .
BEST PLACE TO HAVE IT: Oc An, Phuong 1 ( Oc An, Phuong 1 ( Map
snail joints can be found everywhere in Ho Chi Minh City but the one we ate at was a modest but busy small street restaurant called Oc An. We loved the vibration sitting side by side with cheery locals, sucking down delightful mollusk and tossing the shells on the ground. It ’ mho on the border of the Street Food Ghetto area, which in itself international relations and security network ’ t a huge area ( Map ). 
5. Pho!
WHY IT’S A MUST-TRY: Vietnam’s most famous dish, on home turf – enough said! Can’t make it to Vietnam? Make it at home! Vietnam ’ s most celebrated cup of tea, on home turf – enough said !
PRONUNCIATION: FUR
You won ’ t see any tourists at our favored Pho establishment… and that ’ s just how we like it !
THE PITCH: The unofficial national dish of Vietnam, this rice noodle soup is all about the rich, long-simmered beef broth perfumed with easy spice notes and other flavourings. here in the south of Vietnam, pho always comes accompanied by fresh herbs and beansprouts to pile on clear as you like. Nourishing and comforting so far light and poise, it ’ second rightfully the perfective dish. No wonder pho has conquered to populace and become synonymous with vietnamese cuisine today ! !
BEST PLACE TO HAVE IT: Pho Tau Bay, District 10 ( Map )
Pho Tau Bay is one of Ho Chi Minh City ’ s oldest pho establishments, beginning opened by the present owners ’ grandfather in Hanoi more than 70 years ago. What makes their pho special they say is their clear broth, free from any excess fatten, boiled for 24 hours with kernel, bones and minimal seasonings .
This is a true local’s joint, well off the tourist trail and nary a alien face in sight ! Well worth the trip for one of Ho Chi Minh City ’ s best and original pho .
6. Bo La Lot – Grilled Beef wrapped in Betel Leaves ????Top Pick!????
WHY IT’S A MUST-TRY: These madly addictive barbecued beef mince wraps deserve to be far more celebrated than they are. noteworthy foodies around the world declare it to be some of the best – if not THE best – foods they had in Vietnam !
PRONUNCIATION: bo la LOT
Read more: Banh Mi Pizza.
THE PITCH: rarely seen outside Vietnam, bo latissimus dorsi batch is a dish of seasoned gripe mince, lightly spiced and wrapped with raving mad betel leaves before barbecuing on a a charcoal grill. They ’ rhenium served as snacks, inside bread rolls, or can besides form a meal .
In this latter form, it ’ s a DIY setup where the bo lanthanum lot are served aboard rice newspaper, lettuce leaves, rice noodles, herbs, sliced vegetables and pickles, along with an queerly addictive pineapple dipping sauce. You wrap the whole set, attempt to shove it in your mouth ( it ’ sulfur hard because it ’ s indeed big ! ) and go for another one straight away .
BEST PLACE TO HAVE IT: Co Lieng Restaurant, District 3 ( Map )
Co Lieng Restaurant in District 3 is one of the best know bo la lot restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, serving bo louisiana set in the full meal format. It ’ s a squeezy joint that can get crowded, no doubt thanks to a winning combination of super friendly staff and wickedly more-ish bo la lot. well fortune stopping at fair one plate .
7. Crab noodle soup (Bún riêu)
WHY IT’S A MUST-TRY: One of Vietnam ’ s most popular soups but less sleep together external of Vietnam. You haven ’ metric ton eaten properly in Vietnam until you try this intensely crabbed attic soup. And it ’ s virtually impossible to find good ones outside of Vietnam !
PRONUNCIATION: boon REE-YOO
THE PITCH: Bun rieu is a rice noodle crab soup that ’ randomness identical popular across Vietnam. In Saigon, you ’ ll see more Bun Rieu street vendors than any early soup !
The orange broth ’ s relish comes from pound rice paddy crab. The soup is delicate, aromatic and a faintly tart from the tomato chunks that are added .
Toppings can vary slightly but most distinctive is a kind of cancer meatball, blood jelly ( think of it as bean curd made of pig ’ s rake – and no, I don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate go there ! ) and fried bean curd. And of course, a hedge ’ s worth of bracing herb is served on the side for you to add as you please .
Bun Rieu Ganh comes recommended by Luke Nguyen, Australia ’ s most well known Vietnamese chef
BEST PLACE TO HAVE IT: Bun Rieu Ganh, District 1 ( Map )
Located fair across from the central market Ben Thanh Market, Bun Rieu Ganh ’ s recipe goes back to the current owner ’ s mother who sold the cup of tea on the streets years ago. Their juicy pork-crab meatballs in detail are sol incredibly tasty they will have you falling all 10cm off your fictile stool to the paving .
It ’ sulfur besides a front-runner of celebrated Vietnamese-Australian chef Luke Nguyen and we can confirm it ’ s the best bun rieu we ’ ve tried in Vietnam !
8. Ben Thanh Markets
These markets are in the heart of District 1 ( Map ), the area where most visitors stay. It ’ south one of the oldest and largest markets in Vietnam and here you ’ ll find everything from fresh produce to souvenirs, textiles to handcrafts, american samoa well as batch of food and drink .
Most locals turn their noses up at these markets, deeming it to be touristed and overpriced. But for visitors it ’ s a must, and it ’ randomness one of the main attractions in Saigon !
You ’ ll see a assortment of foods from soups to salads, seafood to crispy pancakes in the food area. We tend to get bite size contribution plates here, and here are 3 of my favourites
1. Rice Paper Rolls ( below properly ) – Rice paper rolls, stuffed with fresh prawns ( prawn ), rice noodles and herbs, dipped in a sweetly peanut-y dip sauce ;
2. Grilled shrimp on sugarcane skewers ( below left ) -Made with prawn paste wrapped around sugarcane that ’ s steamed then grilled .
You ’ ll find numerous stalls throughout the markets selling both of these, and they ’ re all perfectly tasty. possibly not the best in the city, but perfectly acceptable and all character of the Ben Thanh Markets snacking have !
3. Banh Beo ( Steamed rice cakes, PRONUNCIATION: BUN bay-oh ) – my personal front-runner ! I dearly call them UFO ’ second, owing to the saucer-like form of these steamed rice cakes .
The wholly plate is scattered with a kind of dried shrimp floss, fried pork greaves, leek vegetable oil and sprig of coriander. then everything is liberally doused with dulcet nuoc cham .
Dig in with your spoon, making sure you get a bit of everything. It ’ s the kaleidoscope of textures and flavours that makes Bun bay-oh so charming, and why this little marvel is on my must try number !
Best place to have UFO’s: In one corner of the Ben Thanh grocery store ’ s food area is a popular stall that specialises in these Hue-style banh beo. Crowded with locals, staff cultivate furiously to keep up with demand. They cost a bare $ 1.20 for a plate and while I call it a “ bite ”, it is in fact enough for a meal !
9. Vietnamese Crab!
WHY IT’S A MUST-TRY: You ’ ve never had balmy shell crab this fresh, this delectable, this cheap .
PRONUNCIATION: KOO-ah ( means “ crabs ” in general )
THE PITCH: If you ’ rhenium a crab-crazy as we are you won ’ triiodothyronine pass up the opportunity to try crab in Vietnam. The claw critter is widely loved in Vietnam, with crab-based dishes such as bun rieu and banh canh cua enormously democratic across the country. For a sincerely crab-centric experience, head to one of respective forte cancer restaurants in the city where you can try crab served in a multitude of ways. Whatever you order, don ’ metric ton miss the know soft husk crab, fried to absolute crisp perfection !
BEST PLACE TO HAVE IT: 94 Thuy Restaurant, District 1 ( Map )
We got the tip-off on this restaurant from the always-excellent Serious Eats website. 94 Thuy specialises in crab and is a paradise for lovers of this tasty crustaceous. All kinds of cancer dishes can be had hera but a detail specialization is the soft shell crab. Crab jump rolls, vermicelli crab noodles, and fried rice with cancer are the early popular dishes, all overflowing with huge chunks of fresh, fresh crab meat .
10. Banh Mi ????Top pick!????
WHY IT’S A MUST-TRY: One of the populace ’ s great sandwiches, it ’ mho Vietnam inside a boodle scroll. And the BEST Banh Mi in Saigon is a hidden local gem that you won ’ thyroxine find in any lead books….read on !
PRONUNCIATION: bun ME
THE PITCH: What makes this sandwich a bewitching as it is delicious is the unique combination of cultural influences that come together in a banh michigan. From the french there is the baguet, mayonnaise, charcuterie/cold cuts, and pate. The roast pork belly can be traced to chinese origins. then of path the vietnamese taste for novelty and lightness is there with the herb, fresh raw vegetables and pickles. It ’ s the bill poster child for a dependable fusion food that succeeds in delectability like no other .
It ’ randomness harder than you think to find in truth great Banh Mi in Saigon. But we finally did !
BEST PLACE TO HAVE IT: Banh Mi Sau Le, District 10 ( Map ) – A hide local gem, the best banh mi in Ho Chi Minh City !
You won ’ t find Banh Mi Sau Le in any top 10 lists or steer books. It ’ s means out in District 10 and we merely discovered it through our epicure interpreter, David from The Street Food Man .
But we ’ ll say with hand on heart after trying many a banh security service around the city ( including all the common ones in “ top 10 ” lists, Tripadvisor and guide books, that this is the best banh mi in Saigon. Everything about this banh michigan is perfect- the airy bread, the quality of fillings, the means they chop the kernel up, the just-right pickles .
It ’ s a long way to travel for a sandwich but if you ’ rhenium unplayful about your banh nautical mile, you have to get to Banh Mi Sau Le !
badly, one of the happiest moments of my life, chowing this depressed. We made multiple trips out to Banh Mi Sau Le every clock time we were in Saigon !
Saigon Top 10 Food Map
here ’ s a function with all of the above restaurants ( stray, establishments ???? ) marked on it. As a lead, visitors in Saigon normally stay in District 1. Taxis and early forms of transport in Saigon ( eg Grab, which is their Uber ) are extremely brassy. A 20 moment cab drive costs around A $ 3 .
Recommendation: Saigon Food Guide and Expert
If you are not comfortable making your way around Saigon on your own, but are acute to try the best street foods the city has to offer, I can highly recommend using The Street Food Man, a local food guide company .
While we did not go on any of the tours, the owner of the company, Vinny ( one of the most passionate foodies I have always met in my life ! ), kindly arranged for one of his guides to act as our interpreter for the duration of our multiple trips to Ho Chi Minh City to film and collate information for this lead 10 post .
Our steer, David, was stapled to our sides from early morning to late in the flush every single day, as our interpreter with the many vendors we visited, and sharing with us hidden local gems that are not separate of their common food tours, some of which made our top 10 list .
With his cheerful disposition, in depth cognition and sleep together of Saigon street food, we vastly enjoyed our time with him and learned so much about vietnamese food. Highly recommend !
Taste of Saigon – at home!
And that concludes the RecipeTin Eats ’ Saigon Top 10 Street Foods list ! It ’ s merely a humble sample distribution of the amazing food Vietnam has to offer, with specialities in respective regions across the area .
In fact, the food hera is so good, I tell people it ’ s worth visiting Vietnam equitable for the food – and it ’ south surely the reason I keep coming back !
I hope you get a chance to visit one day. But even if you can ’ thyroxine, you can silent get a taste of Vietnam at dwelling using my recipes, such as these :
Vietnamese food recipes
While some of these aren ’ thyroxine on our top 10 Saigon List, or are specialities of early regions ( such as Bun Cha which is a Hanoi dish ), these recipes stay true to the authentic versions and will transport you straight to the streets of Vietnam ! – Nagi x
Life of Dozer
Dozer ’ s little keepsake from Vietnam !
I love it. He hates it ! ????
