Best Foods in Ho Chi Minh City

The jewel of the East in taste has got to be Vietnam and the crowning glory of that jewel is the street food in the city. Until travelers have experienced the vast array of flavors on offer by the best foods in Ho Chi Minh City, people will never know how delicious real street food is. Walk down any street in the city with just 50 cents and people are able to taste lots of amazing traditional dishes in Sai Gon cuisine. Banh mi, pho (beef noodle soup), com tam (broken rice topped with grilled ribs), hu tieu (rice noodles), and many native dishes are always known as the best foods in Ho Chi Minh City. Many come with a six-inch red plastic stool to rest their feet whilst consuming the awesome foods of this heaven of cuisine. The list of best foods in Ho Chi Minh City below proposed by GADT Travel will provide visitors with the most prestigious and delicious restaurants. 

1. Banh Mi

Banh mi is not only one of the best foods in Ho Chi Minh City but also in the whole of Vietnam. The specialty of this dish has always won the favor and the winged words from prestigious magazines such as National Geographic, and BBC. The attraction of banh mi comes from the hotness when it is always baked in the oven right next to it and makes each bite become crispy and melt in the mouth. Moreover, this famous food also has tasty and fresh toppings such as mixed salads, pate, fried egg and ham. 

*Recommended places to eat in Ho Chi Minh City:

• Banh mi Hong Hoa
  Address: No.54 Nguyen Van Trang Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 5:30am - 9:30pm
  Price: VND 27,000 - VND 40,000 (approx. $1.16 - $1.72)
  
  
• Banh mi 362
  Address: No.25 Tran Cao Van Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 6:15am - 8:30pm
  Price: VND 30,000 - VND 55,000 (approx. $1.29 - $2.37)
  
  
• Banh mi Bay Ho
  Address: No.19 Huynh Khuong Ninh Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 1:30pm - 7:00pm
  Price: VND 18,000 - VND 30,000 (approx. $0.77 - $1.29)

2. Com Tam (Steamed Broken Rice)

The locals eat com tam ALL THE TIME, proudly. It does not matter whether it is a rushed breakfast or a dinner in a restaurant, people can always have one of the best foods in Ho Chi Minh City. The secret of a delicious plate of Com tam, according to local people, is not the beautifully grilled pork cutlet or the "cha trung" - Vietnamese steamed egg meatloaf, but it is the hot tasty rice, combined with the special sweet fish sauce and lots of chopped scallion oil.

 *Recommended places to eat in Ho Chi Minh City:

• Com tam Phuc Loc Tho
  Address: No.236 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 6:00am - 10:00pm
  Price: From VND 39,000 (approx. $1.68)
  
  
• Quan Tu Map
  Address: No.89-91 Dong Den Street, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 6:00am - 10:00pm
  Price: VND 25,000 - VND 55,000 (approx. $1.08 - $2.37)

3. Hu Tieu (Southern Rice Noodle Soup)

In a bowl of this famous dish, there are rice noodles, a rich broth made from pork bones and radish. It is often served with sliced pork, shrimp, pork ribs, minced pork, quail eggs, and bean sprouts. Another common version of the food is named “hu tieu kho” as known as "dry" hu tieu. Instead of having rice noodles and soup in one bowl, visitors will have two separate bowls, and the rice noodles will be mixed with the chef's secret sauce. This is a must-try version of hu tieu!

*Recommended places to eat in Ho Chi Minh City:

• Hu tieu Nam Vang Thanh Dat
  Address: No.34 Co Bac Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: All-day
  Price: VND 35,000 - VND 50,000 (approx. $1.51 - $2.15)
  
  
• Hu tieu My Tho Thanh Xuan
  Address: No.62 Ton That Thiep Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 7:00am - 2:00pm
  Price: VND 30,000 - VND 60,000 (approx. $1.29 - $2.58) 
  
  
•  Hu tieu Hong Phat
  Address: No.389-391 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 6:30am - 10:00pm
  Price: VND 60,000 - VND 110,000 (approx. $2.58 - $4.73)

4. Pho

Pho is a traditional dish originating from the North, but in the mid-1950s, pho "migrated" with the North to the central and southern provinces, including Saigon. The delicious taste of pho in Saigon nowadays is said to have a blend of Hanoi pho with beef noodle soup. Therefore, the broth of this traditional dish of Ho Chi Minh cuisine tends to be sweet and rich. Saigon people often eat pho with a lot of vegetables such as blanched bean sprouts, coriander, cinnamon and onion. Each bowl of pho sold will have its own plate of vegetables or a bowl of fatty water if visitors request it.

*Recommended places to eat in Ho Chi Minh City:

• Pho 2000
  Address: No.1-3 Phan Chu Trinh Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 6:00am - 1:00pm
  Price: VND 40,000 - VND 88,000 (approx. $1.72 - $3.79) 
  
  
• Pho Hoa
  Address: No.260A Pasteur Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 5:00am - 11:30pm
  Price: VND 40,000 - VND 55,000 (approx. $1.72 - $2.37)
  
  
• Pho Phu Vuong
  Address: No.333 Le Van Sy Street, Tan Binh District or No.120 Nguyen Thai Binh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 7:00am - 1:00pm
  Price: VND 50,000 - VND 80,000 (approx. $2.15 - $3.44)

5. Banh Khot (Vietnamese Mini Pancake)

Vietnamese mini pancake is one of the famous dishes in Ho Chi Minh City, in addition to stuffed pancake (banh cuon) and banh goi (Pillow cake). Vietnamese mini pancake has its starting point in Vung Tau, but visitors do not need to go far to enjoy it anymore because Ho Chi Minh City also owns restaurants selling this dish that are extremely worth trying. The taste is the main reason why this dish is on the list of best foods in Ho Chi Minh City for visitors when the flesh of the shrimp is mixed with the crispiness of the dough, the aroma of onion fat and a little sour taste of the sour food. A little salty taste of fish sauce blends into the typical flavor of vegetables. Just a moment, the tourists could eat dozens of cakes. The taste of Khot cake in Vung Tau is really typical including the rich sweetness of shrimp blends with the greasy feeling of fat and the aroma of onions. All create a dish that makes people unforgettable and want to come back to taste this street food again.

*Recommended places to eat in Ho Chi Minh City:

• Banh khot co ba Vung Tau
  Address: No.216 Pham Thai Buong Street, District 7 or No.40B Tran Cao Van, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 7:00am - 10:00pm
  Price: VND 40,000 - VND 88,000 (approx. $1.72 - $3.79)
  
  
• Tiem banh khot Vung Tau Khanh
  Address: No.7 Dong Nai Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 7:30am - 8:00pm
  Price: VND 15,000 - VND 50,000 (approx. $0.65 - $2.15)  

6. Bun Rieu (Vietnamese Fresh-water Crab Soup)

Fresh-water crab soup is quite different from other Sai Gon street food. The broth not only tastes delicious but also has an amazing color when having a mix of rice field crabs and tomatoes. In a bowl of fresh-water crab soup, there are meatloaves made from crab and minced pork, tomatoes, fried tofu, and sliced pork. Vietnamese people and tourists are able to eat this famous dish at any meal of the day.

*Recommended places to eat in Ho Chi Minh City:

• Bun rieu Yen
  Address: No.1348 Truong Sa Street, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 6:00am - 6:00pm
  Price: VND 20,000 - VND 40,000 (approx. $0.86 - $1.72)
  
  
• Bun rieu Cua Oc co Thuy
  Address: No.66 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 11:00am - 9:30pm
  Price: VND 25,000 - VND 40,000 (approx. $1.08 - $1.72)
  
  
• Bun rieu Ganh
  Address: No.4 Phan Boi Chau Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 7:30am - 7:00pm
  Price: VND 35,000 - VND 40,000 (approx. $1.51 - $1.72) 

7. Che (Sweet soup) 

Sweet soup is a typical street food of magnificent Saigon. It is the most street food, so it is not surprising that this famous dish always reaches a good position in the list of the best foods in Ho Chi Minh City. In particular, a cool cup of this soup will be a folk "remedy" to help tourists cool off on hot summer days. More specifically, Saigon sweet soup has hundreds of different flavors for tourists to choose from such as Hue sweet soup, black bean sweet soup and red bean sweet soup. Moreover, the price of this famous food in the Ho Chi Minh cuisine is extremely suitable for low-budget travelers who only need to spend a small amount to enjoy a wonderful cup of sweet soup.

*Recommended places to eat in Ho Chi Minh City:

• Quan che My
  Address: No.168A Nguyen Van Dau Street, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 3:00pm - 10:30pm
  Price: VND 8,000 - VND 28,000 (approx. $0.34 - $1.20)
  
  
• Che thai Y Phuong
  Address: No.382 Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 8:00am - 11:00pm
  Price: VND 28,000 - VND 40,000 (approx. $1.20 - $1.72)
  
  
• Che mam Khanh Vy
  Address: No.32 Su Van Hanh Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City.
  Opening hours: 3:00pm - 10:30pm
  Price: VND 6,000 - VND 100,000 (approx. $0.26 - $4.30)

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