While traditional pho is a must-try dish while in Vietnam, the best Vietnamese foods go way beyond noodles. Dive into this Ho Chi Minh food guide to find what to eat in Saigon, and then dive into some of the tastiest dishes in the city at top restaurants, markets and street food havens. Besides its obvious deliciousness, another great thing about food in Ho Chi Minh City is that it’s often as scrumptious as it is cheap. If you’re a backpacker on a budget, you’ll also appreciate that full meals for less than 40,000 VND (1.70 USD) can be found anywhere, which helps keep your wallet as full as your stomach!
Ho Chi Minh Food Guide | Banh Mi
Banh mi is sometimes a strange sight to see upon entering Vietnam, but this “sub sandwich” is so popular that travelers will find banh mi stands wherever they go in Saigon City. In fact, after a day or two in the city, you’ll be well familiar with these carts, their fresh baguettes and their creative displays! While fresh bread and spreadable cream cheese is essential to enjoying a traditional banh mi, tourists don’t want to miss out on other common toppings available as well. The banh mi can be stuffed with everything from grilled meats and cold cuts to fresh vegetables and eggs. Most vendors have a specialty or two on hand, and all of them offer pate which complements the cream cheese and fresh veggies beautifully. Oh, and don’t worry if you can’t speak Vietnamese. Your pointer finger and a smile will work just fine for this one.
Recommended banh mi stands in Ho Chi Minh City
- Banh Mi Bay Ho, 19 Huỳnh Khương Ninh, Đa Kao, Quận 1 – this simple stand serves up some of the best banh mi in Ho Chi Minh and is just a 15-minute walk from Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden.
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Banh Mi Huynh Hoa, 26 Lê Thị Riêng, P.BT, Quận 1 – located just outside Independence Palace in the District 1 backpacker area, this banh mi shop is the one with a line. Don’t worry, though, these ladies are used to crowds, so your wait won’t be long!
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Ho Chi Minh Food Guide | Pho
This simple yet flavorful rice noodle soup is traditionally served for breakfast, but you can find a steaming hot bowl of pho anytime in Ho Chi Minh City. Saigon restaurants generally offer beef or chicken pho, and each bowl is loaded with fresh noodles, flavorful broth, bean sprouts and a handful of greens, like mint, cilantro and green onion.
Best places to eat pho in Ho Chi Minh City
- Mien ga Ky Dong, 14/5 Kỳ Đồng, Phường 9, Quận 3 – the locals love the “chicken noodle soup” here, and tourists do too!
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Pho Le restaurant, 303-305 Võ Văn Tần, Phường 5, Quận 3 – open from 6 a.m. to midnight and just a 5-minute walk from Independence Palace, this restaurant is a perfect place to eat pho day or night.
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Ho Chi Minh Food Guide | Bun Thit Nuong
A hodge-podge of flavors, bun thit nuong is a dish of vermicelli rice noodles served with tender slices of grilled pork that is topped with bean sprouts, pickled vegetables, chopped peanuts, mint, cucumber and other greens. The dish on its own is tasty enough, but topped with the accompanying lemony-garlicy-spicy nuoc cham sauce, bun thit nuong becomes a whole new taste sensation!
Best places to eat Bun Thit Nuong
- Bun Thit Nuong Kieu Bao, 139 Đề Thám, Phường Cô Giang, Quận 1 – sign up for a Ho Chi Minh food tour, and you’ll likely visit this restaurant. Yep, it’s that good.
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Bun Thit Nuong Nguyen Trung Truc, 1 Đường Nguyễn Trung Trực, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1 – loved for their charcoaled meats, this restaurant just around the corner from Ben Thanh Street Food Market and across the street from Independence Palace.
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Ho Chi Minh Food Guide | Com Tam
Meaning “broken rice,” com tam is a Vietnamese dish that consists of a grilled pork steak and fresh vegetables served with a fried egg and a helping of broken white rice, which is rice that has been damaged during the milling process. The rice is cheaper than name-brand rice due to its defect, but that doesn’t make it less tasty or nutritious.
Best places to eat com tam
- Com Tam Tran Quy Cap, 260 Võ Văn Tần, Phường 5, Quận 3 – this restaurant is as popular with locals as it is with Saigon tourists. It’s also a great place to stop during a DIY food tour as it’s next door to Pho Le restaurant, where you can try a bowl of pho.
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Quan Ca Phe Do Phu – com tam Dai Han, 113A Đặng Dung, Tân Định, Quận 1 – sit down for a plate of com tam and choose some house specialties to go on the side.
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Ho Chi Minh Food Guide | Snails & Seafood
While snails are generally considered a pricey delicacy in most countries, tourists can buy them and eat them right on the street in District 4. Located just across the river from the Russian Market, District 4 is a unique part of the city that exudes a vibe different from the atmosphere of District 1. Foreigners especially love this area as it is a little quieter than the Ben Thanh area, loaded with hotels and restaurants and features all the street food and seafood one can eat! Take stroll down Vinh Khanh Food Street to sample some of the freshest and best seafood and snails in all of Vietnam.
Recommended seafood restaurants in District 4
- Oc Oanh, 534 Vĩnh Khánh, Phường 8, Quận 4 – this open-air restaurant is a popular spot to chow down on crab and suck back a few beers.
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Mrs. Truoc’s Snail Stall, 171A Cô Bắc, Phường Cô Giang, Quận 1 – stop by for a sample of snails so good that they were featured on an episode of “Street Food” on Netflix.
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Ho Chi Minh Food Guide | Goi Cuon (Vietnamese Spring Rolls)
A light and refreshing treat, goi cuon go hand in hand with those warm day tours and sightseeing adventures in Ho Chi Minh City. These fresh spring rolls are packed full of veggies (and meat or seafood, if you want) that are wrapped up neatly in rice paper – or a wide, thin rice noodle. Filling choices often include fresh shrimp, minced pork and whatever other specialties the vendor has on hand. The whole snack is served with a side of dipping sauce, which the customer chooses. A popular sauce is a sweet and tangy chili sauce with crushed peanuts. Another option most likely will include an oyster sauce revved up with garlic and chilies. Different “street food artists” feature their own unique flavors of traditional dipping sauces. Travelers who like their spring rolls fried are in luck also. Just ask for cha gio to get the crispy alternative.
Best places to try goi cuon
- Goi Cuon Tom Nhay, 424 Lạc Long Quân, Phường 5, Quận 11 – order goi cuon or cha gio as an appetizer and sample other local favorites at this popular District 11 restaurant.
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Goi Cuon Hanh, 420A Hoà Hảo, Phường 5, Quận 10 – this local shop in District 10 is favored for its flavorful dipping sauces and the fresh vegetables used in its goi cuon.
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Ho Chi Minh Food Guide | Banh Xeo (Crispy Pancake)
It looks like an omelet, but don’t let this pancake fool you. This crepe-like comfort food gets its golden color from turmeric and its distinct flavor from the coconut milk and rice flour used in the batter. Once the pancake is made, you can choose whatever is available to stuff into it. Popular choices are slices of grilled pork or whole shrimp, green onion, mushroom, bean sprouts and mint, but the selections can seem endless when you’re exploring all the ways to enjoy banh xeo. In Ho Chi Minh, banh xeo usually are served as hand-held snacks, but other cities in Vietnam are known for their larger plates of banh xeo, which are served more like an omelet.
Where to try banh xeo
- Banh Khot Co Ba Vung Tau, 102 Cao Thắng, Phường 4, Quận 3 – this sit-down restaurant in District 1 is known for its banh xeo, but other menu items get rave reviews as well.
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Banh Xeo 46A, 46A Đinh Công Tráng, Tân Định, Quận 1 – sit down to a traditional meal in a traditional restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City’s bustling District 1.
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Vietnamese Crepe Ngọc Sơn, 103 Ngô Quyền, Phường 11, Quận 5 – worth a trip to District 5, this restaurant serves legit banh xeo and an endless supply of fresh veggies. Fans recommend the shrimp banh xeo.
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Best places to stay for foodie tours in Ho Chi Minh
Most foodie tours in Ho Chi Minh are based in District 1, with a few specialty restaurants and markets in outlying districts. Travelers who want to be within walking distance to most restaurants and street food markets in Saigon City should choose a hotel in the Ben Thanh, or District 1, area. The region is packed with affordable hotels suitable for families and business travelers, and cheap backpacker hotels line every street. Click on any of these three options, and start exploring hotels in Ho Chi Minh City‘s famous District 1!
Check In to a hotel or apartment in District 1
The Myst Dong Khoi
Estelle Boutique Apartment – Pink Cathedral
The Hammock Hotel Ben Thanh
