Foreign travelers enjoy Saigon street foods

Saigon Street Food for Your Successful Vietnam Culinary Tours

4 December, 2017
Where to eat in Vietnam

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) has long been a food paradise featured with various yummy dishes on almost every street and alley. This destination always appeal to the foodies who travel to Vietnam to discover local cuisine and gastronomy. Check out several of the best Saigon Street Food below and enjoy the successful culinary tours to Vietnam as wished ever.

#1: Broken Rice

This refers to the well-known “Cơm Tấm” in Saigon. The dish of broken rice often includes the grilled pork ribs, omelet, sausage, slices of cucumber, fermented carrot, etc. In general, the keys of this street food are the well-spiced grilled pork and the fish sauce. You can easily spot the booths selling “Saigon Broken Rice” in various alleys and streets, and the smell of the grilled pork will first strike the attention. In particular, the areas of District 5 tend to own the better “Cơm Tấm” than the others. You should always give it a try!

Cơm Tấm - Broken Rice, one of Saigon Street Foods
Cơm Tấm – Broken Rice, one of Saigon Street Foods

#2: Saigon Sandwich

The sandwich (or “Bánh Mì”) is the dominant breakfast option in this bustling city. There is a countless number of the sandwich booths and eateries in the city, and its dominance urges you to enjoy at least one loaf of bread filled with barbecued pork, omelet, or sausage, fermented cucumber, chervil, etc. The Vietnamese sandwich is said to be the best sandwich of its kind in the world, and if so, Saigon is the best place to find the authentic Vietnamese sandwich. Get one, and you will become its fan right after the first bite.

Bánh Mì - Saigon Sandwich
Bánh Mì – Saigon Sandwich

#3: Crab Soup

This is the major breakfast soup consumed by most Saigonese. There exist lots of bamboo carts selling the crab soups on the city street, and you can notice them through the sign of “Súp Cua.” The complex often consists of crab meat, mushroom, quail egg, cilantro, chili, and pepper. In the early morning, people on the motorbikes will stop by the carts and get the takeaway crab soup while some others slurp it on the spot. So, if you are going on the Saigon Street Food Tour, enjoy this nutrient soup like the other pedestrians as well as the passersby.

Súp Cua - Crab Soup, the easy-to-find street food in Saigon
Súp Cua – Crab Soup, the easy-to-find street food in Saigon

#4: Beef Stew

If you see the locals are savoring a bowl of the yellow soup, tender beef, carrot, egg noodles, herb, etc., served together with loaves of bread, then 90% that the food is the Beef Stew (“Bò Kho”). The carts selling beef stew either with noodle or bread are quite popular on the Saigon Streets. As long as you love stews and curries, this food is the awesome option to eat anytime of the day. Slurping the nutrient broth and savoring the tender stewed beef become the delightful culinary experiences that you remember long in Vietnam.

Bò Kho - Beef Stew, one of street foods in Saigon
Bò Kho – Beef Stew, one of street foods in Saigon

#5: Mam Noodle

If you can enjoy the fishy smell, then Mam Noodle (or “Bún Mắm”) is the succulent option to amaze the palate. The bowl of this seafood noodle stew consists of vermicelli, pork, fermented fish sauce, seafood, eggplant, herb, and vegetable. In fact, this food is derived from the Southern Vietnam where is rich in freshwater fish – the core ingredient for the fermented sauce. Often, “Bún Mắm” attracts the patrons even from a distance thanks to its strong smell as well as strong taste.

Bún Mắm - Popular food for people of Saigon
Bún Mắm – Popular food for people of Saigon

#6: Crispy Southern Pancake (Bánh Xèo)

The Vietnamese southern pancake is the hot item in the local streets and markets. Often, the bamboo carts of pancake are packed with numerous patrons who agree to wait for the sizzling crepes no matter how long it takes. The crunchy crepe stuffed with pork, shrimp, bean sprout, mung bean, onions, etc., mesmerize the foodies. You can wrap the crispy pieces in lettuce leaves and dip the roll into fish sauce or mix everything in a plate.

Bánh Xèo - Crispy Southern Pancake, the very popular street food in Saigon
Bánh Xèo – Crispy Southern Pancake, the very popular street food in Saigon

#7: Hu Tieu (a kind of noodle soup)

The most popular version of this noodle soup is called “Hủ Tiếu Gõ” in Saigon. The carts of “Hủ Tiếu” mostly work until midnight and even after that. Many locals enjoy slurping this noodle soup whenever they are fed up with the daily rice meal. The bowl of noodle, pork rib, shrimp, cilantro, pepper, chili, etc., and nutrient broth is the fantastic treat to the hungry stomach. As usual, this food aims to serve the budget patrons, but the quality is very good. Believe it, the “Hủ Tiếu” carts are scattered widely throughout the local streets and alleys.

Hủ Tiếu - The favorite noodle soup in Saigon
Hủ Tiếu – The favorite noodle soup in Saigon

Vietnam Travel via Saigon Street Food Tour

Perhaps, the others will ask you about the tastes of the 7 top suggested dish above because they are quite famous. Therefore, it might be a big regret if you skip the opportunity to sit on the plastic stool and enjoy the Saigon street food, and so, cannot answer the others’ questions about the real culinary experiences in this fine-dining city. Do not be reluctant! It is your turn to order the Vietnamese food and enjoy it! In general, most of the food packages in Vietnam offer the already prepared dishes, but thing may be less exciting and surprising when you eat indoors. The street discovery is more authentic, inspiring, and enthusiastic than anything, which allows you to savor the food you find on the streets right away. This kind of Vietnam Travel meets the requirements of the foodies and explorers who value the time being on the Saigon streets and discovering the local food more than the luxury dining time in the 5-star restaurants.

The Street Food Tour in Saigon showers you with boundless chances to enjoy great food and mingle with the locals. Find the carts packed with customers and stop a while to eat like the locals. Photography is limitless during the trip, and you are sure to bring home the admirable albums of food in Ho Chi Minh City. Provided that you visit the crowded eateries because of the good food as well as the good price, please be patient to wait for your turn. Everybody has to, but it’s certain that the wait is worth your time and patience.

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