Ho Chi Minh City Dining Tips to Eat Like the Locals
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Ho Chi Minh City has long been famous for the dynamic backpacker streets, sleepless nightlife, outstanding tourist attractions, and especially the yummy Saigon food that calls for the need to know Ho Chi Minh City dining tips. This jewel city of tourism in Vietnam will never disappoint guests when it comes to mealtime in almost every city corner. And, before you settle in any place to eat, learn how to eat like the Saigonese with some tips.
#1: Ask the Saigonese about the good restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City
The quickest way to figure out the best places to eat in Saigon is to ask the local people who will give the greatest recommendations. You can either ask your Vietnamese friends if any, the hotel receptionists, the taxi drivers, or join the online forum to ask for help. People will be so friendly that provide you with several great ideas to carry out. Also, some restaurants might have a good reputation in the local areas while others might not.
Therefore, reaching out to the locals, reading online reviews, and checking it out by yourself. Next time, the other fresh travelers might come to ask for your advice. As an example, TripAdvisor is the wonderful forum for foreigners to get advice and help from the huge online communities who offer not only the instructions to the places to eat, but also the food to order, and the reviews about services.
#2: Use the Saigon rule as “the more crowded the restaurant is, the better its food and price are”
If you notice, it’s easy to recognize that some restaurants are packed with patrons while some are with a few and the others are almost not visited by the foodies. In that sense, following the crowd might bring you to reliable eateries with the delicious food and good prices. Also, the dining atmosphere is an important feature.
As the words of mouth can powerfully transmit the reputation of the restaurants, good words can bring more customers. This single principle keeps going on, and the best places to eat are often crowded with foodies, especially the local ones. So, you might proceed to the eatery as you’ve heard many good comments about it, or it’s also a nice idea to follow the crowd and settle in the crowded restaurants along the street. Sometimes, the random choices might bring the surprisingly good culinary tours in Saigon.
#3: Know that the small restaurants and street vendors in Saigon can also offer tasty food
Saigon preserves numerous old-looking and small eateries that can guarantee your culinary enjoyment with the delectable dishes. Therefore, don’t judge a book by its cover. In particular, it’s common to find the restaurant of this kind in District 5 and District 10. The ones in the city center are often luxurious and modern, not in the senses of the traditional and long-standing addresses.
What’s more, do not underestimate the street food in the eateries on the pavement, which can eventually surprise you at the taste and the price. And if you choose to eat from the street vendors, please accept to sit in the plastic stool, share the table space with other foodies, and use the folksy chopsticks and spoons. More interestingly, sometimes, people have to eat with one hand while the other hand is holding a bowl of noodle.
Ho Chi Minh City is rich in restaurants and street food that are competent enough to result in exciting food tours. Using these tips, you will know where to dine and what to eat with the mindset like the local people. Make sure you have Saigon best food namely Pho (beef noodle), Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich), Banh Cuon (steamed rice cakes), Banh Canh Cua (rice noodle with crab), and more.
Knowledge sharing about Vietnam food culture and traditional recipes.