It’s no secret that Vietnam street food is some of the best in the world! Everywhere you look, it seems, small stalls and mobile vendors are selling food: snacks, noodles, rice dishes, sweets and everything in between! No trip to southern Vietnam would be complete without trying some Saigon street food- but we understand it can be a bit intimidating, especially when few stalls have English menus!
KIX Saigon scooter tours are a great introduction to Saigon street food. Whether on our day tours by scooter or evening scooter tours, we always include a sample of local dishes to tempt your tastebuds. In this blog, the KIX team shares our Top Five Saigon Street Foods!
5. BANH MI: Breakfast, lunch, dinner and everywhere in between- a Vietnamese banh mi (baguette sandwich) always hits the spot! These stalls are usually mobile carts on wheels and easily spotted thanks to the pile of golden bread baguettes on display. Point to your preferred ingredients – as you would at a Subway branch- and walk away with a delicious, flavor-filled snack!
4. SEAFOOD: Saigon is only 50 kilometers from the coast and that means seafood is plentiful and cheap! After the sunsets, many street food vendors set up barbeque grills and sautee stations to serve up delicious, fresh seafood. Barbeque prawns, noodle soup with crab claws, clams steamed with lemongrass and chili… you get the idea!
3. BEER: Ok, beer is technically NOT a food but it is such an integral part of Saigon street food culture that we had to include it. Especially in the evening, most Saigon street stalls will serve cold cans of beer to accompany your food. Popular local brews are Saigon Beer, 333 Beer and Larue Beer but you may also find international selections like Heineken or Tiger. And increasingly, small-batch craft beers are on offer. Some of KIX favorite Saigon craft beers are Heart of Darkness, Pasteur Street Brewing and Seven Bridges. Join our Awesome Night Out in Saigon to sample a beer or three along the way.
2. CHE: Have a sweet tooth? Well then be sure to seek out che, a popular Saigon dessert. Eaten cold or hot, che starts with a base of coconut cream mixed with a wide range of ingredients. Most popular are tapioca, fruit and jellies but savory ingredients such as beans, cassava or Chinese sausage are also common. Look for vendors with plastic cups filled with white milk-looking substance and a variety of toppings- point and chose your perfect combination and enjoy this uniquely-Vietnamese dessert!
1. COM TAM: Com Tam is one of those dishes that sounds simple but tastes so good, you’ll never forget it! Take a bed of steamed ‘broken’ rice (rice grains that are literally broken), add a generous dose of grilled pork and throw on an egg, either fried or omelette. Then serve alongside pickled vegetables, pungent dipping sauce and oil-fried scallions and you’ve got com tam! To say that Saigon people love com tam is an understatement. Be sure to try this street food dish when you visit Saigon- you won’t regret it! Our KIX Saigon Senses Scooter Tour includes a local lunch of com tam or a similar dish.
Want to try Saigon street food? Join a KIX Saigon tour for a brilliant introduction to the local cuisine.
