The best street food In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

19/12/2018

Ho Chi Minh City is one of the best cities in the world for street food. Every stall has a specialty dish, and no experience says “Saigon” more than a bumpy scooter ride between the many food stands in the city. Here are some great places to grab a bite.

Quan 94

Adress: Quan 94, 84 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Finding this stall, which is famed for its crab dishes, is a bit of a challenge. There are two stalls on the same street bearing the name, “Quan 94”, one at 94 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, and another down the street at number 84. Make sure you pick the latter which, counterintuitively, is the original and superior version. Once you have arrived at the correct stall, order some soft shell crab, deep fried in tamarind sauce, and their extraordinary cha guoi cua.

Che My

Adress: Che My, 91 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, +84 8 2247 8389

Head to Che My for the some of the best che, or Vietnamese dessert soups, in town. Try the che ba mau, a dessert made of green jelly, tapioca, and sweetened coconut milk, or the sam bo luong, a sweet broth-like concoction of barley, jujube, water chestnuts and other traditional ingredients.

Nam Giao

Adress: Nam Giao 136/15 Le Thanh Ton, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, +84 8 3825 0261

Located in the busy first district of Saigon, Nam Giao is, strictly speaking, more of a restaurant than a street stall, but they serve some of the best examples of typical street food items. The menu consists mostly of steamed and rolled rice items, baby clams, and noodles. Be sure to try their signature dish, banh beo, a delicate steamed rice cake served in tiny bowls with a crispy shrimp topping.

Nam Giao

Oc Oanh

Adress: 534 Vinh Khanh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Vinh Khanh Street is home to one of the greatest collections of street food stalls in town. The place really comes alive at night, when young locals descend on Vinh Khanh Street to enjoy freshly cooked food with beer, on the tiny plastic chairs that are a common sight in Saigon. Oc Oanh is one of the better known stalls, serving every imaginable kind of seafood.

The Lunch Lady

Adress: Phuong Da Kao, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Nguyen Thi Thanh, better known as the Lunch Lady, is one of Ho Chi Minh City’s biggest street food stars. She specializes in noodles, serving a different noodle dish every day of the week. The Lunch Lady’s repertoire of intensely flavorful noodle soups includes bun mam and bun rieu. Noodles are always accompanied by a variety of toppings, like pork slices, morning glory, roasted shallots, and shrimp

The Lunch Lady