If you’re wondering where to eat the must try dishes of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s biggest, most exciting metropolis, then you’ve come to the right place. Well, actually, the right place would be Ho Chi Minh City, but in the virtual world, you’ve come to the right place, IDEAL magazine, for the top tips on the best places to street food in Saigon.
We’ve all got a bit confused here, haven’t we?
Let’s confuse things further; ‘street food’ might be a slight misnomer these days. Many of the city’s legendary hawkers have since moved inside, with a roof over their head and a clearer set of opening hours. But make no mistake: plastic stools remain, that kinetic dining room energy is guaranteed, and the food is as authentic as it gets. Street food, after all, is more a state of mind than a postcode.
Pedants (hopefully) dispensed with, let’s start again, and stick to what we know; insider tips, street food recommendations, and the very best versions of the very best Vietnamese dishes. Here’s our guide on where to eat the best street food in Ho Chi Minh City.
Xoi Ga Number One (District 1)
Ideal for skipping your hotel buffet for Saigon’s finest breakfast…
The queue outside Xoi Ga Number One, just off Ben Thanh Market, forms before Quan 1’s backpackers have even gone to bed. They’re lining up for some of the finest sticky rice in town; a simple and satisfying plate of glutinous rice topped with poached chicken, house-made pate, fried shallots, and a quail egg or two.
The current owner’s grandmother started this operation in the 1950s as a street cart on nearby Nguyen An Ninh, selling xoi bap. Her daughter took over, then her grandson Nguyen Hieu Trung introduced the poached chicken element that’s made the place famous. It isn’t revolutionary – it’s just the platonic ideal of the dish, and you can taste that generational refinement in just how pitch-perfect this xoi ga is.
The rice has bite and is the right side of homogenous without clumping. The pate is just off-rough and rich, not the rubbery stuff you sometimes encounter. The shallots stay crisp and golden, the pickles piquant.
And then there’s the house chilli oil, with which to anoint. This is Xoi Ga Number One’s trump card, an incendiary mixture of dried chilli, fresh whole ones, deep-fried garlic, and cubes of crispy pork lard. Oh, and the oil is actually rendered pork fat. It’s absurdly good.
The shopfront is small, with limited seating on plastic stools out on the street. But xoi ga is grab-and-go food anyway. Open from half six in the morning until half eight at night, which means you can indulge your sticky rice cravings pretty much whenever they strike. When the xoi is this good, they often strike more than once in the same day.
Address: 15 Nguyễn Trung Trực, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Bun Thit Nuong Chi Tuyen (District 1)
Ideal for a grilled pork belly, fermented rice noodle and fresh herb salad…
Let’s hit the streets and do what the Viets do best; perch on plastic stools and eat some of the freshest, lightest, most delicious grub in the world.
Bun thit nuong is one of the South’s finest dishes; a barbecued pork salad over lightly fermented ‘bun’ noodles, crisp lettuce and loads of herbs. This is topped with roasted peanuts, crispy shallots on occasion, pickled carrots and daikon, and a dipping sauce which defines southern Viet food; fish sauce, a little lime, sugar and chilli.
There are proud purveyors all over town slinging this classic to hungry punters, but Chi Tuyen’s version, on Co Giang street (a great strip for all manner of Vietnamese street food), is perhaps our favourite. Make sure you include cha gio in your order; a crispy spring roll filled with glass noodles, wood ear mushrooms and, usually, a little minced pork and prawn or crab.
Address: 175C Cô Giang, Phường Cô Giang, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Facebook: @bunthitnuongchituyen
Banh Mi Huynh Hoa (District 1)
Ideal for a gold standard version, in the city that birthed the banh mi…
Needing little in the way of introduction, the world conquering Vietnamese sandwich appears in myriad forms across Ho Chi Minh City. And since this was the city that (probably) spawned the first banh mi, there really is no better place in the world to eat the crispy baguette filled with grilled and cured meat, pickles, herbs, hot sauce and more than in Saigon.
Though we’d rather not put our neck on the line and suggest just one place to enjoy ‘the best’ banh mi in Ho Chi Minh City (hell, we’ve barely tried 1% of them…there are just so many), the popular consensus is that Banh Mi Huynh Hoa does a damn fine, damn definitive version. But honestly, if you simply step out of your hotel and look for a queue forming, you’ll likely stumble across your favourite version in the world. And that’s what it’s all about, right?
Address: 26 Lê Thị Riêng, P.BT, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
Facebook: @banhmihuynhhoa
Read: Where to find the best banh mi in Hanoi
Banh Mi 37 Nguyen Trai (District 1)
Ideal for a banh mi with a difference…
We couldn’t eat our way across Ho Chi Minh City and only have one banh mi. This is the home of the celebrated sandwich, after all.
That said, we’re going for something a little different this second time around. At Banh Mi 37 on Nguyen Trai, the baguettes are stuffed with grilled, caramelised pork patties (not dissimilar to those you get in your bun cha up north) and paired with thick wedges of gently salted cucumber, shredded, pickled papaya, coriander, and a piquant chilli sauce. Heaven.
This one is takeaway only, but you can lean against a wall (or against your motorbike) in the adjacent alleyway and wolf down several quite easily. No one will judge you for it…
Address: 37 Nguyễn Trãi, Ho Chi Minh City
Beo Oi Quan (District 1)
Ideal for ebullient, light hearted dining with plenty of flavour…
With a name translating (affectionately, we should add) as ‘Fatty’s Restaurant’, you know you’re in for a good feed at Beo Oi Quan, a comfortable, pleasingly airy restaurant that leans on the Northern Vietnamese culinary canon to satisfying ends.
It’s a cheerful place to settle into, with cartoon illustrations of some of the signature dishes on the wall, buoyant service, and a vibe that doesn’t feel rushed. Hell, even the menu font is a little jaunty! From that menu, many come for the hotpot, which is convivial and generous, but the bun rieu cua is the real star of the show here. That Hanoian freshwater crab and tomato noodle soup is just so refreshing in the sweltering heat.
Speaking of refreshing, the kumquat and honey drink, served over ice, is as thirst quenching as it comes. Một cái nữa, please…
Address: 15/20 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Facebook: @MonngoncuanguoiHaNoi
Bo La Lot Hoang Yen (District 1)
Ideal for grilled beef wrapped in piper leaf, to be enjoyed kerbside…
Back to Co Giang street, which is home to a string of bo la lot restaurants; one dish you certainly want to try before leaving town. Minced beef – a little spicy, a little peppery – is wrapped in piper leaf (‘betel’ leaf to many), grilled until smoky and served with a huge plate of herbs and lettuce, which you use to make your own wraps. So good, so moreish, and so cheap, too.
At Hoang Yen’s you’ll see the addition of a sweet, sour mayonnaise on the beef wraps. If that’s not your thing (weirdly, it works), then let them know; a simple ‘khong’ (meaning ‘no’) + ‘may/yon/naise’ (just split those syllables out) should do the trick. The do-it-yourself assembly job routine makes for a more languid approach to dinner than some other street food joints where you may feel a little rushed. Great for an evening with friends and beer, then.
Address: 143 Cô Giang, Phường Cô Giang, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Quan An Co Lieng (District 3)
Ideal for charcoal-grilled beef that lets the smoke do the talking…
We couldn’t dine out all article on Saigon’s best street food without having a second round of bo la lot. It’s said that the city’s favourite dish (don’t @me, broken rice) lives or dies on two things: the beef mixture and the char that sets off just the right amount of bitterness in the betel leaf. At Co Lieng, they’ve had thirty years to get both aspects just right. Let’s just say they’ve absolutely mastered it.
The beef here is seasoned with lemongrass, garlic, and enough spice to register without overwhelming. The betel leaves (yes, we know they’re piper sarmentosum really) are wrapped tight around the meat, then grilled out front over charcoal. The smoke throws a peppery fragrance over the compact dining room that overrides any perfume you’ve sprayed on for your night at Apocalypse Now.
The accoutrements all arrive looking sharp and purposeful, inviting wrapping and rolling. The plate of herbs – perilla in both green and purple, pennywort, Thai basil, lettuce – is as pert and fresh as you’ll ever see on the street, and the pickles and dipping sauce (this one spiked with fermented shrimp paste) are note-perfect.
What’s not to love?
Address: Võ Văn Tần/321 Bàn Cờ, Phường, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Hu Tieu Nam Vang Nhan Quan (District 3)
Ideal for a noodle soup of shrimp, pig heart, quail’s egg and more…
We’re going to resist pho recommendations just yet, because if it’s noodle soup we’re after in the south, it has to be hu tieu. Though it comes in many forms, our favourite version is Hu Tieu Nam Vang, a glorious meeting of Chinese and Cambodian influences and just a fantastic, uniquely flavoured bowl of goodies.
The hu tieu noodles are defined by a proper rice-y flavour and decent bite, and the pork bone based broth is clear and light. Expect plenty of sliced pork offal and mince floating in the soup, as well as a couple of large shrimp as standard. The rest is up to both the server and your own whim. The district 3 joint Hu Tieu Nam Vang Nhan Quan do an excellent version.
Address: 488 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Phường 2, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
Hong Phat (District 3)
Ideal for hu tieu done the old-fashioned way…
The founder of Hong Phat, Dang Thi Tuyet, learned to make hu tieu Nam Vang in 1970s Phnom Penh. A political coup in Cambodia in 1970 led to increased anti-Vietnamese sentiment, so she and her husband relocated to Saigon despite the war raging between North and South. In 1975 she opened a humble stall in her parents-in-law’s house.
The restaurant has since expanded into a spacious, air-conditioned operation on Vo Van Tan that’s perhaps slicker than it needs to be, but is certainly a comfortable place to eat your lunch.
The hu tieu here sticks to its Khmer-Chinese origins. The broth is pork bone and dried seafood, simmered in gigantic cauldrons for hours, clear and sweet without being cloying. The noodles have bite (order yours dry with the soup on the side to retain that edge). The toppings – tiger prawns, pork offal, blood cake, poached slices of pork, bean sprouts – arrive in generous quantities, finished with fried garlic and with fresh herbs on the side. It starts mellow and wonderfully restorative, and as you get to the bottom of the bowl, it suddenly intensifies, all of your self-seasoning suddenly coming alive in a raucous few final bites.
There are also handmade steamed buns, delicate and fragrant, displayed out front to lure you in (or, indeed, take away as you’re leaving for a little late afternoon pick-me-up). A word for the makrut lime soda, which is the most delicious cure for dehydration we’ve ever encountered.
Service is efficient, credit cards accepted. Open daily from half six in the morning until half ten at night.
Address: 389 Võ Văn Tần, Phường 5, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Website: hutieuhongphat.com
Com Tam Ba Ghien (District 1)
Ideal for broken rice and grilled pork chop close to the backpacker strip…
Only fools commit their fractured rice grains to the bin. Indeed, ever creative Vietnamese cooks have created a whole dish celebrating their imperfection; com tam (‘broken rice’) is found all over Ho Chi Minh City, served with an array of customisable sides and toppings. And regardless of just how many of those toppings you plonk on your plate, and despite the fact that you’ll feel as though you could always add one more, this dish is proudly all about the rice.
That said, the city’s most popular accoutrement is a thin, grilled pork chop, glazed until sweet and burnished until bronze. But no local would stop there, and neither should you. A cripsy, runny egg, a mound of pork floss, fresh cucumber, pickled carrot…these are just some of the many delicious extras you should be adding. Don’t hold back, and you’ll be richly rewarded with a nourishing plateful. And full is the operative word here.
Address: 84 Đặng Văn Ngữ, Phường 10, Phú Nhuận, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Facebook: @ComTamBaGhien
Banh Xeo 46A (District 1)
Ideal for Bourdain-approved, pork and shrimp filled crispy crepes…
Next up, a dish from Central Vietnam that’s wildly popular on the streets of this Southern juggernaut; banh xeo. Rice flour, turmeric flour and water is fried until crispy, forming a taco-like shell which is filled with shrimp, minced pork, bean sprouts and the ubiquitous, ever welcome mountain of fresh herbs. Traditionally this pancake is then wrapped in rice paper and more lettuce and eaten accompanied with a sharp, salty dipping sauce of fish sauce, vinegar and chilli.
At Banh Xeo 46A, made even more popular by the patronage of Anthony Bourdain, you’ll find pancake slinging of the highest order, and baskets of fresh herbs stacked even higher. Ăn ngon nhé!
A word of warning; prices are pretty premium here, owing to the joint’s popularity following its numerous TV appearances. Other (cheaper) versions do exist!
Address: 46A Đinh Công Tráng, Tân Định, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Facebook: @banhxeo46A
Pho 2000 (District 1)
Ideal for beef pho done right, close to Ben Thanh Market…
Pho 2000, close to Ho Chi Minh’s famous Ben Thanh Market, is found via the stairs of the now ubiquitous Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and its first floor position means it’s a more upright, comfortable meal than those eaten with eyes at Honda Wave level.
Bill Clinton is proudly pictured on the walls enjoying a bowl; so much so, he ordered two apparently. A more reliable judge of the pho’s quality is the fact that it’s packed, every lunchtime, with plenty of locals, who come in their droves for the huge bowls of delicately flavoured, sweet and spicy broth and tender cuts of beef. Take us back.
Address: 210 Đ. Lê Thánh Tôn, Street, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Website: pho2000.vn
Pho Hung (District 1)
Ideal for an excellent version of Hanoi-style pho in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City…
An arguably even better bowl of the good stuff is found over at Pho Hung, a short walk along Duong Le Lai from Pho 2000.
Owing to its bold black and yellow signage, you’ll spot Pho Hung even sooner than you catch its enticing aroma, all sweet star anise and smoky aniseed notes from black cardamom wafting out from the gently ramshackle shophouse.
Follow your nose inside and pull up a stool at the restaurant’s stretch of shared tables. Though service is straightforward, you’ll find all the bells and whistles you need in that bowl that’s placed unceremoniously in front of you; this is truly sublime pho, clean yet rich, and close to the Northern-style of being savoury and supremely well balanced.
Order the Dac Biet (house special) which has both raw slices of sirloin and long braised bits of brisket alongside meatballs and our favourite, chewy, resilient tendon. It’s very good indeed.
Address: 243 Đ. Nguyễn Trãi, Phường Nguyễn Cư Trinh, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Pho Mien Ga Ky Dong (District 3)
Ideal for a nourishing bowl of chicken pho with added offal alongside…
All that said, the best bowl of pho in Ho Chi Minh City, we think, is served at Pho Mien Ga Ky Dong over in District 3. The chicken version of Vietnam’s most famous dish, this particular rendition is best enjoyed with glass noodles, the broth adhering to the sticky strands just so.
A light, bright, clean dining room that’s open from the moment the sun comes up until late in the evening, Pho Mien Ga Ky Dong is always bustling, with locals ordering dark thigh meat for the bowl, and a side plate of braised liver and a tangle of Vietnamese mint for picking over. You should do the same.
Address: 14/5 Bis Ky Dong Street, Ward 9, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
Bun Bo Hue Chu Ha (District 3)
Ideal for spicy noodle soup served in a fishbowl…
Bun bo hue is a dish of contradiction. It’s supremely light, yet below the surface, the baritone thrum of shrimp paste is unmistakable. It’s clean and clear, superficially, but dappled across its facade is chili oil, ready to induce a humidity-defying sweat.
That contradiction continues, where the best version of the dish we’ve tasted isn’t served in the city of its origin (Hue, hence the…), but instead here, in Saigon. At Bun Bo Hue Chu Ha, where the noodles, oxtail and braised meats are all stacked high out front, the art of bun bo hue has been perfected.
Served from glass bowls, it’s pleasing to observe your own personal flourishes, of lime juice, chilli oil, garlic vinegar and the rest, dropping to the bottom of the bowl, fish tank style. It’s just what the doctor ordered in Ho Chi Minh City’s 40 degree heat.
Address: 300 Võ Văn Tần, Phường 5, Quận 3, Tp Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Facebook: @BunbohueChuHa
Pho Hoa Pasteur (District 3)
Ideal for another round of pho after several rounds of craft beer…
After that brief interlude, we’re back in search of a damn fine pho, keen to recalibrate our sense of what this famous dish is all about.
There’s no better place to do so than at Pho Hoa Pasteur, which sits on Pasteur Street (named after the renowned microbiologist Louis Pasteur). Incidentally, the soon-to-be world-conquering Pasteur Street Taproom is just round the corner, and their signature craft beer is excellent.
Anyway, this popular restaurant has been serving exemplary beef pho for almost six decades now. As well as the usual braised and raw bits, you can add tripe, tendon and golf-ball sized meatballs to your pho here. An absolute mountain of foliage, including sawtooth coriander, several forms of basil, and mustard greens, arrives alongside the main event, all in the name of personalisation.
Address: 260C Pasteur Street, Ward 8, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
Website: phohoapasteur.restaurantsnapshot.com
Oc Dao (District 1)
Ideal for streetside snails and Bia Saigons…
One of Vietnam’s most beloved street food experiences, eating sea snails, reaches its gold standard version at Oc Dao. Open from 10:30am to 10pm daily, you’ll find a huge variety of these cherished molluscs, done in both prosaic and inventive ways.
Follow your nose, of course, but certainly order the oc toi. Here, palm-sized shells are grilled until smokey and bubbling from their aperturals. Hoik the snail flesh out with a toothpick in one graceful motion and dredge through its adjacent, piquant chilli and garlic dipping sauce. Also order oc buou nhoi thit – that’s snails stuffed with pork – and the octopus teeth (whose translation escapes us), which arrive swimming in a viscous, sweet garlic butter. Incredible stuff.
If snails aren’t your thing, there’s a whole host of other shellfish options here, from clams to scallops and beyond. This is nhậu culture at its very best. Shout for a few Big Saigons with plenty of attitude and plenty of ice, and settle in to one of the quintessential Saigon eating experiences.
Address: 212B/D48 Đ. Nguyễn Trãi, Phường Nguyễn Cư Trinh, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Read: Where to eat near Bui Vien backpacker street
Vinh Khanh Street (District 4)
Ideal for entering the nhậu zone via the swirls of a snail…
Vinh Khanh Street in District 4 stretches for about a kilometre, and nearly every shopfront along it is dedicated to one thing: oc. Snails, in every conceivable preparation. Steamed with lemongrass, baked with cheese, stir-fried in coconut milk, sautéed with tamarind. Each variety demands its own extraction technique with a toothpick, which makes for fidgety, messy, time-consuming eating, the kind where the beers flow and conversation gets increasingly bawdy as the night wears on.
Beyond snails, there are scallops glistening with scallion oil, razor clams tossed with morning glory, mantis shrimp grilled with salt and chilli. Oc Oanh at number 534 has been at this for nearly twenty years but wears its Michelin Bib Gourmand award lightly. The salt-roasted crab claws are the signature, alongside grilled shrimp and snails cooked in rich, spicy sauces. But the quality along the entire strip is strong. Follow your nose, look for the crowds, order too much.
Most restaurants fire up around noon, but the street comes alive after dark when the neon buzzes and the beer flows faster. You’ll find people ripping into shellfish well past midnight, seemingly oblivious to the time or the fact their white t-shirt has been ruined by the spray of garlic butter.
Address: Vinh Khanh Street, Ward 8, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City
Chao Ech Singapore Tan Dinh (District 1)
Ideal for curing the night’s ills with frog congee…
We’re having frog congee next, at Chao Ech Singapore. We’ve waited this long to introduce this lovely Singaporean-inspired dish to the mix as this streetside joint, located on the peripheries of bustling Tan Dinh Market, is only open from 7pm.
Really, it’s positioned as a late night place that cures the evening’s sins, the signature sweet and spicy frog stew and accompanying plain, cloudlike congee the perfect foil to a night of rice wine. Iced lettuce shows the deceptively simple restaurant’s commendable attention to detail.
A perch on plastic stools and an open grill wafting thick smoke around only adds to the lively atmosphere.
Address: 315 Hai Bà Trưng, Tân Định, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
Facebook: @chaoechtandinh
Lang Nuong Nam Bo (District 10)
Ideal for beer fuelled feasting and making new friends…
Lang Nuong Nam Bo is a sprawling, beer-fuelled restaurant that opened just before the turn of the millennium and has been packed with rowdy revellers ever since.
They’re all here for one thing; the whole-roasted baby suckling pig. Served with deep-fried glazed buns that either look like snails or turds depending on how you look at them, the pork is served portioned into cubes but still on the bone, retaining all its juices. Crisp, lacquered skin adorns every bite-sized chunk. Heaven.
Really, it’s just one plate though, of a massive spread of Vietnamese drinking food, the shredded bamboo salad another highlight. Plates of prawns showered in deep fried garlic, salted ribs, boiled paddy crabs… It’s all here, and it’s all designed to make you drink more beer. Not that we’re complaining.
You better practise your chugging skills before pitching up; this is the kind of place where it’s a surprise if you don’t end up joining forces with the party next to you. Clinking glasses and downing beers with your newfound friends naturally follows…
Address: 302A Tô Hiến Thành, Phường 15, Quận 10, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, Vietnam
Website: nhahanglangnuongnambo.com
Pha Lau Co Thao (District 4)
Ideal for when you need a non-noodle nosh…
Pha lau – braised offal in a spiced, coconut-enriched broth – is one of those dishes that divides opinion before anyone’s even tried it. Ignore the bores and the trepidatious, and get yourself lost in the District 4’s tangle of alleys, where Pha Lau Co Thao has been simmering heart, lung and liver for decades. Here, there’s no debate; the place is packed.
The dish itself is Teochew in origin, brought to Saigon by Chinese migrants who extolled the virtues of using every part of the animal. What arrives at your table is a bowl of pork intestines, all meticulously cleaned then braised for hours in a coconut broth spiked with five-spice, cinnamon, star anise. The result is rich without being heavy, aromatic but still tasting of offal.
Co Thao’s version stands out for the broth, which boasts a fine natural sweetness and a golden colour. The offal itself is tender but retains some chew – a sign it’s been handled properly. You can order it in a bowl with the broth, or have it stir-fried if you prefer something drier.
It’s typically eaten with banh mi, the bread soaking up the coconut-rich liquid, or with instant noodles that do much the same thing but require chopsticks rather than hands. A side of tangy tamarind dipping sauce cuts through the richness. God it’s good.
Address: 243/29G Ton Dan Street, Ward 15, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City
Banh Canh Cua Ut Le (District 10)
Ideal for one of Southern Vietnam’s most substantial noodle dishes…
Banh canh cua – a kind of crab noodle soup – doesn’t get the same international attention as some of Vietnam’s more headlining noodle dishes, which is a shame because it’s arguably more interesting. The noodles are thicker – made with tapioca and rice flour – with a chew that’s closer to udon than anything else in the Vietnamese repertoire. The broth is thickened with brown crab, giving it a dense consistency that clings to those sticky noodles and refuses to let go. Do we even need to say how satisfying this is to eat?
Ut Le, on To Hien Thanh in District 10, is one of Saigon’s premier purveyors of the stuff, its popularity a firm indicator of the quality within. The restaurant now sprawls across multiple shopfronts, all identifiable by the crab mascot out front, though you’ll likely be seated in one of the back rooms at a low table with knee-high stools that actually make slurping all the easier.
The bowl arrives bubbling. Inside: thick noodles, crab cakes made with cá thác lác (a Southeast Asian freshwater fish), quail eggs, blood cake, deep fried tofu, shrimp, some random beef, and flakes of crab meat dispersed throughout the soup. It’s substantial – one bowl is a meal, not a snack.
There’s no menu; you just indicate how many servings you want and whether you’d like the larger size with extra toppings. Most people stick with the standard, which at 45,000 VND is already generous. It’s pretty rich, and you’ll want to cut it with the tabletop seasonings; the fresh line and chopped chilli are essential if you’re to finish a bowl.
The restaurant opens at 4pm and runs until late, which makes it a popular dinner spot rather than a breakfast or lunch option.
Address: 210 To Hien Thanh Street, Ward 15, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
Bun Mam Phan Boi Chau (District 1)
Ideal for a funky, fishy finish…
We end, as so many do in Ho Chi Minh City, sitting across from Ben Thanh Market, hunched over a bowl of noodles. Bun Mam Phan Boi Chau is one of the city’s most popular purveyors of bun mam, a popular Southern noodle soup that boasts a moody, funky broth that’s salty and pungent from a good dose of fermented shrimp paste and fermented fish sauce. All that pugency is tempered by both an underlying sweetness and the tartness of tamarind, both of which help pull things back from the brink.
Added to that incredibly moreish broth are noodles, of course, but also squid, prawns and pork belly. Grab yourself a napkin and get slurping; this is one fine way to end our roundup of Ho Chi Minh City’s best food.
Address: 103 Pasteur, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Care to join us in Thailand next, as we check out Bangkok’s best pad Thai? Go on, you know you want to…
