Ho Chi Minh City Tours

Top 6 Best Dishes to Taste in Ho Chi Minh City

Banh Mi (Vietnamese Baguette Sandwich)

One of the most popular dishes in Ho Chi Minh City is “ banh mi ”. Walking around the city you will see dozens of carts with signs selling banh mi. In Vietnamese “ banh mi” actually just means bread but it also refers to any type of the Vietnamese baguette sandwich. The basic sandwich includes a crusty baguette which is sliced in half and stuffed with layers of pork, luncheon meats, shredded cured pork skin, pate, mayonnaise, Vietnamese radish and carrot pickles, a handful of sliced cucumbers, and sprigs of coriander. The perfect combination of those ingredients makes banh mi such a glorious sandwich. If you are a meat lover you should taste Banh Mi Huynh Hoa with multiple layers of luncheon meats. Another place to enjoy this food is Banh Mi 37 Nguyen Trai which is famous for its special sauce that was almost like teriyaki.

Ca Kho To (Braised Fish In Clay Pot)

“Ca kho to” - fragrant braised catfish carefully caramelized in a clay pot with a hint of fish sauce is one of the most common dishes in Ho Chi Minh city. It is available at both Vietnamese sit-down restaurants and “com binh dan”- street food buffets. For Vietnamese, this comfort dish offers the flavors of home in each bite. To make this savory fish dish, locals have to cut catfish into steak sliced pieces and braises it in a thick and rich gravy made from soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, shallots, and garlic, among a few other light spices and seasonings for several hours. Cuc Gach Quan is a famous restaurant to taste this dish, you can find it at No 10 Dang Tan, Tan Dinh Ward, Dist 1, HCMC.

Goi Cuon (Vietnamese Vegetable Rolls)

Goi Cuon is a perfect choice for a hot summer day because of its fresh and pure flavor. It is a harmonious combination of pork slices, shrimps, basil, vermicelli noodles, lettuce, and spring onion. All of them are rolled in a piece of rice paper. Dip the rolls into bean paste or a mix of freshly ground chili and hoisin-based dipping sauce topped with crushed peanuts…awesome! Stop at 48 Ngo Duc Ke to enjoy this specialty.

Bo La Lot (Grilled Beef In Piper Lolot)

If you are a lover of stew, grilled beef in piper lolot is the best choice for you. Bo La Lot is little-minced beef roll which is lightly spiced and seasoned before being covered by piper lolot. After that, they are grilled over charcoal. This dish is served with rice paper, a mountain of green vegetables and herbs, and dipping sauce. In some restaurants, when you taste this dish you also got a plate of mỡ chài, another type of Vietnamese sausage, that is so tasty. Each bite is pure joy! There are a number of bo la lot street food stalls around Ton Duc Thang street, we highly recommend Co Lien Bo La Lot that serves it throughout the day with super friendly waiters.

Oc (Vietnamese Shellfish)

A night of relaxing on small chair in a roadside stall, sipping cold beers and slurping down snails and shells is one of the most interesting ways to enjoy Saigon. There are typically tons of different raw snails to choose from, as well as other shells like blood cockles, clams, and shrimp and crab as well. You also can choose a method for the snails you would like to eat like grilled, sautéed, coated in salt and chili, steamed, curried, and so on. Make sure that you do not skip grilled mussels with scallion oil and peanuts, blood cockles sautéed in tamarind sauce and clams steamed with lemongrass! They are so tasty! Oc A Soi restaurant is a local hangout spot for this tasty delicacy.

Com Tam (Broken Rice Topped With A Grilled Pork Chop)

Available at any small street food stalls and market throughout the Ho Chi Minh City, “Com tam suon nuong” is known as a southern favorite. The most basic version of this special dish includes the broken rice and grilled pork chop served with fish sauce, cucumber pickles, green onion oil, chilies to garnish. You can order a lot of extra things such as a fried egg, Vietnamese meatloaf, pigskin, extra pork, more sausage, etc. Com Tam Ba Ghien is absolutely the most famous place to eat Vietnamese broken rice and grilled pork in all of Saigon. Make sure that as soon as you approach the restaurant – a sweet porky smoky aroma of this dish will immediately make your taste buds begin to water. Booking a Ho Chi Minh City tour right now to soak up those stunning dishes! Contact us to get a unique Vietnam vacation.