Saigon Street Food

Dive into local life in a bustling hẻm (alley) packed with food vendors who have spent decades perfecting their special dishes. While sampling a variety of simple street food, you’ll hear stories about this local neighbourhood and how history has influenced the Saigon’s culinary scene.
Some dishes you’ll try will have a little taste of France, the former colonial rulers of Vietnam. Some dishes contain flavours from China, which ruled Vietnam for 1,000 years. Some nights you might even get a hint of Korean undertones.

This tour is designed to give you the confidence to go out and try street food on your own once you’re released back into the wilds of Ho Chi Minh City.
We’ll take you to and from our favourite foodie neighbourhood by xe om (motorbike taxis). If you’re worried about riding on the back of a motorbike, we do have the scardey-cat option of taking a taxi. This requires a slightly earlier pickup (to navigate the peak hour traffic) and a small surcharge.
Once in our foodie hẻm, we’ll walk from place to place, in amongst the everyday chaos of motorbikes, bicycles, kids, grandmas, street soccer, hairdressers and drink stations.

Start your day slurping a bowl of Vietnam’s unofficial national dish, phở.
We will take you out of the tourist area for a food walk through the “real” Saigon. We’ll start at a pho place that’s been serving noodle soup for more than 35 years. This place is one of Saigon’s best kept secrets … and it also serves great Vietnamese coffee.
At this first stop you’ll receive a set of bamboo straws to help reduce the amount of plastic used in Vietnam. They’re yours to keep, and they come with a cute little coconut fibre brush, so you can use them during your travels and when you get home.
After breakfast, we’ll wander around the backstreets, past food stalls, cơm tấm (broken rice) restaurants and other intriguing local shops. As we walk we’ll start collecting snacks to sample later.
We’ll walk through a chaotic local wet market, where tiny stall sell dried, pickled and fresh produce, as well as live seafood, frogs and fresh meat. We’ll stop in the noisy eating area to soak in the craziness, and learn about the tropical fruits in season at the time.
A short walk from the market is a peaceful park, and a temple famous for its fortune telling. After this stop we’ll enjoy a family-style meal in a nearby rice restaurant.
This tour, suitable for families, is a great introduction to Vietnam. During the tour you’s learn some of the basics that will make your visit to Vietnam enjoyable, including how to cross the road!
While it’s not physically possible to eat everything you see on the tour, when we’re finished with you, you should be able to identify a range of local dishes and know how to order them. We also hope you’ll have a deeper understanding of Vietnamese culture and history.

The tour guide welcomes you at the hotel lobby.
Walk around District 1 to visit some famous and specialized – food families or stall/local restaurant.
Taste some popular authentic food by yourself (Spring roll, Vietnamese bread, Beef/Chicken noodle, Vietnamese sweet Tofu) in hidden alleys and sidewalks that you never imagine.
Discover Saigon life, see how 3-generation family can live under one roof, in a very tiny 9-square meter house.
Tour guide will help you to take taxi or show you direction back your hotel.