Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam is an incredible place to eat with so much variety and food on every corner. The abundance of food can be a blessing and a curse because finding the best, cleanest, and cheapest local street foods can be daunting. Having spent a lot of time exploring Ho Chi Minh City I can recommend these spots for the cheapest, tastiest, and most iconic of Saigon’s street foods.
All of the dishes below can be modified for vegetarians, some for vegans, and are flexible for a variety of palates. You can watch the food being prepared in the video above and read on.
All Day Breakfast
- One of Vietnam’s most beloved street foods, bánh xèo is a massive fried pancake omelette that can be eaten at any time of day or night. Cost is roughly $3.20 and this place makes some of the best.
Stews And Soups
- Vegans will love Bún bò Huế Chay for its selection of traditional Vietnamese foods with meat substitutions that are made from whole foods. Two dollars gets you a massive bowl of vegan beef noodles and before you leave, check the kitchen to see what’s on display for the daily menu.
- Boiling hot clams, cheese topped scallops, and plenty of crab stew, get a very authentic night out with seafood in Ho Chi Minh City and eat a meal typically made for a group at only $5.90. This nighttime spot is right here.
Get Sweet
- This grilled sticky rice and banana (Chuối Nếp Nướng) might be the best thing ever. It’s popular for a reason and they sell over a thousand per night. Enjoy a few for only 80 cents.
- Avacado longan (a local fruit) ice cream with shaved coconut and ground peanuts is the perfect cure for a hot day. You can find Kem bơ near the flower market. Cost, 80 cents.
- Baked potato puffs sprinkled with sugar and drizzled chocolate Khoai lang bong bóng is the snack you can’t stop eating. Find it here and get a handful for 80 U.S. cents.
Perfect Spot For Pizza
- Ho Chi Minh City has a different take on pizza and Bánh tráng nướng chay is worth all 80 cents. Incredible taste and unbelievable price.
- Next door there’s a place selling kumquat tea that’s feuding with pizza place. The video above has the story and a cup of Trà tắc is only 80 cents.
Of course this isn’t it for Ho Chi Minh City. There’s also a massive selection of vegan foods in Ho Chi Minh City and plenty of places to explore in Saigon for inexpensive and incredibly tasty food.
