Saigon Food Tour

Ho Chi Minh City is the most developed city in Vietnam. There are lots of places to visit and activities to do. As a visitor, you can easily feel the vibrance of local life. Additionally, you don’t dont want to miss the diverse cuisines of Ho Chi Minh City. In this article, ICA Travel Group will give you the Saigon Food Tour that definitely won’t disappoint you. It’s also a good way to learn more about this beautiful city.

Saigon Food Tour No 1: Com tam – Broken rice

The first dish we would like to introduce you in this amazing Saigon Food Tour is Com tam, known as Broken rice. The term “com” refers to cooked rice, while “tam” signifies the broken rice grains. As the name implies, broken rice is a type of rice that has undergone a milling process resulting in fractured grains. These fragmented grains are separated from the whole ones and marketed as “broken rice.” Despite their fractured nature, broken rice retains all the qualities and nutritional value of whole rice, making it a perfectly acceptable choice for consumption.

The broken rice, being essentially white rice, possesses a uniform taste. However, the texture of broken rice can differ based on the cooking method, owing to its shorter grain length. When cooked with a small amount of water, Vietnamese broken rice acquires a nutty, risotto-like consistency. On the other hand, if cooked with a sufficient amount of water, the rice becomes fluffy and sticky, akin to glutinous rice.

Typically, a broken rice plate is served with grilled meat, egg meatloaf or sunny-side-up egg, tomato, lettuce and cucumber salad, carrot and radish pickles, and a generous amount of fish sauce.

Vietnamese eat rice everywhere in the country, however, broken rice is an iconic cuisine in Ho Chi Minh City. Saigon broken rice has long been considered a hunger relief dish for poor workers. The reason for this is because broken rice grains bloom less and are cheap so they can be used in daily meals to save costs. Previously, this dish was mostly only for workers, poor farmers or students without economic conditions. But now, broken rice has become a specialty and is mentioned often nationwide. In particular, it has become a typical dish of Saigon.

Saigon Food Tour No 2: Pho

As you may know, Pho is the most popular dish in Vietnam. It’s so well known that it bears in foreigners’ minds when mentioning Vietnam’s cuisine. However, in each region, Pho has different tastes. In general, Pho is basically the same in that the main ingredients are pho noodles, beef/chicken and broth. However, the taste of pho in the two regions is different. Pho in Ho Chi Minh City is seasoned with more spices and the broth is also richer and creamier than that in Hanoi. Southern pho is often served with raw vegetables, bean sprouts, soy sauce, chili sauce, … And the most popular “pho” is pho with the broth, while in Hanoi, there are some variations, like stir-fried pho, rolled pho, deep-fried pho, rolled pho, …

Saigon Food Tour No 3: Hu tieu

Hu tieu is a dish using fibrous rice preparations of the Chaozhou and Minnan people. It has become a common dish in the South China region of China and Southeast Asia.

Hu tieu has developed very strongly in the South of Vietnam since the 50s. In Saigon, it is easy to find noodle carts pushed on the streets at the beginning of the alley. It  can be said that Hu Tieu is a typical dish here, similar to pho in Hanoi or beef noodle soup in Hue. Noodles are usually a breakfast or dinner dish, Southerners rarely eat noodles for lunch.

The main ingredients of noodles are noodles, the main broth is with minced meat and pork intestines cooked together. Then boil the noodles with broth, then add additional ingredients such as bean sprouts, chives, and minced meat. You can enjoy it with beef balls, chili sauce, black sauce.

The delicious taste of noodles is unmistakable. To have a delicious bowl of noodle soup is a blend of many ingredients. The ingredients for making noodles are very familiar and available in the river region. Although it’s not too complicated, it’s not simple to cook a bowl of noodle soup that makes diners rave. The rich, transparent broth is stewed from bones and white radish for many hours. The noodle soup is very special, made from delicious rice, has an ivory white, chewy, and sweet taste. Visitors here can visit traditional noodle factories to discover how to make these crispy, delicious noodles. In addition, the attractiveness lies in the combination of shrimp, thinly sliced ​​tenderloin, fatty quail eggs and fresh raw vegetables. All creates unique flavors that make you crave it just by looking at it.

Saigon Food Tour No 4: Banh mi

Like Pho, Banh mi is considered Vietnam’s national dish. You can try Banh mi in every region in Vietnam. With the diversity in culture, Banh mi also has diverse versions. 

Banh mi appeared in Hanoi a little later than Saigon. People in Hanoi in the past often called bread “Western bread” because it originated from France. Until the 30s, people started using pate sandwiches, sausages, etc. for breakfast to start the day.

Banh mi followed the French to Saigon first, to the North, then became popular nationwide. While Hanoian called bread western bread, Saigon people at that time called it banh mi loaf (loaf like sponge cake).

The freshly baked bread loaves are still smelling of wheat flour, mixed with a layer of fatty and fragrant pate. That creates the traditional flavor of old Saigon. The difference here is that Saigon Pate does not have slices of fat on the Pate surface like in Hanoi. Instead, Saigon people create typical heirloom sauces such as avocado sauce, tomato sauce, mayonnaise, shumai meat sauce, etc. 

Saigon bread has rich and diverse fillings such as cold fatty meat, ham, grilled meat, … sprayed with homemade soy sauce. Sellers spread a layer of fatty fresh pate, add some pickles, cucumber, cilantro and a few slices of fresh chili.

Saigon Food Tour No 5: Pha lau

Pha lau is a quite familiar dish of Chinese origin in the southern provinces of Vietnam, especially in Saigon. Pha lau is made from the tongue, ears, intestines and stomach of pigs, cows or ducks. 

It seems that Saigon pha lau is a simple dish. However, to be delicious, it must go through complex processing stages and the meticulousness and skill of the chef. Each cook will have different spice levels for the pot of broth. The most basic spices of pha lau include some Chinese herbs such as cinnamon, octagon, star anise, … Eat more delicious food, and bring direct benefits to the body.

In addition, with the increasing demand of Saigon food lovers, pha lau dishes are also changing day by day. People have come up with many ways to prepare them as well as create many other versions.

The most popular Saigon pha lau include pha lau with noodles, pha lau with noodles and pha lau with bread. Usually, if you want to have fun and eat for fun, people say you should eat junk food. Besides the small bowl of pha lau, the owner will also give a small bowl of well prepared dipping. If you feel not full, eat it with bread or noodles. In addition, there are many other versions such as fried pha lau, fried tamarind pha lau, beef pha lau,…

Saigon Food Tour No 6: Banh canh

Banh canh is a rustic dish that has been present in Saigon for a long time. It’s increasingly diverse, especially after the wave of mass immigration in recent decades. There are few dishes that are as easy to eat and as diverse as banh canh. When it comes to banh canh, many people are confused, not knowing which type to choose. A bowl of Banh Canh is delicious or not depending on 3 criteria: stem, broth and the combination of ingredients.

Crab noodle soup is often jokingly called the “luxurious” version of noodle soup. Throughout Saigon, almost no market lacks crab noodle soup. The price of a bowl of crab noodle soup is more expensive than any other popular dish. However, it’s still the preference of many people. It’s not only filling but also the feeling of eating crab – a luxurious seafood in the minds of many people.

Crab noodle soup in Saigon is usually a tapioca noodle soup type. The advantage of tapioca noodle soup is that the broth retains its clarity with the chewy and soft “banh”. Crabs must have firm, delicious meat. In addition, there must also be straw mushrooms, pork trotters, and boiled shrimp. Just seeing that clear stem of banh canh lying in the same bowl with the bright red color of crab. Besides, the dark yellow broth, and the  green onions is enough to stimulate the appetite to the extreme. Perhaps crab noodle soup is a dish that more or less bears Saigon’s own imprint; not at all ambiguous.

In conclusion, ICA Travel Group gave you an instruction for your Saigon Food Tour. However, Saigon cuisine has more than these above. For detailed information, please contact us and ICA Travel Group are glad to offer you the best Saigon Food Tour ever!