Ho Chi Minh City is a food-lover’s paradise. Vietnamese cuisine is renowned for its freshness, vibrant flavors, and healthy ingredients, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the country’s largest city. From street food to high-end restaurants, there’s something to suit every taste and budget. In this blog post, we’ll be counting down the 10 best things to eat in Ho Chi Minh City. Bon appetit!
1. Pho:
Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup that typically contains beef or chicken, rice noodles, and a variety of herbs and spices. It’s often served with a side of fresh lime, chili peppers, and bean sprouts, which diners can add to their soup according to taste. Pho is widely considered to be Vietnam’s national dish, and it’s easy to see why – it’s delicious!
2. Banh mi:
Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich made with French baguette bread, usually filled with pickled vegetables, chili sauce, fresh herbs, and either grilled pork or chicken. It’s a popular street food snack that can be found all over Ho Chi Minh City (and Vietnam as a whole).
3. Summer rolls:
Summer rolls are a type of Vietnamese spring roll made with rice paper wrappers and filled with a variety of ingredients such as chopped vegetables, cooked shrimp, vermicelli noodles, and mint leaves. They’re usually served with a dipping sauce made from hoisin sauce and peanuts. Yum!
4. Cha gio:
Cha gio are Vietnam’s answer to egg rolls. They’re made with pork or chicken filling wrapped in rice paper wrappers and deep-fried until crispy. Cha gio are often served as an appetizer or snack, but they can also be enjoyed as a main meal if you’re feeling particularly hungry!
5. Bun cha:
Bun cha is another popular Vietnamese noodle dish consisting of grilled pork patties served over vermicelli noodles in a light broth made from fish sauce and sugar. It’s often garnished with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and crunchy chopped peanuts. Delicious!
6. Hu tieu:
Hu tieu is a type of Vietnamese noodle soup that can be made with either pork or seafood as its protein source. The soup contains rice noodles, greens such as water spinach or morning glory leaves, and flavoring ingredients such as star anise and garlic. It’s usually garnished with fried shallots, chopped green onions, cilantro, and bean sprouts before being served. Yum!
7. Bo la lot:
Bo la lot are beef or pork meatballs wrapped in betel leaf wrappers and grilled until cooked through. These flavorful little morsels are typically served as an appetizer or snack but can also be enjoyed as part of a main meal along with other dishes like rice or noodles. Delicious!
8. Ca kho to:
Ca kho to is a Vietnamese braised fish dish made by cooking catfish (or another type of whitefish) in a clay pot together with caramelized sugar, fish sauce, coconut juice, shallots, garlic cloves, star anise seeds, lemongrass stalks, and Thai chili peppers. Once the fish has cooked through (usually after about 30 minutes), it’s ready to be served!
9. Banh xeo:
Banh xeo are Vietnamese crepes made from rice flour batter that’s poured into a hot skillet containing coconut milk and turmeric powder (which gives the crepes their characteristic yellow color). The batter cooks until it forms a thin pancake-like wrapper that’s then filled with various ingredients such as shrimp, Pork belly slices mushrooms, bean sprouts, and onions before being rolled up and eaten like an envelope. Yum!
10. Goi cuon:
Goi cuon are Vietnamese spring rolls made with thin rice paper wrappers filled with boiled shrimp, sliced pork, lettuce leaves, mint leaves, and vermicelli noodles . They’re usually served cold with dipping sauces on the side. Goi Cuon makes for a refreshing, light meal or snack . Enjoy!
Ho Chi Minh City offers visitors an incredible array of dining options, from street carts selling banh mi sandwiches to high -end restaurants serving up exquisite takes on traditional Vietnamese dishes.No matter what your budget or culinary preferences, you’re sure to find something to your liking in this food lover’s paradise. Bon appetit!
