7 Great Streets for Street Food in Saigon
Travel Adventures
7 Great Streets for Street Food in Saigon
The street food scene in Saigon permeates every district, neighbourhood, and alleyway; the city boasts so many street food outlets that, at times, Saigon feels like one gigantic, open-air restaurant. Every day, thousands of street-side eateries offer up delicious, cheap food in an informal environment on the city’ s sidewalks. But street food is about more than food: it’ s about atmosphere and ambience. As a friend of mine once pointed out, if you take street food home with you, it doesn’ t taste anywhere near as good. Eating street food is without doubt the best thing to do in Saigon. Here are my 7 favourite streets for street food in Saigon.
MY 7 BEST STREETS FOR STREET FOOD IN SAIGON:
Below I’ ve listed, reviewed seven of the best streets for street food in Saigon. The following streets are not in order of preference: I love each one as much as the others. In the descriptions for each street I’ ve included my recommendations of particular places to eat. While some people have strict definitions of what is and isn’ t‘ street food’, I define it as anything that’ s eaten outside, on the street, at affordable prices.
1. VAN KIEP STREET: Phu Nhuan / Binh Thanh districts 2. SU VAN HANH STREET: District 10 3. VINH KHANH STREET: District 4 4. PHAN VAN HAN STREET: Binh Thanh District 5. CO GIANG STREET: District 1 6. TRAN KHAC CHAN STREET: District 1 7. NGUYEN THUONG HIEN STREET: District 3
1. VAN KIEP STREET: Border of Phu Nhuan & Binh Thanh districts
Text and Photos: VietnamCoracle. com
Even in the light drizzle of a cool rainy season evening Van Kiep Street is a thrilling exhibition of Vietnamese street food. Showcasing dozens of different dishes all in the space of a couple hundred metres, Vạn Kiếp Street straddles the border of two of Saigon’ s most vibrant districts, Phu Nhuan and Binh Thanh. Neon signs prick the night, illuminating the slanting rain as they announce the specialities of each food and drink outlet: phở, bánh canh cua, bánh mì, bánh xèo, bún mắm, bún bò Huế, bún chả, nem nướng, chè- there must be at least fifty different dishes available on this street, and over a hundred eateries to choose from. The street is packed with young Vietnamese – I rarely see any customers over the age of 30 – all clustered around small plastic tables, hunched over on small plastic stools, talking, eating, gesticulating, laughing.
Grilling on the sidewalk for bún chảGrilling pork patties on the sidewalk, Van Kiep Street Quán 104( 230 Van Kiep) is a small, trendy place specializing in grilled octopus( bạch tuộc nướng), which is very popular with Saigon youth at the moment. The spicy, marinated octopus is grilled over a coal barbecue on the sidewalk; the scented smoke wafts into the street, enticing all who pass to stop and eat, like a vaporous Siren. Van Kiep has more than its fair share of bánh canh cua outlets – a stodgy, slippery, fishy, noodley southern classic: try it at 63 Van Kiep. Near the intersection with Phan Xich Long Street there are a couple of good bún mắm stalls. This is a potent seafood noodle soup which is crammed full of wholesome ingredients.
52 The MAG Vung Tau