Travel Adventures
2. SU VAN HANH STREET: District 10
extreme and compelling.
Sư Vạn Hạnh is a long, lively street in general, but the section between Ngô Gia Tự and Nguyễn Chí Thanh streets is partiuclarly frenetic and jam-packed with excellent street food. When I lived just up the road from here, my housemates and I referred to it as‘ The Ghetto’, because the area is dominated by several run-down, Soviet-style apartment blocks. Because there are so many people living so closely together in this neighbourhood( and because conditions are so cramped inside that people would rather spend their time outside), the area’ s street-life is exceptionally vibrant. Food stalls, vendors, casual eateries, cafes and bars line the street, all in the shadow of the dilapidated apartment complex. Young and old, families and couples take their seats on plastic stools at metallic tables and tuck into the various street treats on offer. The contrast between the energy and colour of the street food scene and the grey, grim, concrete bleakness of the apartment buildings( some of which are now in a state of demolition) is
Banh xeo street food vendor, SaigonSu Van Hanh Street specializes in mini bánh xèo, crispy rice flour pancakes
This street’ s speciality is bánh xèo( savoury crepes filled with pork and bean sprouts). Dozens of places serve small bánh xèo cooked on circular trays over flaming, coal-fired barbecues. My favourite is at 004 Lô H( literally‘ Block H’), where the family have been in the bánh xèo business on the same spot for 14 years. At the corner with Hòa Hảo Street there’ s a good Chinese-style noodle outlet called Tai Phát. Try the mì vịt tiềm( egg noodles with duck in a deeply aromatic broth). The noodles are sold from a classic xe mì( noodle trolley) decorated with painted dragons and scenes from Chinese mythology. Right at the southern end of Block H( Lô H) there’ s an outstanding Vietnamese dessert stall on the corner. This place is rammed with young Vietnamese who gather around the tiny tables in groups to enjoy any of the sixteen different kinds of dessert sold here. All of them are gooey, sweet, colourful and involve sticky rice, green bean or coconut milk in some form or another. The textures and flavours might be unfamiliar to most foreign palates but the sheer variety and youthful energy of this stall make it my favourite place on this street.
3. VINH KHANH STREET:
District 4
Apparently one of the favourite haunts of the notorious Vietnamese gangster Năm Cam( executed in 2004), today Vĩnh Khánh Street is one of the most popular places for street food in Saigon, especially seafood. Every night young people throng the sidewalks sporting trendy hairdos, tattoos, and the latest fashions from South Korea – you rarely see anyone over the age of 25 here. The atmosphere is electric: hundreds of small and large groups of friends hunker down at tiny red and blue plastic tables, splitting shells, cracking crab legs, clinking beer glasses and having a really good time. As if the thundering cacophony of laughter, traffic, and orders being shouted wasn’ t enough, some enterprising teenagers pull up on the curbside with giant amplifiers strapped to the backs of their motorbikes and proceed to blast out karaoke for the‘ entertainment’ of all street food customers. There are fire eaters and street dancers too. To say that the food scene here is vibrant is an understatement: it’ s choatic, loud, busy, oppressive, unrelenting and a glorious celebration of food, fun and youth.
Vinh Khanh street food, SaigonVinh Khanh Street is an intoxicating celebration of youth, food and fun
Head to Ốc Oanh( 534 Vĩnh Khánh Street) for seafood and shellfish. This is the most famous of all the seafood joints on the street. In Vietnam fame often leads to apathy and a decline in quality, but this is not the case at Ốc Oanh where the portions are big, the seafood fresh, and the service brisk and efficient. Try the ốc hương ràn muối ớt( fried sea snails with salt and chilli) and the sò điệp nướng mỡ hành( grilled scallops with spring onions and peanuts). Prices are a little higher here than elsewhere but it’ s worth it. Be prepared to wait a few minutes for a table, and don’ t be shy to shout over the din when it comes to ordering.
The MAG Vung Tau 53