Travel Adventures
6. TRAN KHAC CHAN STREET: District 1
A chaotic jumble of motorbikes, cars, pedestrians, food vendors, and diners on the sidewalks devouring their dinners, Tran Khac Chan Street is a throbbing street food mecca. In the space of a couple hundred metres there are close to 50 food outlets, all vying for space and attention on this busy little street. Hemmed in at one end by the Thi Nghe Channel and at the other by the tree-lined Tran Quang Khai Street, this is a place to really let your‘ foodie instincts’ guide you: follow the smells, the smoke, the neon signage and, most importantly, local people, towards anything edible that takes your fancy. I think of this street as an open‘ wardrobe’ of food in which I’ m free to try anything on.
Banh canh cua, street food, SaigonA bowl of‘ slippery’ bánh canh cua on Tran Khac Chan Street
Most of the action is at the Thi Nghe Channel end of the street. A good place to start is at the popular Banh Canh Cua 87 which, predictably, serves bánh canh cua at number 87 Tran Khac Chan. This gooey, slimy, crab-based concoction, uses thick and doughy noodles which are famously slippery: getting them to stay on your chopsticks from bowl to mouth is a challenge. There are a couple of enticing‘ grilled meat trolleys’ plying this street: the smell of barbecued chicken is difficult to pass up. Saigon nights can be hot and humid; cool off with a glass of freshly squeezed pomelo juice( nước ép bưởi) at 114 Tran Khac Chan. At the corner of Tran Khac Chan and Tran Khanh Du is Banh Xeo 79 where the cook, who claims to be shy, strikes eccentric poses in front of the camera.
7. NGUYEN THUONG HIEN STREET: District 3
cross streets of Nguyen Dinh Chieu and Vo Van Tan. Settle down to some snails and shellfish – a classic Saigon night out – at A Soi( 237- 239 Nguyen Thuong Hien). Oysters, clams, crab claws, sea snails and local beer are all on the menu here. Although Nguyen Thuong Hien is famous for its seafood, it’ s also become the unofficial fruit juice street of Saigon. Near the intersection with Nguyen Dinh Chieu and with Nguyen Thi Minh Khai there are several large‘ juiceries’ where all number of tropical fruits are freshly squeezed into plastic bottles to take away( try Phat Dat at 125 Nguyen Thuong Hien). Finally, head to Nhân Quán( 72-74 Nguyen Thuong Hien) for a bowl of its famous hủ tiếu Nam Vang noodles: slices of pork, whole shrimp and quail eggs in a clear sweet broth seasoned with shallots, spring onions and kale.
Lined with enormous concrete electricity pylons, Nguyen Thuong Hien is a straight and narrow street leading northeast from District 1. Yellow street lamps poke up above the squat, boxy houses, and tangled electricity cables hang in front of neon signage like jungle vines. At night, there’ s a sense of Dionysian abandon on this street: hundreds of diners take their seats at sidewalk restaurants, munching on shellfish, throwing empty beer cans under their tables, talking loudly, and singing along to acoustic guitars. There’ s a lot to eat and drink on Nguyen Thuong Hien, and a lot of fun to be had.
Nguyen Thuong Hien Street, SaigonNguyen Thuong Hien is a narrow, busy, dimly lit street that’ s full of food
The liveliest section of Nguyen Thuong Hien is between the
The MAG Vung Tau 55