A historic pocket of District 1 around the pink Tan Dinh Church and market, full of old-Saigon snack stalls, banh canh cua and family villas turned restaurants.
Cuc Gach Quan is a Bib Gourmand favourite: an architect's old villa turned into a warm room for home-style Southern Vietnamese cooking and clay-pot braises.
Signature: Braised pork in clay pot, Water-spinach with garlic, Tofu hotpot
Order: The clay-pot braised pork and the tofu the kitchen makes in house.
Tip: There is no fixed menu; tell the staff your group size and let the dishes arrive family style.
Banh Canh Cua 87 is a Tan Dinh sidewalk institution with a single-minded focus: a thick, savoury crab noodle soup of tapioca noodles, crab and quail eggs.
Signature: Banh canh cua, Crab tapioca noodle soup
Order: The full banh canh cua loaded with crab and quail eggs.
Tip: It is a busy sidewalk stall with plastic stools; go mid-afternoon to beat the crowd.
Tan Dinh Market, trading since 1926 by the pink Tan Dinh Church, is a local produce and fabric market whose surrounding stalls serve fine street food.
Order: Banh canh cua or a snack from the stalls ringing the market.
Tip: Skip the fabric floors and graze the food stalls around the market's edges in the morning.
Di Tam is one of Saigon's oldest broken-rice stalls, a Tan Dinh fixture plating com tam with a charcoal-grilled pork chop, egg and pickles for a few dollars.
Try: Com tam suon
Order: Com tam suon with a grilled pork chop and egg.
Tip: It is central District 1 but still cheap; go at lunch when the grill is at full tilt.