Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Fresh spring rolls, translucent rice-paper wrappers rolled around poached pork, whole prawns, rice vermicelli, lettuce and herbs, served cold and dipped in a peanut-hoisin sauce or nuoc cham. Light, clean and uncooked, the counterpoint to the fried roll.
Goi cuon are the fresh, unfried cousin of the crisp cha gio, and a Southern Vietnamese specialty. Cool and herbaceous, they suit Saigon's climate, and they are as much an assembly as a recipe: softened rice paper, a leaf of lettuce, vermicelli, herbs, a slice of poached pork and a split prawn laid so its pink shows through the wrapper. The peanut-hoisin dip is the Southern signature. They appear on nearly every Vietnamese menu in the city, from home-cooking rooms to the rooftop kitchen at Secret Garden.
2 editor picks for Goi cuon in Ho Chi Minh City, ranked by editorial score. All Ho Chi Minh City signature dishes · Goi cuon across every city.
Secret Garden hides on the rooftop of an old apartment block off Pasteur, serving home-style Southern Vietnamese cooking on a breezy open-air terrace.
OrderBanh xeo and the fresh spring rolls with boiled pork.
TipIt is up several flights inside an old building; look for the small sign and keep climbing.
Quan Ngon 138 gathers dozens of regional Vietnamese street dishes near the Independence Palace, cooked at open stalls inside a colonial-era house.
OrderWork through several small dishes; the banh xeo and grilled meats are reliable.
TipIt is busy and touristy but a painless way to sample many regional dishes in one sitting.
Goi cuon makes more sense with someone from Ho Chi Minh City explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
3 hours
Spend three hours with a talented local chef to cook a three-course meal by yourself, following the steps of the instructions given and using only natural ingredients....
Guided tour · 8 hours
Explore Ho Chi Minh City on a guided tour with a Polish-speaking guide. Ride a traditional rickshaw, visit the Jade Emperor's Pagoda, and enjoy a local lunch.
Private tour · 4 hours
Discover the historic heart of Ho Chi Minh City on a guided tour with a cultural show and meal. Choose between a morning tour with lunch show or an afternoon tour with...
