The rooms worth a reservation in Ho Chi Minh City, from neighbourhood bistros to the new classics.
The restaurants worth the trip in Ho Chi Minh City. bistros, neo-classics, neighbourhood favourites, and the rooms locals book first.
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.
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.
Signature: Banh xeo, Fresh spring rolls, Grilled pork
Order: Banh xeo and the fresh spring rolls with boiled pork.
Tip: It 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.
Signature: Banh xeo, Bun bo Hue, Goi cuon
Order: Work through several small dishes; the banh xeo and grilled meats are reliable.
Tip: It is busy and touristy but a painless way to sample many regional dishes in one sitting.
Home Saigon tucks into a quiet alley off Pham Ngu Lao, plating polished versions of family Southern Vietnamese recipes in a set of restored old-house rooms.
Signature: Grilled pork, Clay-pot fish, Vietnamese salads
Order: The caramelised clay-pot fish and the pomelo salad.
Tip: It sits down a narrow hem; the street entrance is easy to miss, so follow the house numbers.
Ba Co Loc Coc is a Michelin Selected room for traditional Southern Vietnamese home cooking in District 3: grilled meats, clay pots and market vegetables.
Signature: Southern grilled dishes, Clay pots, Vietnamese salads
Order: The grilled dishes and a clay-pot braise to share.
Tip: It fills fast with local families at dinner; go early or book ahead on weekends.
Hoi An Sense is a Michelin Selected restaurant bringing central Vietnamese cooking to a garden villa in Da Kao, from cao lau to white rose dumplings.
Signature: Cao lau, White rose dumplings, Central Vietnamese dishes
Order: Cao lau noodles and the white rose shrimp dumplings.
Tip: The garden courtyard is the seat to request; there is often live traditional music at dinner.
Nephele is a Michelin Selected modern Vietnamese room in Binh Thanh, working local herbs and seasonal produce into a quiet, contemporary set menu.
Signature: Tasting menu, Seasonal Vietnamese plates
Order: The seasonal set menu, which leans on the day's market.
Tip: It sits down a residential lane in Binh Thanh; booking ahead is the safe move for dinner.
Okra Food Bar is a Michelin Selected Thao Dien room plating modern Vietnamese small plates alongside a serious cocktail list in a compact, design-led space.
Signature: Modern Vietnamese small plates, Cocktail pairings
Order: A run of the small plates with a cocktail pairing.
Tip: Seats are limited and the counter is the best view of the kitchen; reserve for weekends.
ST25 by KOTO is a Michelin Selected farm-to-table Vietnamese restaurant on Le Duan, run by the KOTO social enterprise that trains at-risk youth.
Signature: ST25 rice dishes, Farm-to-table Vietnamese
Order: Dishes built around Vietnam's award-winning ST25 rice.
Tip: Eating here supports KOTO's hospitality training programme; the set lunch is good value.
Dim Tu Tac is a Bib Gourmand Cantonese house in Cho Lon known for its trolleys of dim sum and its Peking duck, a fixture of District 5 banquet dining.
Signature: Dim sum, Peking duck, Roast meats
Order: The dim sum spread and the Peking duck.
Tip: Go with a group for the duck and a full round of dumplings; weekend lunch is the liveliest.
Pizza 4P's is the Vietnam-born chain that makes its own cheese and fires Japanese-Italian pizzas; the Saigon Centre branch is its polished downtown flagship.
Signature: Burrata pizza, House-made cheese, Wood-fired pizzas
Order: The half-and-half burrata pizza with house-made mozzarella.
Tip: Book ahead; the chain is hugely popular and the mall branch fills at lunch and dinner.
Bep Me In is a Michelin Bib Gourmand room dressing up Southern Vietnamese home cooking in a nostalgic old-Saigon setting just off Le Thanh Ton in District 1.
Signature: Southern home cooking, Clay pots, Grilled dishes
Order: The clay-pot braises and grilled river fish.
Tip: The retro decor draws a young local crowd; it is down a lane, so watch the house numbers.
Lang Nuong Nam Bo is a rowdy Southern barbecue institution where whole suckling pig and skewers come off open grills across a sprawling District 10 compound.
Signature: Grilled suckling pig, Southern barbecue, Grilled river fish
Order: The grilled suckling pig and a spread of Southern-style skewers.
Tip: Come with a group and plenty of beer; the grilled meats are meant for sharing.
Tan Nguyen Thai is a packed Cho Lon hole in the wall where locals crowd in for pages of steamed and pan-fried dumplings under red and yellow signage.
Signature: Steamed dumplings, Pan-fried dumplings, Cho Lon dim sum
Order: A stack of steamed and pan-fried dumplings straight off the menu pages.
Tip: It is always busy and cash-friendly; the pan-fried dumplings sell out early.
Quan Bui is a polished mini-chain of Vietnamese restaurants, and its Le Duan branch is a reliable, air-conditioned room for Southern home cooking.
Signature: Grilled pork, Clay-pot fish, Vietnamese salads
Order: The grilled pork ribs and the morning-glory with garlic.
Tip: It is a comfortable introduction to Vietnamese food for first-timers, with an English menu and cocktails.
The Deck is a luxe riverside restaurant on the Saigon River in Thao Dien, plating modern pan-Asian and Western dishes across a broad open deck.
Signature: Grilled seafood, Modern Asian plates, River-view dining
Order: Grilled seafood at sunset with a river view.
Tip: Arrive before dusk for a table on the water; it runs a popular weekend brunch and river shuttle.
Baba's Kitchen is Saigon's best-known Indian restaurant, a Bui Vien mainstay for North and South Indian curries, tandoor grills and thali plates.
Signature: Butter chicken, Biryani, Thali
Order: The butter chicken with garlic naan, or a South Indian thali.
Tip: It is on the backpacker strip; the thali is the value order and the kitchen does mild-to-fiery on request.
The Racha Room is a stylish Thai fusion restaurant and bar on Mac Thi Buoi, plating punchy modern Thai plates and cocktails in a dim, design-led District 1.
Signature: Massaman curry, Pad Thai, Thai fusion plates
Order: The massaman curry and a lemongrass cocktail.
Tip: It turns into a lively bar later; book for dinner if you want a quieter table.
Nha Hang Ngon is a bustling institution in a colonial villa on Pasteur, gathering open stalls of regional Vietnamese street dishes under one roof.
Signature: Banh xeo, Goi cuon, Regional street dishes
Order: A spread of small dishes; the banh xeo and cha gio are reliable.
Tip: It is touristy and busy but a painless one-stop sampler of dozens of Vietnamese dishes.
Sorae is a high-end Japanese restaurant and lounge in the AB Tower, serving sushi, sashimi and wagyu across a dramatic space with skyline views.
Signature: Sushi, Sashimi, Wagyu
Order: The omakase sushi selection or the wagyu.
Tip: It sits at the base of the AB Tower; dress smart and book a window table for the view.
Ngoc Suong is a long-running upscale seafood restaurant in a classic villa on Suong Nguyet Anh, plating fresh fish, prawns and crab in a formal room.
Signature: Steamed fish, Grilled prawns, Crab
Order: Steamed reef fish and salt-and-pepper prawns.
Tip: It suits a group seafood banquet; fish is priced by weight from the tanks.