The fastest, cheapest, frequently best food on Ho Chi Minh City's streets.
Vendors, food trucks and stalls: the cheapest, fastest, frequently best food in Ho Chi Minh City.
Banh Mi Huynh Hoa is Saigon's most famous banh mi, a pricey but overstuffed baguette of house pate, cold cuts and butter with a queue near Ben Thanh.
OrderThe full banh mi thit, loaded with pate, cold cuts and pickles.
TipIt costs more than most stalls but is packed with meat; expect a queue at peak hours.
Banh Mi Bay Ho is a decades-old Da Kao stall known for its homemade pate, a tiny operation featured on Netflix's Street Food that sells out most afternoons.
OrderThe classic pate banh mi, made to the family's old recipe.
TipIt closes when the day's bread runs out, so come well before evening.
Banh Mi Hong Hoa is a busy bakery-and-stall near Ben Thanh turning out generously filled cold-cut baguettes, a rival to the nearby Huynh Hoa queue.
OrderThe mixed cold-cut banh mi with extra pickles.
TipThe bread is baked on site through the day, so it is nearly always warm and crisp.
Banh Cuon Hai Nam steams delicate rice-flour rolls to order, filling the thin sheets with minced pork and wood-ear mushroom, a District 3 breakfast favourite.
OrderA plate of banh cuon with cha lua and fried shallots.
TipIt is a morning dish; go before noon while the steamer is still running.
Xoi Ga Number One is a Michelin Selected spot for its sticky rice topped with a fried or steamed chicken drumstick, eaten from a paper wrap.
OrderXoi ga with a fried chicken drumstick and scallion oil.
TipIt runs late into the evening; the fried chicken version is the one to get.
Banh Khot Co Ba brings the Vung Tau coastal snack to District 3: small crisp turmeric rice cups fried with a shrimp, eaten wrapped in mustard leaf.
OrderA tray of banh khot, wrapped in greens with fish sauce.
TipWrap each cup in the mustard leaf and herbs before dipping; the coconut batter is rich.
Chi Tuyen is a Co Giang sidewalk stall known for bun thit nuong, cold rice vermicelli piled with charcoal-grilled pork, herbs and a crisp fried spring roll.
OrderBun thit nuong with an extra grilled spring roll.
TipPour the whole cup of fish-sauce dressing over the noodles and toss before eating.
Chu Se is one of District 1's premier hu tieu spots, ladling the clear pork-bone broth of hu tieu Nam Vang over chewy noodles with pork and shrimp.
OrderHu tieu Nam Vang, the dry version with broth on the side.
TipOrder it kho, dry, with the broth alongside, to taste the noodles the way regulars do.
This Le Thanh Ton cart is a downtown fixture for bo bia, soft rice-paper rolls of jicama, dried shrimp and Chinese sausage, alongside silky tau hu da tofu.
OrderA handful of bo bia rolls with the sweet-savoury dip.
TipBo bia comes sweet or savoury; the savoury rolls with dried shrimp are the classic snack.
Chi Thong is a Co Giang stall widely rated for some of the best goi cuon in town, fresh rice-paper rolls of poached pork, prawn, vermicelli and herbs.
OrderFresh goi cuon with the peanut-hoisin sauce.
TipIt is part of the Co Giang evening food strip; the rolls are made to order, so they arrive cool and fresh.
This Cao Thang stall grills banh trang nuong, the Dalat-style rice-paper pizza topped with egg, scallion, dried shrimp and chili, crisped to order.
OrderA banh trang nuong with egg, shrimp and plenty of chili.
TipWatch it crisp over the coals and eat it straight away while the rice paper is still crackly.
C002 is a popular Binh Thanh spot for banh trang nuong, grilling the crisp rice-paper pizza with a range of toppings from egg and cheese to dried beef.
OrderThe loaded banh trang nuong with cheese and dried beef.
TipIt offers more topping combinations than the classic street version; the cheese one is a crowd-pleaser.
On the Co Giang evening food strip, this stall grills bo la lot, minced beef wrapped in fragrant betel leaves, served with rice paper, herbs and a dip.
OrderSkewers of bo la lot to roll in rice paper with herbs.
TipRoll the grilled betel-leaf beef in rice paper with herbs and dip; the strip is busiest around 19:00.
The Turtle Lake roundabout is Saigon's most famous spot for banh trang tron, shredded rice paper tossed with dried beef, quail egg, green mango, herbs.
OrderA bag of banh trang tron with extra dried beef and lime.
TipGrab a bag from a cart and eat it on the roundabout steps, the way local students do at night.
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