Ho Chi Minh City Travel Forum

Hello VTers,

I'll be going to VN sometime next month and as usual I'll let my tastebuds go on an adventure! So far, I only have Com Nieu Saigon on my 'wish list' ( any comments? where in hcmc is this place? ) and Bo Tung Xeo ( kimmo v said that I have to try the scorpions) . Will be grateful if you can recommend other great eats.

Cheers
bpacker

Try "Quan Ngon" which is near the Reunification Palace. I love the atmosphere there as if we were eating in the open air market in the country side. It was a great experience for my two little boys to see the people, culture, food and language. Their Vietnames/English menu include variety dishes from North, Central and South. . "Nhu Lan" is also a good place for a quick meal. It may be on Nguyen Hue St . (Sorry I can not remember the street name, but taxi driver should know). Nam Bo restaurant is also another good place if you want to try authentic Southern Cuisine. Sorry can't give you more specific information. Good luck and have a great time... Don't forget to try "Kem Bach Dang"...

I enjoyed a really tasty dinner at Lemongrass around the corner from the Caravelle Hotel where we stayed. There was another nice place in walking distance from the Opera house I'll try to remember the name of...it did have a pool table too. Don't know if this is cheating or not but Fodors has a nice online list...

Yes! Go for the scorpions!!!!
Have a nice stay at Saigon, bpacker!

Kimmo

Hey!
I will be in Saigon Nov 13 (probably) and Nov 14 with my dad and brother. If you want to meet up, let us know.
Khanh

Dear All,
Many many thanks for your tips, I think I'll try them all! (Haha, including pop-corn tastin' scorpions ).However, my plans have been shelved till late Dec 04. The thing is, I'm planning a longer trip! I want to visit not only HCMC but northern Vietnam as well. I heard that food in Hanoi region can be quite different and I'm keen to try.

Cheers
Bpacker

Ah.. i must thank Khanhly and Luasaigon for their offer to meet up / help . Khanhly, have a great time in VN with your Dad! Luasaigon, I'll write to you again if I need tips..

Hi, bpacker

the food in ha NOi is different than in south. It isnt as spicy than in south. But it is still good. Especially we had excellent springrolls in many places.
Try to book a hotel near Hoan Kiem Lake; thats the best area for a visitor to see the old Ha Noi area.

Kimmo

In HCM try Restuarant 19 off Dong Koi opposite the Grand Hotel, its cheap and good! In Hanoi the Hoa Binh Hotel is reasonable value and not far from Hoan Kiem Lake. For restuarants go to Le Tonkin if you want upmarket (US$35 for two), the food and setting are just great. If you're happy to eat local there is good food every 100 metres in Hanoi! The Pho is better here than HCM.

Hey!
I just got back from VN last night. I'm missing all that good food already. Yumm!!!
In HCMC, I had this wonderful Pho, it was called Pho Hanoi (not a restaurant name, but a dish). I'll have to find out from my dad the name and location and get back with you on this. It's the same white noodles, but they fried them slightly crunchy and put veggies and meat on them. It's so good that my mouth is watering just thinking about it. It's a local place and in a non-tourist area of town. Also, I ate at "Quan An Ngon" (translate - good eating restaurant). Ask any cab driver and they can take you there. It is on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia street. There, you need to try Xoi Vo and Bun Thit Nuong. Also, have one of the Che dessert. There are about 5 of them. The guy that owns the restaurant is a Viet Kieu. I was told that he went all over town and got all the best vendors on the specific dishes (on the menu) to come to work for him, so whatever you''re eating there is supposed to be made from the best vendor in town. Originally, it was too expensive for the locals to eat there, only the Viet Kieu and the tourists could afford it. They have since dropped the prices and it's always pack. Another good Pho place in Saigon does not have a name. It's down an alley. The blue sign on this alley said "Cu Xa Van Hoa 288. Nam Ky Khoi Nghia". It's is close to that stinking bridge - Cau Cong Ly or Chua Vinh Nghiem (temple under renovation) - by the artsy district. When you go down this alley, there will be other vendors sitting out in the open area - they are not it. Go all the way in the back - 'till it ends and there is a place - kind of like an open garage with tables and no-back metal chairs. They have the best pho I have ever had. We got there around 10:00am and they only have limited selections left. Good food are gone early, so get there early. They were probably getting ready to make another batch for lunch. I'm sure you've already had iced coffee, they are all good in Saigon. Have a 'flan' cake. Ummm.

(cont) In Hanoi, I stayed at Bao Khanh Hotel on Bao Khanh street. It was a block from Hoan Kiem Lake. Next to the hotel, there is an excellent restaurant. It's cooler upstairs, so sit up there. We ordered like 5 dishes and it came to about 7usd. Try the 'rau muong toi' (spinach saute in garlic). We usually eat this with rice and soup (canh) and some other dish. It's alot of food for one person though. We did not try the Kangaroo cafe, but next to that is a little hole in the wall, where you sit on plactic stepping stools - close to the ground. You will see a lady out in the front making this white crepe pancake - Banh Cuon. This is the best way for Banh Cuon to be made - steamed. It's so good!!! All 3 of us ate for like less than 2USD (19,000dong). I did notice some restaurant with 'dog meat' (thit cho) signs. I also saw alot of those signs on the ride to Halong Bay. No thanks! Oh, there is a restaurant on Hoan Kiem Lake that have good desserts. I had my flan there. The turle of Hoan Kiem lake showed up that morning I was there. Check my page later and I will post pictures and information on Hanoi. Gotta catch some shut eyes now!

What an adventure! You definitely had a great time in VN trying all those delicious dishes. Ah, I'll look out for the Pho Hanoi you mentioned. It sounds good. Hope you took pictures? I'll surf over to your pages if you did:)

Also thanks to Daniel for all those restaurant tips. It sounds very good already. Hehe, it seems that I have a lot in store for my Dec trip to VN. So far, I've already scheduled a trip to Ha Long Bay / Hanoi and possibly a stop at HCMC for these foodie delights.