Ho Chi Minh Street Food - Part 2

Ho Chi Minh Street Food - Part 2

More Ho Chi Minh Street Food that I've tried during other visits to Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, continuing from Part 1.

This list includes dishes not listed in Ho Chi Minh Street Food - Part 1. Cuisine is mostly South Vietnamese, with some influences from the Central and North regions.


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Originating from the royal Hue cuisine of Central Vietnam, the Banh Beo Hue / Water Fern Cake is a small, round, steamed rice cake, topped with savoury dried / fresh shrimp or prawns, scallions, mung bean paste, and garnished with fish sauce before eating. Eaten in a single bite, this humble snack was enjoyed by the Hue Imperial royalty for its soft, bouncy dough, savoury shrimp, crunch of scallions, and the fine blend of sour and sweet in the fish sauce.

Banh Beo Hue / Water Fern Cake

The Banh Chuoi / Banana Cake is a sweet dessert cake enjoyed throughout Vietnam, and is made with ripe bananas, coconut milk, sugar, white bread, young coconut, condensed milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. The bananas often turn a purple-red colour when cooked, which gives the cake a unique hue. It can be made by either baking or steaming.

Banh Chuoi / Banana Cake 01

Banh Chuoi / Banana Cake 02

The semi-firm, chewy Banh Khoai Mi / Baked Cassava Cake is a simple dessert made from cassava, sugar, coconut milk, and salt. Rich in both fiber and starch, this cake is filling, and can be found in many bakeries and street stalls.

Banh Khoai Mi / Baked Cassava Cake 01

Banh Khoai Mi / Baked Cassava Cake 02

The savoury Banh Khot / Mini Shrimp Rice Pancakes are a popular street snack in Ho Chi Minh City. These small, round, utterly delicious pancakes are made with rice flour, mung bean paste, coconut milk, and powdered turmeric, then topped with spring onions / scallions, shrimp / prawns, and eaten wrapped in a large leaf vegetable (lettuce / mustard green) dipped in fish sauce, chili, or coconut cream. The crisp outside, soft and fluffy inside, savoury pancake, combined with the taste of the fresh vegetables and shrimp is delicious.

Banh Khot / Mini Shrimp Rice Pancakes 01

Banh Khot / Mini Shrimp Rice Pancakes 02

While a Banh Mi Sandwich can refer to any of the many varieties, the Banh Mi Thit Nuong / Original Grilled Pork Sandwich is a very specific version. Considered the traditional version, this classic sandwich features a crisp, soft, single-serve French baguette bread stuffed with grilled lemongrass marinated pork strips, pork sausage, carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, and chili. Sometimes, other ingredients such as mayonnaise, head cheese, pork liver pate, or pork belly is added. Also known as a 'Special Combo', this is often sold by street vendors as a mid-afternoon snack, or for dinner.

Banh Mi Thit Nuong / Original Grilled Pork Sandwich 01

Banh Mi Thit Nuong / Original Grilled Pork Sandwich 02

Banh Mi Thit Nuong / Original Grilled Pork Sandwich 02

Created for the former Hue Imperial rulers of Central Vietnam, the small Banh Nam / Flat Pork And Shrimp Rice Dumpling are made from steaming a mixture of rice flour, studded with minced pork or shrimp. Sometimes, spring onions or black pepper is added. This humble savoury snack is pure comfort food.

Banh Nam / Flat Pork And Shrimp Rice Dumpling

Loved the fresh, crunchy, savoury Bap Xao Tom Kho / Sauteed Corn With Dried Shrimp, a simple dish of deshelled corn, dried shrimp, spring onions, butter, and fish sauce. Great on its own, better with bread or rice!

Bap Xao Tom Kho / Sauteed Corn With Dried Shrimp 01

Bap Xao Tom Kho / Sauteed Corn With Dried Shrimp 02

Bap Xao Tom Kho / Sauteed Corn With Dried Shrimp 03

Tried the Bi Ngo Hoa Chien Xao / Stir-Fried Pumpkin Flowers in Ho Chi Minh City, a simple dish of pumpkin flowers stir fried lightly, served fresh. The crunchy stems and chewy flower make for an intresting contrast of textures, and you can dip it in fish sauce or chili for added flavour.

Bi Ngo Hoa Chien Xao / Stir-Fried Pumpkin Flowers

The Che Nhan Nhuc / Lotus Seed And Longan Soup is a chilled sweet dessert, great for warm days. Made with lotus seeds, re-hydrated longans, clear seaweed jelly (Agar-Agar), sugar, and water. Sometimes, lotus roots and water chestnuts are added. The cooling syrup soup is kept cold with the addition of ice.

Che Nhan Nhuc / Lotus Seed And Longan Soup 01

Che Nhan Nhuc / Lotus Seed And Longan Soup 02

The home cooked Cua Lot Rang Me / Tamarind Soft Shell Crab has crunchy, soft shell crab completely coated in the sour, tangy tamarind sauce. Each bite just makes you want to keep eating, and the non-greasy meat means it's not too heavy on the palate.

Cua Lot Rang Me / Tamarind Soft Shell Crab

Comfort fast food at its best, the Mien Ga / Chicken Glass Vermicelli Soup is a classic Vietnamese dish that is incredibly popular. Featuring a light, clear soup / broth that is flavoured with chicken bones / chicken stock, the dish has thin, clear, glass vermicelli noodles, onions, mint, spring onions / shallots, and free range chicken meat, both white and dark meat is used. The free range chickens in Vietnam have a much firmer, tougher texture, and a more pronounced chicken flavour, which locals prefer.

Mien Ga / Chicken Glass Vermicelli Soup

Locals like to drink Nuoc Sam / Sweet Herbal Tea on hot days, as this tonic is cooling, and is said to aid digestion. Made with dwarf sugarcane, chrysanthemum, seaweed, water, and nettle leaves, this drink is commonly found in street stalls.

Nuoc Sam / Sweet Herbal Tea 01

Nuoc Sam / Sweet Herbal Tea 02

The dessert known as Khoai Mi Hap Nuoc Cot Dua / Steamed Cassava With Coconut Milk features a soft and tender steamed cassava root, coated in sugar and coconut milk. A rather stachy and filling sweet treat, this is sometimes also eaten as an appetizer.

Khoai Mi Hap Nuoc Cot Dua / Steamed Cassava With Coconut Milk

Unlike the Chinese version, the Vietnamese version of Com Chien Trung Muoi / Salted Egg Fried Rice is much more savoury, salty, and deeper in flavour. Dry and somewhat firm in texture, I find this to be much less appealing.

Com Chien Trung Muoi / Salted Egg Fried Rice

The processed snack of Roasted Peanuts With Coconut Juice has a nice crunch to the peanuts, after which you get the earthy floral taste of the coconut. Tasty, rather addictive!

Roasted Peanuts With Coconut Juice

Loved the Honey Butter Potato Chips, with its medium thick, ruffled texture, extremely crisp, and a sweet, honey, buttery flavour that is layered and addictive! Finished a whole pack on my 1st try, and went back for more!

Honey Butter Potato Chips

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