Buzz
Traveling to Saigon and eager to discover unique local specialties to savor and bring back as gifts for friends and family? Uncertain about what Saigon's specialties entail? Follow our guide! Right here, we'll unveil 10 renowned delicacies that define the essence of Saigon.
Irresistible Picks: 10 HCMC Specialties You Can't Miss as Souvenirs
Discover the Charm of Saigon Through its Top 12 Iconic Markets
1. Phuc Long Tea
The first Saigon specialty for you to consider bringing back is Phuc Long tea – a brand with a history spanning over 50 years in Saigon. This tea is crafted with an exclusive formula, ensuring it fully expresses its intrinsic value. When enjoying Phuc Long tea, you not only see a gently brewed tea in a clear green hue but also experience a mild, non-bitter taste, distinguishing it from the northern region's robust teas.
Phuc Long tea is beautifully packaged, available in boxed, canned, or bagged options. The tea flavors are diverse, offering choices like strawberry tea, peach tea, grape tea, and more for your varied preferences.
2. Rice Crust
If you're unsure about what to buy in HCMC, consider trying the crispy and fragrant rice crust. This particular dish is beloved by many tourists who seek it out when visiting Saigon. Whether you enjoy it on the spot or take it home as a gift, it's a delightful choice.
The rice crust is made from clean ingredients, including crispy rice, shredded pork floss, sugar, scallions, and buffalo horn chili. All the ingredients and spices are guaranteed to meet food safety standards. This dish is not only easy to eat, catering to various tastes, but it's also very affordable.
3. Lotus Seeds
When it comes to Ho Chi Minh City specialties, lotus seeds cannot be overlooked – a popular ingredient for refreshing beverages. In Saigon, at refreshment stalls, you can find numerous items made from lotus seeds, such as lotus seed aloe vera drinks, coconut water with lotus seeds, lotus seed sweet soup, and more. These seeds resemble sesame seeds and expand when in contact with water, creating a popping sensation in your mouth when consumed.
Lotus seeds not only taste delicious but are also highly beneficial for health. However, pregnant women should avoid consuming this type of seed to prevent miscarriage.
4. Water Chestnut Seeds
Water chestnut seeds are also among the highly renowned specialties of HCMC. Traditionally considered a precious medicinal ingredient, these seeds have a sweet and refreshing taste. You can add 4-5 water chestnut seeds to a liter of hot water, add sugar, stir well, and drink. Water chestnut seed infusion helps cool the body, detoxify, relieve dry cough, control nosebleeds, and is excellent for health.
5. Saigon Sun-Dried Beef
Looking for a Saigon specialty as a gift? Then, don't hesitate to get the Saigon Sun-Dried Beef, also known as 'bo 1 nang' or 'bo mot nang hai suong.' When dipped in chili sauce, lime and pepper salt, or golden ant salt, this dish becomes exceptionally delicious, offering a delightful combination of sourness, spiciness, increasing sweetness with each bite, and a more enjoyable chew.
Just a few pieces of Saigon Sun-Dried Beef along with a glass of beer, and you can easily overcome a dull rainy day.
6. Dried Snakehead Fish
You can also buy dried snakehead fish as a gift from HCMC for friends and family after your trip. This dish is incredibly delicious when paired with hot, fragrant white rice. Dried snakehead fish can be prepared in various ways, such as grilling, frying, or mixing in salads—all delicious. When savoring this Saigon specialty, you'll experience a sweet, gentle spiciness, and the aromatic scent of fish.
Dried snakehead fish is carefully packed in clean, vacuum-sealed boxes or bags. This Saigon specialty can be stored for quite a long time, making it suitable for gradual consumption or as a gift for friends.
7. Saigon Pillow Cake
Pillow Cake is another ideal Saigon specialty for gifting. This cake, with its yellow color, is soft, slightly chewy, and just the right level of sweetness. Made from ingredients like wheat flour, taro, mung beans, salted egg yolks, and durian, enjoying Pillow Cake with ginger tea and engaging in light-hearted conversations with friends is a delight for Saigon locals.
8. Fresh Fruits
In HCMC, fresh fruits come in a variety of types, large, fragrant, and surprisingly affordable. You can find fresh fruits on any street corner, alley, or market here. The abundance and diversity of fruits in HCMC are due to the large fruit orchards in the Southern region, all contributing to the city's supply. When in Saigon, you can choose to buy distinctive fruits such as mangosteen, durian, rambutan, dragon fruit, custard apple, for eating or as gifts.
In the scorching heat of summer, indulging in fresh fruit salad with milk, sugar, or chilled salt-pickled fruits is simply delightful.
9. Grilled Coconut Cakes
If you're still unsure about what to buy in Saigon as a gift, consider purchasing grilled coconut cakes. This specialty is made entirely from natural ingredients, without any additives, ensuring both deliciousness and quality. The cakes are rich and moist, with a sweet and fragrant flavor. Especially after baking, they become crispy and easy to enjoy, pairing well with a cup of tea or coffee.
10. Sun-Dried Catfish
When it comes to buying gifts in Saigon, the question often arises. Allow us to introduce the specialty of sun-dried catfish—a type of fish belonging to the catfish family, often found in downstream river areas or brackish mangrove forests. Due to living in a natural environment, catfish meat is firm and aromatic.
After careful selection, the catfish is split in half, salted, then sun-dried until it becomes dry and golden. This fish can be prepared in various ways, such as grilling, frying, or stewing. Sun-dried catfish is not only delicious with a rich flavor but also rich in omega and nutrients.
Above are the famous Saigon specialties that you may consider bringing as gifts for your family, friends, and loved ones.
Posted by: Chau Nguyen Thi Hong
Keywords: Must-Buy Top 10 Saigon Specialties
