Hanoi's Snack Invasion in Saigon

Saigon is renowned for its street food scene, welcoming a variety of characteristic dishes from all over. The list continues to grow with the addition of popular snacks from Hanoi.

1. Cheese Sticks

Cheese sticks, when fried, emit a very appealing aroma, with a crispy outer layer and stretchy cheese strands inside, similar to eating pizza. Cheese sticks are best enjoyed hot, allowing diners to fully experience the crispy outer layer, the rich, chewy core, and the enticing aroma.

Address:

• 132 Ton That Thiep Street, District 11. Cheese sticks: 8,000 VND/stick, sausage cheese, cotton cheese: 10,000 VND/stick, lemon tea: 8,000 VND/glass. Open all day
• Stall on the roadside at the Cay Thi market section (at the intersection of Phan Van Tri - Nguyen Hong, opposite the broken rice stall and grilled chicken seller) from 3 pm to 10 pm daily, price 6,000 VND/stick

2. Grilled Beef Namm

Grilled beef namm is a famous snack in Hanoi. On cold windy days, sitting together to enjoy each piece of hot grilled beef namm, the smell of beef, and the spicy chili sauce is a pleasure that young people in Hanoi love. Good news for Northern cuisine lovers, grilled beef namm has appeared in Saigon, although the marinated flavors have been slightly modified, it can still satisfy all diners.

Address: Kaka grilled beef namm restaurant, 26 Vo Van Kiet, end of Pho Duc Chinh Street - District 1 (look to the right), near Dong Tay Boulevard. Grilled beef namm 145,000 - 195,000 VND/portion. The restaurant also has fried rice with beef and pickled vegetables (65,000 VND for a full portion for 2 people), steam beef, Zakuki beef, grilled beef namm.

3. West Lake Shrimp Cakes

Shrimp cakes are made from very simple ingredients: shredded sweet potatoes, shrimp, and mixed flour, but making delicious shrimp cakes is not easy. The flour mixture must be crispy when fried, the sweet potatoes must be cooked and fragrant, and the shrimp must be sweet. All of these things create the attractiveness of this dish.

Address: Shrimp cakes at Ho Guom bun cha restaurant: 47 Truong Dinh, P6, Q3 (price 18,000 VND/plate)

4. Pho Rolls

A simple dish, consisting of layers of rolled pho noodles, filled with beef and various herbs, served with a bowl of slightly sweet and sour fish sauce with garlic and chili. The pho noodles are just thick enough, soft and chewy without being torn, so when dipped into the filling, it does not fall out but still blends with the sauce. This dish is somewhat similar to spring rolls but different in that pho rolls are chewy and have a rich beef flavor, making them satisfying to eat for a long time.

Address: Corner of Hanoi - 006 Block F, Le Thi Rieng residential area, Ward 15, District 10, HCMC, open from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Pho rolls 5,000 - 8,000 VND. The restaurant also sells lemon tea, fried sour pork, jackfruit yogurt...

5. Fried Sour Pork

Fried sour pork is made from minced pork skin and meat, mixed with spices. Whether the sour pork is delicious or not depends on the proportion of meat and skin used by each store, along with the secret family recipe for seasoning. Fried sour pork dipped in chili sauce is a perfect match.

Address: Sidewalk stall in front of house number 200 Phan Xich Long (Phu Nhuan District), only open in the evening from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. A full portion: hot sweet sour pork - sweet jicama - cold cucumber and crunchy mango only 20,000 VND. The stall also sells meatballs, fish balls, stir-fried corn...

6. Lemon Tea

A drink made from dried tea, added with lime juice and a slice of fresh lime, has been strangely attractive to young people in Hanoi for many years. The trend of 'lemon tea and chatting' also started from here. These days, young people in Ho Chi Minh City are catching that fever, with lemon tea shops popping up one after another. Young people are eager to enjoy a glass of sweet and sour lemon tea, simple yet strangely attractive.

Address: Gõ - 89 Nguyen Du (price 15,000 - 20,000 VND), Carmen - 60/1 Nguyen Trai Q1 (price 15,000 - 20,000 VND), Tuyet Nhung - 41 Le Thi Rieng Q.1 (price 8,000 - 20,000 VND), Dao Quan Nho - Tan Quy area (Tan Phu, near Vo Thanh Trang Secondary School, price 5,000 - 20,000 VND). These shops usually open from morning until evening, also selling fried sour pork for guests to enjoy while chatting.

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Source: Mytour Travel Handbook

Refer to Saigon - HCMC hotels