Top 11 Delicious Thai Dishes in Ho Chi Minh City

Thai Dessert is a traditional dessert of the Thai people. However, this dessert is also one of the most beloved desserts by many Vietnamese, especially young people. Thai Dessert is a harmonious combination of the sweet aroma of various fruits such as longan, lychee, jackfruit, etc., and the distinctive fragrance of durian, creating a delicious flavor and attractive color.

SOME FAMOUS VENUES:

• Thai Dessert Phuong Italy - 382 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Ward 4, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
• Thai Dessert 521 - 394/21 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Ward 8, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
• Thai Phuong Mai Dessert Stall - 167, Street 19, Binh Tri Dong Ward, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City
• Yen Do Sweet Soup - 79 Ly Chinh Thang, Ward 8, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Thai Milk Tea (also known as cha-yen) is known to be an extremely popular beverage among Thai people. When stepping foot into the land of golden temples, you'll surely find Thai milk tea everywhere, from street-side stalls to upscale cafes. Comparable to Vietnam's iced tea, milk coffee, or chilled sâm bổ lượng, Thai tea is a must-try alongside famous dishes like Tom Yum soup and seafood vermicelli salad.

SOME POPULAR SPOTS:

• Ne'Mer Drinks - Opposite 10 Huỳnh Thúc Kháng, Bến Nghé Ward, District 1, HCMC
• Nat - 399/39 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, District 3, HCMC
• House of Sweet - Block F-S09, 171A Apartment, Hoàng Hoa Thám, Ward 13, Tân Bình District, HCMC
• Thai Milk Tea - 868 Trường Sa, Ward 14, District 3, HCMC
• Thế giới ăn vặt Tị Quỳnh - 55 Hồ Xuân Hương, Ward 6, District 3, HCMC
  

Jackfruit sticky rice sounds quite intriguing, doesn't it? Jackfruit sticky rice is a dish that has become very popular among young people nowadays, not only for its simple consumption like regular sticky rice but also for its fantastic taste. This dish is both delicious and visually appealing. Jackfruit sticky rice has become extremely popular, attracting much attention, love, and of course, consumption due to the deliciously sticky texture of glutinous rice combined with the fresh, natural sweetness of jackfruit, making the dish exponentially flavorful.

SOME POPULAR SPOTS:

• Coco5 - 184 Lý Chính Thắng, Ward 9, District 3
• Thai Sticky Rice - 286 Huỳnh Văn Bánh, Phú Nhuận District

Dainty Worm-Like Dessert originates from a traditional Thai delicacy. Lod Chong is a combination of a mixture of tapioca flour and pandan leaf extract, pressed through a tool to form shapes resembling small worms (similar to Vietnamese cendol). Lod chong is typically eaten with sugar syrup, or coconut milk.

There are many ways to enjoy this dish. You can combine it with mung beans, red beans to make a three-color dessert soup that is incredibly fragrant and appealing. To achieve a delicious bowl of Lod Chong with cool green color, meticulousness and delicacy are required in both ingredient selection and cooking process.

Just imagine, on a hot summer noon with friends enjoying a refreshing dessert that awakens all senses, leaving you feeling refreshed and exhilarated. Each bite of the green, chewy tapioca, slightly gritty, also fragrant with the scent of pandan leaf, mixed with the creamy, coconut milk flavor in shaved ice. It's truly wonderful, isn't it?

Especially, some Lod Chong stalls also add young tofu, agar, grass jelly, basil seeds, even bananas or various fruits to enrich the dish and satisfy even the most discerning diners.

SOME FAMOUS STALLS:

• Coco5 - 184 Ly Chinh Thang, Ward 9, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
• Thai Food Alley on Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City

Spicy Tom Yum Soup is known as a famous specialty of Thai cuisine. It not only suits the taste of locals but also is a dish favored by many foreigners, and Vietnam is no exception.

The main ingredients for cooking Tom Yum include shrimp of all sizes or chicken and mushrooms. Essential spices to make this dish include Thai lime leaves (kaffir lime leaves), lemongrass, galangal, dried shallots, fresh chili, lime juice or tamarind juice, and some other spices. Although the ingredients and spices are quite intricate, the process of making Tom Yum is very simple and quick. Tom Yum is best enjoyed when hot. The distinctive sour and spicy taste combined with the aroma of lime leaves and other spices will leave a lasting impression.

SOME FAMOUS STALLS:

• Coca Suki Union Square – 47 Nguyen Truong To, Ward 13, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City
• Ngò Rí – No. 14, Street 38, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City
  
• Mì Quảng Lạc – 71 Mac Thi Buoi, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

PRICE RANGE: from 100,000 VND

Pad Thai Noodles is a particularly famous dish in Thai cuisine. Pad Thai is much simpler to prepare than the original version when it is served outside. Perhaps because the original Pad Thai consists of fresh rice noodles mixed with sauce and some other seafood ingredients, it sounds quite simple but, in reality, it presents quite a challenge in preparation.

SOME FAMOUS EATERIES:

• Chilli Thai Restaurant - 38 Mac Thi Buoi, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
  
• Thai Express - 105 Ton Dat Tien, District 7 (Crescent Mall), Ho Chi Minh City

Thai-style Grilled Fish is a delicious dish. With sweet and tender grilled fish meat, not too fatty and soaked in rich spices, Thai-style grilled fish always captivates the taste buds from the first sight. This dish is especially delicious when enjoyed on chilly days.

SOME POPULAR RESTAURANTS:

• Coca Suki - 3rd Floor, Parkson Hung Vuong, 126 Hung Vuong, Ward 12, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City
• Sindat Thai - 75/9 Binh Quoi, Ward 27, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City
• Poi Pet 7 - 31A2 Hung Vuong, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City

PRICE RANGE: from 100,000 VND

Thai Hotpot is a variation of hotpot in Thailand and it's also one of the traditional and specialty dishes of the Land of Smiles. Thai Hotpot is basically a hot dish where diners dip meat, seafood, noodles, and vegetables into a pot of soup cooked right at the table and then dip it in a pre-made sauce before enjoying. The dominant flavors of Thai hotpot are sour and spicy. This is the very distinctive flavor of Thai hotpot and is rarely confused with any other hotpot dish due to the distinctive aroma of galangal, lemongrass, along with Thai lime leaves, and especially the intense heat of chili.

SOME POPULAR RESTAURANTS:

• Hotpot Runway - 151 Đề Thám, Ward Cô Giang, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
  
• Coca Suki – 47 Nguyễn Trường Tộ, Ward 13, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City
  
• Thai Hotpot No. 7 Poi Pet - 31A2 Hung Vuong, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City
• Happy Thai Saigon - 207 Phạm Ngũ Lão Street, Phạm Ngũ Lão Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Thai Papaya Salad, also known as Som tam or som tum, is a spicy salad with shredded green papaya as the main ingredient. If you're a fan of Thai cuisine, you'll surely know about the spicy raw crab papaya salad that is both tongue-burning and incredibly enticing. Now, this dish is elevated even further with large, juicy crabs. Particularly, the bright red crab roe inside is so tempting that just looking at it will make your mouth water.

In addition, green papaya salad with fermented fish sauce is a very popular dish in Thailand and also highly favored in Vietnam. Especially in areas with abundant ba khia (fermented fish), this dish becomes even more popular. Green papaya salad mixed with fermented fish sauce not only smells deliciously simple but also brings a unique flavor. Once you've tasted this dish, you're likely to get addicted. Be careful!

SOME POPULAR RESTAURANTS:

• Krua Thai - 95 Huynh Dinh Hai, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City
  
• Chatuchak - 85 Van Kiep, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City
  
• Mr Bee Grilled & Beer - 4A Tran Quang Dieu, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
  

PRICE RANGE: From 50,000 - 150,000 VND.

Thai Seafood Noodles is a dish that is no longer unfamiliar to everyone. In fact, it has become a 'staple' for many diners due to the combination of sour and spicy flavors that create an unforgettable taste. Thai seafood noodles include squid, octopus, shrimp, beef rolled with shiitake mushrooms, clams, and many delicious green vegetables.

SOME FAMOUS RESTAURANTS:

• Bangkok Thai Noodles - 7 Dang Van Bi, Truong Tho Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City
  
• Thai Koh Yam Restaurant - 111 Ho Tung Mau, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
  
• Thai Tuk Tuk - 519 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Ward 8, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City
  

PRICE RANGE: From 30,000 to 100,000 VND.