To begin with, I am not a foodie, not even an amateur one. But the variety of food in Vietnam keeps me up with this post to help fellow travelers who are visiting Ho Chi Minh City. This will be covering the food places I have been to and found the food to be special and worthy of a try. I have included some of the addresses with it.
- Coffee
Nobody can miss a trip to Vietnam without trying the Vietnamese coffee. With the exception of people who are allergic to coffee, you should definitely try it at one of their traditional or western coffee shops. I would recommend Trung Nguyen Coffee, be it you want to take a sip in their shop or buy some coffee back home. There are many outlets in Ho Chi Minh City and you can walk around bumping into one easily. – Boba-net Cafe. I find their black coffee really strong and fragrant. 54 Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, Quận 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Trung Nguyen Coffee Shop
Caramel Frappe. Too westernized but a cup of this certainly helps after a hot day on the streets of Saigon.
- Bánh bèo
These are tasty little rice cakes made in the most traditional way, originated from Hue. They are usually accompanied with coconut filings and green onions. It is similar to the Singapore/Malaysia rice cakes but must less oily and taste differently. I tried an assortment of them and they all tasted pretty good. – Nha hang Ngon, 160 Pasteur, Bến Nghé Quận 1 Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
Vietnamese Rice Cakes
Top choice not only for rice cakes, but for other Vietnamese food too. Prices are pretty reasonable.
- Bánh mì
It is also known as the Vietnamese baguette which was introduced by the French during the colonial period. It comes with different filings, from hams to beef to eggs and topped with vegetables such as cucumbers and carrots. I like it especially when the french loaf is toasted before eating, it just makes the whole feel better. It is commonly found on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. Perfect for breakfast.
A typical Bánh mì street store
This egg Bánh mì costs Dong 15000, slightly less than SGD 1.
Try one of the flipping master noodles!
- Pho
The dish that is most commonly know around the world as Vietnamese food. Try one of this and see if it matches the one elsewhere in the world. One thing I realized about Vietnamese food is that they always comes with an additional serving of raw vegetables and lime. Initially, I am not really used to it but I love it after some time. Talking about eating healthy, this is.
Pho Ga
- Seafood
Try all the seafood you can get in Ho Chi Minh City! Prices are reasonable because Vietnam is surrounded by sea and that means there is an abundance of seafood. If you ever get to Binh Thanh district, you can trying prawning there and they will cook your fresh catches for you. – Hồ Câu Tôm Giải Trí Thanh Đa, 428 Bình Quới, 28, Bình Thạnh, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam. 
One of the freshest prawns I had in a long time
- Bun Moc
Now, here’s the number 1 in this post. I saved the best for the last. Bun Moc is a soup dish made from pork bones and paste. It comes from northern Vietnam. The most important part of this dish is the soup base. I had some recommendations from local friends and found this to be the better one. – Bum Moc Thanh Mai, 52 Nguyễn An Ninh, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam.
Look out for this exclusive bun moc shop near Benh Thanh Market
This bowl of Bun Moc costs Dong 50000
The fresh coconut drink costs Dong 15000, well less than SGD 1.
This costs Dong 30000, look at the discrepancy in prices when there are price discrimination.
I hope I will or had succeeded in making your Ho Chi Minh City trip a little tastier!
I thought “bun” in Vietnamese translates to “rice”? Bun Moc should have been pork and rice? I don’t know, but I am guessing it’s similar to the Taiwanese braised pork dishes.
The noodles in the dish are made from rice, I think that’s how the name came about.