Ho Chi Minh City street food tour by scooter: Saigon unseen
Ride through five districts and eat where locals do
A guided scooter tour of Ho Chi Minh City that covers five neighborhoods in four hours, with stops for Vietnamese coffee and a wartime bunker, banh xeo pancakes, the city's largest flower market, a floating market, Chinatown's oldest temple, and spring roll vermicelli in District 4. All food, drinks, motorbike and fuel are included. Pickup from your hotel is arranged, and a live English-speaking guide leads the route. A private option is available, and female riders can request a female driver with 6 hours' notice.
Step-by-step itinerary
Afternoon Saigon Scooter Food Tour
- Pick up at hotel
- Drink coffee at local shop
- Visit historical bunker
- Drive to Nguyen Thien Thuat street
- Visit largest flower market
- Try Vietnamese pancake at restaurant
- Visit Thien Hau temple in District 5
- Drink coconut juice at floating market
- Enjoy spring roll vermicelli in District 4
What’s included
- All food and drinks at five stops: Vietnamese coffee, banh xeo pancakes with wild vegetables, fresh coconut juice at the floating market, and spring roll vermicelli.
- the motorbike, fuel and a high-quality open-faced helmet.
- pickup from your hotel.
- accident insurance.
- a rain poncho if weather turns.
- a live English-speaking guide for the full four-hour route.
Times
- Every day 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00
Before you book
Operated by Saigon On Motorbike
Traveler reviews
The experience
You have a free afternoon in Ho Chi Minh City and want to eat the way locals do without spending hours figuring out where to go. At 1:00 PM, your guide picks you up at your hotel and the scooter ride begins. The first stop is a local coffee shop where you drink Vietnamese coffee (thick, dark, poured over ice), and then walk into a historical bunker that held weapons for the 1968 attack on the Independence Palace. It's a small, concrete space that sits underneath the city's present-day life, and the guide explains what happened there while you stand in it.
From there, the route moves through the flower market: the largest in Saigon, where wholesalers and retailers buy from growers across Vietnam. The air smells like soil and stems. You stop at a local restaurant for banh xeo, the Vietnamese pancake made crispy in a cast-iron pan, served with wild vegetables and herbs you tear off and wrap inside. The guide explains what goes into it and why it tastes the way it does. Then you ride to Nguyen Thien Thuat Street, one of the oldest apartment complexes in the city, where the buildings show the layers of how Ho Chi Minh City has changed. You walk through it for a few minutes and see how people live in the older neighborhoods.
The floating market comes next: a smaller, working market where boats sell produce and flowers to restaurants and shops. You sit down and drink fresh coconut juice straight from the coconut. After that, the scooter takes you to District 5, Chinatown, where the Thien Hau Temple stands as the oldest temple in the area. It's ornate, filled with incense smoke and the sound of prayers. The final stop is District 4, the smallest district in Saigon, where you eat spring roll vermicelli at a local spot. By then you've ridden through five different neighborhoods, tasted five different dishes, and seen how the city moves from one district to the next.
Is this one for you?Pick this if you want English-language guidance through neighborhoods beyond the tourist center (local coffee shops, a 1968 bunker site, the flower market, and family-run restaurants) rather than navigating those streets on your own.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 9 years); Infant (under 5): free.
What is the Thien Hau Temple and why is it in the tour?
The Thien Hau Temple in District 5 is the oldest temple in Ho Chi Minh City's Chinatown and represents the Chinese heritage that shaped the neighborhood. The tour includes a stop there to show you the cultural and historical layers of the city beyond the main tourist areas.
Do I need a motorcycle license to ride on the back of the scooter?
No license is required to ride as a passenger on the back of the scooter. Your guide handles all the driving, and you sit behind them. A high-quality open-faced helmet is provided, and a rain poncho is available if needed.
What does banh xeo taste like and what comes with it?
Banh xeo is a crispy Vietnamese pancake made from rice flour and turmeric, cooked in a cast-iron pan until the edges are golden and crunchy. It comes with fresh wild vegetables and herbs that you tear off and wrap inside the pancake before eating, along with a dipping sauce.
Can I request a female scooter driver if I'm a woman?
Female riders can request a female driver, but you need to book at least 6 hours in advance to arrange it. On shorter notice or busier days, the driver gender may be random.
What's included in the price of the tour?
The tour includes all food and drinks at every stop, the motorbike and fuel, pickup from your hotel, a high-quality helmet, a rain poncho if needed, and accident insurance. A live English-speaking guide leads the entire route.
Is there a vegetarian option for the food stops?
Yes, a vegetarian option is available. Let your guide know your preference when you're picked up, and they'll adjust the stops and dishes to match what you eat.
Ho Chi Minh City street food tour by scooter: Saigon unseen
4h · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 37 per person
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