Ho Chi Minh City Evening Street Food Tour: Six Saigon Dishes

Taste Anthony Bourdain’s favorite local flavors on a guided walk through vibrant alleys

An evening street food tour in Ho Chi Minh City where you walk to six famous local dishes with a guide, starting with pickup from your hotel. The route moves through the food district in District 3 and surrounding neighborhoods, stopping at family-run stalls and restaurants (a chef with 25 years' experience makes the lemongrass beef noodle soup, another with 20 years prepares the rice pancakes), and ends with coconut ice cream at the night flower market. Dinner, all tastings, and return transport are included. The guide speaks English.

Step-by-step itinerary

Saigon street food tasting tour

• Hotel pickup by local guide
• Visit local restaurant for Bánh Mì Thịt Nướng
• Sample Bún Bò and Bánh Cuốn in food alleys
• Stroll street with various street foods
• Taste Bánh xèo and Bánh Khọt at popular restaurant
• Enjoy coconut ice cream dessert at night market
• Return to hotel by cab with guide

The experience

Your guide picks you up by taxi from your hotel and takes you to a restaurant in District 3 that has been making bánh mì thịt nướng, marinated beef on Vietnamese bread, for over 30 years. This is the first stop, and it sets the pace: you're eating at places locals eat, not at venues built for tourists. From there you walk into the food alleys of the street food district, where the second stop is a stall making bún bò, lemongrass beef noodles in broth, prepared by a chef with more than 25 years behind the counter. The third dish is bánh cuốn, steamed rice rolls filled with pork, onions, jicama, mushrooms and fish sauce: each one assembled by hand just before you taste it.

The walk continues to a neighborhood restaurant where you try bánh xèo and bánh khọt, the crispy rice pancakes that are foundational to southern Vietnamese cooking. A chef with over 20 years of experience shows you how these are made: the batter poured thin into a cast-iron pan, the fold and the sizzle are part of what you're tasting. After that comes the night flower market, where the tour ends with a dessert: coconut ice cream, or coconut blended with avocado into a smoothie. Your guide rides back with you by cab to your hotel.

The whole evening runs about four hours. You're walking between stops but not hiking. The pace is set by the guide and the food. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included if you're staying in Districts 1 or 3 (a $5 surcharge applies outside those zones). The guide speaks English and knows why each dish matters and where it comes from, not just what it tastes like.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in Districts 1 and 3.
• taxi transport to the first stop and return cab ride to your hotel.
• all six food tastings and drinks at each stop.
• dinner.
• English-speaking local guide.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day5 departure times: the first at 17:00, the last at 18:30

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (11 to 80 years) · Child (1 to 10 years)

GroupUp to 20

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 44 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Saigon Street Food Paradise

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to taste six signature southern Vietnamese dishes at the actual stalls locals eat from, guided by someone who knows which vendors to trust and what to order.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (1 to 10 years).

What are the six dishes I'll taste on this Saigon street food tour?

Bánh mì thịt nướng (marinated beef on Vietnamese bread), bún bò (lemongrass beef noodle soup), bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls with pork and vegetables), bánh xèo and bánh khọt (crispy southern rice pancakes), and coconut ice cream or coconut-avocado smoothie for dessert.

Do I need to arrange my own transport to the first stop, or does the guide pick me up?

The guide picks you up by taxi from your hotel in Districts 1 or 3 at no extra cost. If you're staying outside those zones, there's a $5 surcharge for pickup.

How much walking is involved in this evening food tour?

You walk between the food stalls and restaurants in the street food district, but the pace is leisurely and set by the group. It's not a hiking tour, and it's suitable for all fitness levels.

Are drinks included, or just the food?

All foods and drinks are included in the tour price: that covers every tasting and the final smoothie or ice cream at the night flower market.

What time does the tour start and finish?

The tour runs for about four hours in the evening, starting with hotel pickup and ending with drop-off after dessert at the night flower market.