Vegan Street Food Walking Tour in Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnamese vegan street food tastes nothing like what tourists eat.

A three-hour vegan walking tour through Ho Chi Minh City led by a local guide, moving through Ban Co Market, a historic apartment block, and neighborhood alleys to taste 7–8 authentic vegan dishes at family-run spots. The itinerary shifts with what's fresh and open that day. You'll walk around 7,000 steps and receive the guide's personal recipes afterward. Minimum age 18. Public transport is available near the meeting point.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Saigon's vegan street food

• Meet at starting location
• Wander through Ban Co Market
• Visit old apartment complex
• Eat vegan BBQ and dumplings
• Taste tropical and exotic fruits
• Try traditional chè desserts
• Enjoy noodles, bánh cống, and juice
• Sample various vegan dumplings
• Have crispy bột chiên and drinks
• Visit Chè Hiển Khánh for sweets

The experience

You meet your guide Spring at a set point in the city, then head into Ban Co Market: a real local market, not a tourist version. The stalls are crowded with produce, fresh herbs, tofu, mushrooms, and spices that make Vietnamese cooking work without meat. You'll taste seasonal tropical fruits as you walk through, learning how locals actually shop and what ingredients show up in the dishes you'll eat later. From there you move into one of Ho Chi Minh City's oldest apartment complexes, a neighborhood most visitors never see. Narrow alleyways connect the units. Families have lived here for generations. Your guide shares the history and stories of the community, and you get a glimpse of everyday Saigon that has nothing to do with guidebooks.

The eating starts at a family-run spot serving smoky vegan BBQ, handmade dumplings, and soft steamed rice cakes from Central Vietnam: the kind of food locals order without thinking twice. Then a fruit shop where you taste whatever is fresh that day: some fruits sweet, some sour, some you won't recognize even if you've traveled in Asia. A street-food stop for traditional chè: the colorful sweet desserts Vietnamese people grew up with, maybe banana chè or taro chè or sweet corn, depending on what's available. A noodle bowl with grilled vegan "meat" and crispy bánh cống at a neighborhood spot where you sit down for a bit instead of rushing through. Another family-run place for vegan dumplings, where your guide tells you about Saigon's Chinese community and how their food became woven into the city's own cooking. Crispy bột chiên with a cold drink, eaten sitting down on the street, soaking in the everyday rhythm. And finally Chè Hiển Khánh, a spot with history, serving classic Vietnamese sweets like lotus seed chè and bánh cốm that have been made the same way for generations. By the end you'll have eaten a lot, the guide warns you upfront, but you'll have walked roughly 7,000 steps, so the math feels less guilty. Afterward, Spring sends you her personal vegan recipes for the dishes.

The itinerary is a starting point, not a script. What's fresh that day, what's open, what the group feels like eating: any of that can shift the route. You get water and soda included, plus alcoholic drinks if you want them. The tour runs three hours. English-speaking guide, minimum age 18. Public transportation options are nearby if you don't have a car or aren't staying within walking distance.

What’s included

• Seven to eight different vegan street food dishes across multiple stops.
• bottled water and soda.
• alcoholic beverages if you want them.
• personal vegan recipes from the guide sent after the tour.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 17:30

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupUp to 6

Live guideEnglish

Audio guideSpanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese and Korean

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Spring Saigon Tours

Is this one for you?The tour starts at a fixed meeting point with public transport nearby, so you don't need a car or a hotel in a specific neighborhood to join. If you're staying anywhere in Ho Chi Minh City and want to eat the way locals do (not the famous dishes, just the everyday comfort food), this route works whether you arrived yesterday or live here.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What vegan dishes will I actually eat on this tour?

You'll try 7–8 different dishes across the stops: smoky vegan BBQ and handmade dumplings at the first spot, tropical fruits at the market, traditional chè (sweet desserts) at a street vendor, bún thịt nướng chay (noodle bowl with grilled vegan "meat") and crispy bánh cống, vegan dumplings at a family-run place, crispy bột chiên, and classic Vietnamese sweets like lotus seed chè at Chè Hiển Khánh. The exact lineup changes depending on what's fresh and available that day.

Is this tour only for vegans, or can meat-eaters join?

The tour focuses on vegan Vietnamese street food, so all the dishes served are plant-based. The guide designed it hoping vegan travelers would make friends with each other, but anyone interested in authentic Vietnamese comfort food and neighborhood life can join: minimum age is 18.

How much walking is involved?

You'll walk around 7,000 steps over the three hours, moving between Ban Co Market, the old apartment complex, and the various food stops scattered through the neighborhood. The pace is steady but not rushed, and you stop frequently to eat and sit.

What happens if a restaurant or vendor is closed when we arrive?

The itinerary is flexible by design. Your guide Spring changes the route depending on what's open, what's fresh that day, and what the group wants to eat. You're guaranteed to visit 7–8 different spots and eat a lot, but the exact places may shift from what's listed.

Do I need to arrange my own transportation to the meeting point?

Public transportation options are available near the meeting point, so you can get there by bus, taxi or ride-share if you don't have a car. The tour itself is walking-based through the neighborhoods. No private transport is included.

Will I get the recipes for the dishes we eat?

Yes. After the tour, your guide sends you her personal vegan recipes for the dishes you tasted, so you can recreate them at home.