Saigon: Vegetarian Food Tour by Motorbike & Floating Market

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/13

Duration4h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Vegan eats on Saigon streets, flower scents and river life by scooter

You’ll ride pillion through Saigon’s neighborhoods by scooter with a local guide, sampling vegan noodle soup and spring rolls before wandering vibrant flower markets. Sip coconut juice at a floating market, share tea in Chinatown, then wind down over mushroom hotpot in District 4. Expect laughter, new flavors—and maybe a few surprises you’ll keep thinking about long after.

Step-by-step itinerary

Saigon vegetarian food and culture tour

Enjoy vegan noodle or spring roll
Drive to Nguyen Thien Thuat area
Walk and explore local lifestyle
Visit biggest flower market
Drive to China Town in district 5
Visit Thien Hau temple
Enjoy tea with jams at local coffee shop
Visit floating market and drink coconut juice
Explore district 4 cultural diversity
Try mushroom hotpot at local restaurant
Return to hotel or specified place

The Experience

I never thought I’d start a day in Ho Chi Minh City (still feels weird calling it that—everyone just says Saigon) perched on the back of a motorbike, clutching my helmet and trying not to look terrified. Our guide Linh grinned at me in the mirror and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll eat soon!”—which honestly helped more than I expected. First stop was this tiny place for “Bun Thai Chay,” a vegan noodle soup that smelled like lemongrass and something smoky I couldn’t place. The broth was lighter than I thought it would be but still somehow filling. I tried to say thank you in Vietnamese; Linh laughed so hard she almost dropped her chopsticks.

We zipped through Nguyen Thien Thuat—so many street food stalls packed into one area, people shouting orders and scooters weaving everywhere. There was this moment when we stopped at the flower market, and the air changed completely: sweet, almost too much, like someone opened a dozen perfume bottles at once. It’s not just flowers though—the sellers were joking with each other, tossing bundles around like they weighed nothing. After that we headed into Chinatown (District 5), which felt like stepping into another city inside the city. Linh pointed out old apartment blocks with laundry flapping out the windows; we ducked into a coffee shop for tea and these chewy little jams made from lotus seeds—I’m still thinking about those textures.

The floating market was next. Boats bobbing along the river, piled high with pineapples and coconuts. We sipped coconut juice while Linh explained how traders come up from the Mekong Delta—her uncle used to do it, apparently—and there’s this rhythm to life on the water that’s nothing like downtown Saigon. The sun was starting to dip by then but it wasn’t really cooler yet; everything just got softer and quieter for a bit.

Last stop: District 4 for mushroom hotpot (“Lau nam”). The restaurant looked plain from outside but inside it was all steam and chatter—felt peaceful somehow after all that buzzing traffic. Sitting there with my bowl of mushrooms (so many kinds! I lost count), I realized I hadn’t checked my phone in hours. Maybe that’s what stuck with me most—just being carried along by someone who knows every shortcut and where to find the best tea or noodles or whatever snack comes next.

What’s included

Your experience includes hotel pickup and drop-off anywhere in central Saigon plus all food tastings—from vegan noodles to mushroom hotpot—tea with jams in Chinatown, coconut juice at the floating market, your seat on an insured motorbike with helmet provided (and rain poncho if needed), fuel costs covered throughout every district you explore together.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availableNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Saigon On Motorbike