Top 15 Affordable Street Foods in Saigon You Must Try!

Saigon is a culinary wonderland with tantalizing aromas wafting from street corners, bustling markets, and cozy alleyways. Whether you’re a local foodie or a curious traveler, the city’s vibrant street food scene offers a treasure trove of flavors that promise to delight your taste buds without breaking the bank. I will introduce you to the top 15 affordable street foods in Saigon that you must try.

1. Chuối Nếp Nướng (Grilled banana wrapped in sticky rice)

Chuoi Nep Nuong, bananas are wrapped in pandan leaves so they retain their chewy texture and delicious flavor. A simple snack but also adds a lot of energy to your journey to explore Saigon.

The aroma of pandan leaves blends with the smoke from the charcoal stove, sticky bananas dipped in roasted peanuts and coconut milk are absolutely delicious.

Chuoi Nep Nuong

You must try one of these Chuoi Nep Nuong dishes:

Chuối Nếp Nướng Võ Văn Tần: No. 378, Vo Van Tan Street, District 3.

Chuối Nếp Nướng: No. 122/10, Tran Dinh Xu Street, District 1.

Hapi Nướng: No. 3, Pham Van Hai Street, Tan Binh District.

2. Xôi Chiên (Fried sticky rice)

With only 15,000 VND, you can enjoy one of the delicious and cheap snacks in Saigon, which is fried sticky rice. The sticky rice skin is fried until golden and crispy, but does not lose the delicious stickiness of the sticky rice.

Most fried sticky rice shops are street stalls with no seats. Therefore, there is nothing better than eating fried sticky rice while wandering around to admire Saigon.

Xoi Chien

Here is the best Xoi Chien:

Xôi Chiên: No. 101, Tran Van Dang Street, District 3.

Quán Xôi Trần Hữu Trang: No. 72, Tran Huu Trang Street, Phu Nhuan District.

3. Bò Bía (Popiah)

It is thought that Southern spring rolls are similar to the familiar snack of the North. But in fact, in Ho Chi Minh City cuisine, spring rolls are similar to spring rolls. Not made from malt candy, flour, grated coconut, sesame, Saigon spring rolls are made from cassava, herbs, dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, eggs and lettuce.

Savory spring rolls will surely surprise Northerners traveling to Saigon. But you must try this delicious dish, you will surely remember its delicious taste forever.

Bo Bia

Quán Long: No. 45/9, Han Hai Nguyen Street, District 11.

Bò Bía A Hón: No. 192, Ngo Quyen Street, District 10.

4. Xiên Que (Skewer)

Xien Que, skewers of marinated meat, grilled to perfection and brushed with a savory glaze, available at almost every street corner.

The meat, which can range from chicken, beef, lamb, pork, or even seafood, is typically marinated in a flavorful blend of spices, herbs, and sauces. Common ingredients include soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chili, honey, lemongrass, or yogurt, depending on the region. They are served with Bánh Mì (baguette) or rice paper rolls, accompanied by fresh herbs and dipping sauces.

Xien Que


When traveling to Saigon, you must definitely enjoy Xien Que at the following restaurants:

Nướng Phố: No. 302, Tay Thanh Street, Tan Phu District.

Xiên Que Tomato: No. 357, Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, District 10.

Mộc Quán: No.7, Ly Chieu Hoang Street, District 6.

5. Hủ Tiếu Gõ (Knocking noodles)

Just mentioning Hu Tieu Go, everyone knows that this is one of the delicious and cheap snacks in Saigon. In particular, you don’t need to look for a delicious restaurant far away, you just need to go to the alley to get a delicious Hu Tieu.

The famous Hu Tieu Go in Saigon is thanks to the combination of bean sprouts, Hu Tieu, pork fat, sliced ​​pork, and vermicelli. In addition, you can enjoy mixed Hu Tieu or dry Hu Tieu, which are also delicious and rich.

Hu Tieu Go

You would not miss the Hu Tieu Go in Saigon:

Hủ Tiếu Gõ Liên Xô: No. 104, Mac Van Street, District 8.

Hũ Tiếu Gõ Lê Hồng Phong: No. 290, Le Hong Phong Street, District 5.

6. Bột Chiên (Fried rice flour cake)

Cheap and delicious snacks in Saigon cannot miss fried dough. This is the simplest but also the most attractive snack. With just flour, onions, eggs, and soy sauce, you have an excellent fried dough dish.

In addition to the traditional way of cooking, you can try fried dough with pate or fried dough with pork fat, which are also dishes that consume a lot of rice.

Bot Chien

The best Bot Chien Restaurants here:

Bột Chiên Nguyễn Kim: No. 187, Nguyen Kim Street, District 10.

Bột Chiên Lý Nam Đế: No. 130, Ly Nam De Street, District 11.

7. Gỏi Khô Bò (Vietnamese green papaya with beef jerky salad)

When you travel Saigon, you definitely should not miss the dried beef salad. With sidewalk eateries, you can enjoy the delicious, fragrant flavor of dried beef served with shrimp chips, peanuts, and delicious papaya.

There is nothing better than sitting with friends and eating dried beef salad with a glass of iced tea or ginseng juice.

Goi Kho Bo

In Saigon, you can refer to the addresses of delicious Goi Kho Bo such as:

Ông Năm: No. 76, Nguyen Van Thu Street, District 1.

Gỏi Khô Bò 80: No. 76, Le Van Duyet Street, Binh Thanh District.

Dì Sáu: No. 259, Hai Ba Trung Street, District 3.

8. Bánh Căn (Vietnamese mini pancake)

Banh Can originated from the Cham people’s cuisine in Ninh Thuan. Over time, they have learned and created many new ways to make the dish more special, such as eating it with many types of dipping sauces and adding eggs, shrimp and squid to the cake.

The white color of the cake is added with the green color of chopped green onions, the red color of chili, the sour taste of mango, lemon, and all kinds of fish sauce added together to stimulate the taste buds of the eater to the fullest. The sour, spicy and rich taste makes anyone who has ever tasted the rustic Banh Can dish will never forget it.

Banh Can

You would not miss the Banh Can Restaurant:

Quán Tháp Chàm: No. 55A, Hung Vuong Street, District 5.

Quán Phan Rang: No. 64, Truong Quoc Dung Street, Phu Nhuan District.

9. Phá Lấu Bò (Beef Offal)

Enjoying the delicious and cheap snacks in Saigon without eating beef offal is a big mistake. Made from beef offal, this offal dish will have a main orange-yellow color.

Hot beef offal is often eaten with bread on drizzly days, it is really delicious with dipping sauce. In addition to beef offal, the dish is also prepared with the offal of other animals such as pigs, poultry, chickens.

Pha Lau Bo

You can enjoy Pha Lau Bo at these restaurants:

Quán Bà Hạt: No. 533, Ba Hat Street, District 10.

A Tèo: No. 230, Binh Thoi Street, District 11.

A Tài: No. 303, Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, District 3.

10. Bắp Xào (Stir fried corn)

Explore every corner of Saigon, how can you miss stir-fried corn? You can enjoy stir-fried corn at street stalls or snack shops, but the taste of stir-fried corn will definitely make you remember it forever.

In addition to traditional stir-fried corn with butter, shrimp paste, and fried onions, you should try stir-fried corn with salted eggs.

Bap Xao

Here is the best choice of Bap Xao:

Cô Ba: No. 60B, Cao Thang Street, District 3.

Hồ Con Rùa: No. 118, Co Giang Street, Phu Nhuan District.

11. Ốc (Snail)

Discovering the culinary paradise of Saigon, one of the delicious and cheap snacks in Saigon is snails. The diverse snail menu from spiral snails, fragrant snails, gun snails, and other types of snails and seafood gives you many choices. Snails are processed in many different ways from boiled, steamed, grilled, cooked with garlic butter or tamarind coconut sauce.

Let’s enjoy snail dishes and chill with beer.

In Saigon, you can refer to the addresses of delicious snail restaurants such as:

Quán Bông: No. 260, Nguyen Tieu La Street, District 10.

Ốc Đào: No. 212B/D48, Nguyen Trai Street, District 1.

Quán Ốc Nốc: No. 34-36-38, Nguyen Bieu Street, District 5.

12. Bánh Tráng Nướng (Grilled rice paper)

The aroma of grilled egg cakes wafts through the streets of Saigon. Ingredients such as corn, meat, sausage, cheese, chicken, onions, shrimp, etc. are spread evenly on rice paper. With the skill of the seller, the grilled rice paper is hot with a golden, crispy outer layer.

Banh Trang Nuong

When traveling to Saigon, you must definitely enjoy grilled rice paper at the following restaurants:

Bánh Tráng Nướng Cao Thắng: No. 61, Cao Thang Street, District 3.

Bánh Tráng Nướng Phan Thiết: No. 202, Bong Sao Street, District 8.

13. Súp Cua (Vietnamese crab soup)

Sup Cua is also a sidewalk restaurant that many diners come to because the food is extremely delicious, cheap and of good quality.

A bowl of crab soup with full of chicken, crab meat, quail eggs, mushrooms, fish balls, snails  will fill you up at an extremely affordable price. Sup Cua is one of the best choice that you must try when visit Saigon.

Sup Cua

You could follow these address that you can try Sup Cua in Sai Gon:

Súp Cua Út Tuyền: No. 162, Nguyen Thi Nho Street, District 11.

Súp Cua Thảo: No. 68/8, Ho Thi Ky Street, District 10.

Súp Cua Hạnh: No. 549, Su Van Hanh Street, District 10.

14. Bò Lá Lốt (Grilled beef in lolot leaf)

The dish of beef in betel leaves is simply explained as “minced beef rolled in leaves”, a specialty of the people of the South. The spices used to marinate the beef include chives, garlic, black pepper, sugar, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and MSG. After mixing the spices, the beef is rolled in betel leaves, and is “best” when grilled over charcoal.

After being grilled, the dish is sprinkled with peanuts, green onions, and mayonnaise. The side dishes are raw vegetables such as lettuce, herbs, star fruit, and young bananas. The dipping sauce for this dish is fish sauce – a fermented fish sauce made from anchovies.

Bo La Lot

You could refer to the following restaurants:

Bò Lá Lốt Hoàng Yến: No. 143, Co Giang Street, District 1.

Bò Lá Lốt Cô Liêng: No. 321, Vo Van Tan Street, District 3.

Bò Lá Lốt Anh Ba: No. 460, Phan Xich Long Street, Phu Nhuan District.

15. Cháo Ếch (Frog congee)

Chao Ech, with a special cooking style, frog porridge is a harmonious combination of typical Southeast Asian spices, the spicy taste of chili, the strong taste of pepper and the rich taste of each piece of firm meat, all mixed together in a bowl of hot white porridge.

The braised frog meat has a sweet, spicy but extremely rich taste. The braised meat sauce has a shimmering brown color with a few green onions on top, very attractive.

Chao Ech

You could follow these address that you can try Chao Ech in Sai Gon:

Cháo Ếch Singapore: No. 404-406, Ly Thai To Street, District 10.

The Ech: No. 20, Nam Quoc Cang Street, District 1. Cháo Ếch Hạ Vũ: No. 355, Nguyen Thi Nho Street, District