Where To Eat “Chè”, A Sweet Dessert In Ho Chi Minh City?

A kaleidoscopic world of luminous colours, shifting shapes, unfamiliar textures, esoteric ingredients, and rich flavours, chè is a fascinating sub-category of Vietnamese cuisine. Chè can be translated as ‘dessert’, but in reality it’s so filling, so nutritious, that chè is a meal in itself. The sheer variety of chè and innovative use of ingredients is, I think, unrivalled in any other area of Vietnamese cooking. 

Tropical fruits, nuts, beans, grains, seeds, flowers, roots, and vegetables all play their part. But the central component is sugar: chè is sweet. As such it appeals chiefly to Vietnam’s burgeoning youth; nowhere more so than in Saigon, where the humid tropical nights make a sweet, iced dessert that much more appealing. In a city where everyone seems to be a teenager, I spent two weeks on a sugar-high, scouting out 9 of the best chè joints in town

Below are 7 great places to eat chè in Saigon, all of which are open in the afternoon and evening. Click on any name from the list to read more about it. These places have been serving chè for many years, and they are masters of their trade. The variety of chè is bewildering: menus commonly list over 30 kinds. I ordered two different chè at each place I visited, but I still barely scratched the surface. 

To get familiar with chè varieties, see this excellent rundown on Wikipedia. Of all the aspects of Vietnamese cuisine, chè is the one most overlooked by foreign travellers and expats. Why? A big reason is texture: unctuous, gooey, sloppy, soggy, slimy – chè reminds most people of school dinners. But get past this and you’ll peel back another layer of Vietnamese food culture. Chè is fun food: fun ingredients, fun creations, fun names: fun times. During my research, I fell for it.

  1. CHÈ KHÁNH VY: District 10
  2. CHÈ MỸ: Binh Thanh District
  3. CHÈ CỘT ĐIỆN: District 5
  4. CHÈ THÁI Ý PHƯƠNG: District 10
  5. CHÈ ÔNG MẬP: District 3
  6. CHÈ 75: Phu Nhuan District
  7. BÉ CHÈ: District 1

1. CHÈ KHÁNH VY

Address: 032, Block H, Sư Vạn Hạnh Street, District 10 [MAP] | Price: 8,000-12,000vnđ

Occupying the corner of an old apartment complex that, despite its dilapidated state, is abuzz with life, Chè Khánh Vy is a classic Saigon street food star. Lit by a naked light bulb hanging from a bare concrete overhang, the damp-ridden walls, cracked paving stones, and dozen or so low plastic tables, all point to great things.

 And that’s exactly what you get at Khánh Vy: over 30 years, and three generations of chè artistry; this place is a treasure trove of desserts. The friendly owners preside over a impressive array of large pots and pans, filled with gooey, slimy chè varieties. The speciality is chè mâm 16 món, which is a selection of 16 small bowls of chè – fantastic if you’re in a group. 

Since there are only two in my ‘group’, I order bà ba – a heavy, starchy combination of sweet potato, cassava and taro in a rich coconut milk gravy – and bánh flan, which is essentially a crème caramel; a legacy of French colonial times. A young local crowd hunch over their tiny bowls on their tiny stools: this dark corner echoes to the sound of their chatter. What a place! But its future is in doubt, as the apartment building is due for demolition very soon. What next for Chè Khánh Vy?