The Best Cheap Eats In Saigon

Of all Southeast Asia’s great food cities, Ho Chi Minh City, still referred to locally as Saigon, can challenge any of its neighbors as the region’s best. With its range of incredible street food and vibrant flavors, Saigon’s local cuisine offers some of the most forward flavors found in Vietnam. Due to its historical significance, though, Saigon’s importance as a food capital expands far beyond its own time-tested dishes.

As the city where much of Vietnam’s population settled after the war, Saigon offers visitors a taste from every corner of the country, most of the time for just a few dollars, or Vietnamese dong. From street carts to sit-down restaurants, Saigon balances its own staples with influences from all over Vietnam, giving it a distinct culinary presence that’s hard to match.