Ba Chieu sticky rice
Ba Chieu sticky rice. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Huyen
A
pushcart at Ba Chieu in Binh Thanh District, one of the biggest markets in the
city, serves steamed sticky rice with fried chicken and pork and a secret sauce
on top. The tasty parcel comes wrapped in a banana leaf to keep warm, before
being placed in a Styrofoam box to serve take-away customers.
Each
box costs from VND15,000-25,000 ($0.66-1.10).
Those
who want to eat right away can sit at nearby cafes and tea shops.
The
cart is open every day from 3 p.m. until midnight, and sometimes until 2 the
next morning, which means you don't have to worry about spending the night
hungry in Saigon.
'Cold' soup
Diners surround the sweet soup cart on Nguyen Phi Khanh Street. Photo by VnExpress/Phu Nguyen
The
guy who sells sweet soup near the corner of Nguyen Phi Khanh and Tran Quoc Thao
in District 1 has never given his cart a name, but some of his more sarcastic
customers love to call it the “cold” dessert shop, as he always stays too calm
and takes his time, no matter how many customers are waiting.
Those
who visit when business is quiet say he’s really friendly and whenever he can
afford the time, he will sit down for a chat, usually about life in general.
The
shop has several plastic stools to sit on and enjoy the gently sweet and soft
beans with jelly for a mere VND10,000 a glass.
He
is open from before noon until 4 p.m.
The park’s beef salad
The colorful Le Van Tam beef salad. Photo by VnExpress/Tien Tran
Goi
kho bo, or dried beef salad, is a popular local snack that brings together
papaw, carrots and dried beef, all thinly sliced and mixed with vinegar, fish
sauce and dried crushed peanuts. The perfect combination of sweet, sour,
peppery and salty flavors pleases any curious diner, especially on cold days.
One
of the most popular goi kho bo in the city is sold on Vo Thi Sau Street along
Le Van Tam Park in District 1. The shop has no tables or chairs, but customers
are happy to enjoy the dish on their motorbikes or under the park’s canopies.
The
shop opens from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m., and each bowl costs VND16,000.
The Dutchman’s
sausage
The sausage couple on Duong Ba Trac. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Hoa
A
Dutch man named Clifford Alexander van Toor and his Vietnamese wife sell
sausages from a motorbike on Duong Ba Trac in District 8, and most people know
of the shop as “the Western man’s sausage”. The couple say they import their
sausages from Germany.
The
sausages are grilled over coal and served by themselves or with a baguette for
around a dollar a piece.
'Office' crab soup
The soup is served with coriander and satay sauce. Photo by VnExpress/Phuong Phan
The
crab soup cart on Nguyen Van Trang Street in District 1 is usually dubbed
“office” soup as it only opens during office hours, closing after 6 p.m. and
over weekends. There’s a large pot filled with the basic hot crab soup with
corn, mushroom and eggs, while smaller pots hold pig brain, century eggs and
the fried hollow breadsticks quay.
Each
portion costs from VND25,000-35,000.
By Ma Lum/VnExpress