Vietnamese cuisine is truly a treasure that will wow any visitor with its wide range of flavors, cooking techniques, as well as regional twists when you travel across this exotic country. Stopping in the center of the south, what are the best Vietnamese restaurants in Saigon? Find out in our list of 10 below.
Quan Bui is tucked away in the sleepy Ngo Van Nam street, close to the busy Le Thanh Ton (also known as the "Tokyotown" of Saigon), and has a modest, cozy charm. However, the restaurant is almost always packed to the gills with both domestic and foreign diners for lunch and dinner.
Beginning from nothing, Danh Tran created Quan Bui into what it is today. He is a young man from Central Vietnam who arrived in Saigon for college with the goal of becoming successful. He launched a lucrative career in marketing for the hospitality and restaurant industries after receiving his degree, but the lure of the kitchen kept calling to him, so he made the decision to invest his savings in a small eatery.
The "Com Bui" ("dust rice") streetside stalls in Saigon that provide food to the city's common laborers and workers served as the source of inspiration for the name "Quan Bui." It also set the framework for the menu, which consisted of modest, filling Vietnamese food that was reasonably priced. Unlike "Com Bui" stalls, Danh made the decision to return Vietnamese cuisine to its origins, to a time when all sauces, broths, and soup bases were properly made with vegetables and bones. Be sure to order the passion fruit custard dessert if you visit Quan Bui for dinner. The dish, which is a hollowed-out passion fruit half filled to the brim with rich homemade custard, looks unassuming, but its intensely potent combination of sweetness and faint sourness on your tastebuds is made more apparent by its appearance.
Cuc Gach Quan began as a way for renowned Vietnamese architect, Binh Tran, to construct a reminder to locals and visitors about the traditional and basic fundamentals of Vietnamese cuisine. It is located in a quiet neighborhood and road away from the bustle of District 1. The restaurant is housed in two French villas and has zen-like fish ponds, quaint artifacts from traditional Vietnamese culture scattered throughout the grounds, and period-appropriate interior decor. Sit on the upper levels of either building, if you can to have a nice view. The rooms on the top floors are also uniquely decorated in a kitschy, recycled manner, giving you the impression that you are in a Vietnamese home.
Although all the food is delicious, I believe you should not skip the Thit Kho Trung, a traditional Tet dish of braised pork and boiled eggs (the Lunar New Year holiday). Umami, savory, and electably tender, this dish is a must with a lovely coconut flavor! The menu is quite extensive, so having a local with you is a great idea. Cuc Gach Quan is not a cheap restaurant, and yes, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been there. Considering the prices to tourists, it still works out to be very reasonable, but you might want to save this place for a special night.
Nha Hang Ngon is a great place to have your first taste of traditional Vietnamese cuisine if you're a visitor to Vietnam. The menu has foods from all around Vietnam, from the northern specialty of sizzling pancake to the southern specialty of “com tam" - broken rice with coal-grilled tenderloin pork. The restaurant has a tranquil courtyard with a lily palm and several miniature coconut trees for seating. The market atmosphere of a small town in the South is captured in the dining room's food display section for a local touch of interior.
As it's one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Saigon, you literally can order anything from the menu, which tastes all good. But, for the first try, don't forget to save space for sweet soup, a traditional Vietnamese treat. I recommend Che bap, or sweet corn pudding, a light dessert that consists of sweet corn, glutinous rice, thick coconut cream, and toasted sesame seeds. Or try the Che suong sa hot luu, a rainbow-themed dessert consisting of pomegranate seeds coated in tapioca, agar jelly, sweet mung bean paste, and rich coconut milk.
If you are looking for the best Vietnamese restaurant with a touch of elevation, you probably fall in love with Vietnam House. Luke Nguyen, an Australian celebrity chef, has won widespread praise for his restaurants, cookbooks, and television shows. Luke is not only the owner but also the head chef of Vietnam House, a trendy Vietnamese eatery in Ho Chi Minh City's famous Dong Khoi Street. The broad a la carte menu at Vietnam House is where you can really get a feel for Luke's innovation and the range of modern Vietnamese fare, even though the restaurant also provides both fixed lunch and supper menus.
There are so many dishes I want to recommend but here are the ones that are the most signature: Hue-style butterfly pea flower sticky rice dumpling with pork loin, tiger prawns, and sweet-and-sour fish sauce; deep-fried chili lemongrass Iberico pork ribs; shrimp mousse barbecued over sugar cane. The menu has a variety of soups and vegetarian alternatives, as well as six different salads made with both land and marine components. For dessert, the coconut panna cotta with berry coulis is a delicious option.
Anan Saigon was founded in the region around Ton That Dam, one of Saigon's earliest wet marketplaces. Vietnamese American chef and proprietor of Anan Peter Cuong Franklin is pushing the boundaries of modern Vietnamese cuisine in this time-frozen corner of Saigon. The Chef's Tasting Menu is a five-course dinner served with wine pairings and finished with a shot of Vietnamese Limoncello. After dinner, you may have a beverage on the rooftop while gazing at the towering Bitexco Financial Tower.
The award-winning Vietnamese chef Peter Cuong Franklin has opened the first of two restaurants based on Vietnamese street cuisine, called Anan (which literally translates to "eat eat"). Peter's innovative takes on classic Vietnamese dishes have earned him acclaim across the world. The menu is influenced by Vietnam's rich and thriving cuisine culture, and they make use of both locally sourced products and those sourced from the wet market across the street. The name of the upstairs bar, Nhau Nhau, translates to something like "catching up over eating and drinking" in Vietnamese.
Here you may chow down on some contentious yet brilliant bami, margarita pizza with a Da Lat twist, or a special pho that has wagyu beef, marrow, tendon, and black truffle. The creative cooking continues in other ways as well. A chocolate egg with salted duck egg cream, chocolate, and passionfruit is one of the dessert options you may want to try. Coconut worm shots created with rum, live coconut worm and coconut cream are available if that level of originality isn't enough for you.
Referring to Southern delicacies, I must immediately mention fish sauce hot pot “lau mam", a specialty that you can find at any restaurant in the Southwest region. But one of them, Lau mam Ba Du is highly appreciated. Offering many excellent delicacies, this is the best Vietnamese restaurant featuring hotpot for you to visit and enjoy.
As a combination of popular ingredients and vegetables, Lau mam Ba Du has bold Vietnamese traditions and has a super attractive hot pot list. The first branch of the hotpot restaurant is just a roadside restaurant, but thanks to the good impression from the diners, it is supported and now, they have expanded to branches all over Ho Chi Minh City.
“Lau mam” surely is a must try here. It is prepared and cooked from the quintessence of fish sauce here, which has a sweet, rich flavor that attracts diners. The hot pot dipping dishes are extremely diverse and carefully prepared. The soul of the fish sauce hotpot includes howling fish, roast pork, tiger shrimp, squid head or snail rolls, etc. Besides, there is a fresh and clean vegetable buffet to put together inside the boiling broth such as water spinach, bananas, okra, mint, gooseberries, bitter vegetables, etc.
Laang Saigon Restaurant, located in the quiet Thao Dien neighborhood of District 2, takes its name from the "Lang Yen" philosophy, the art of keeping still and serene amidst the commotion. It aims to bring people together via its uplifting ambiance and nutritious fare, providing a zen haven for anyone seeking a break from the frenetic pace of Saigon. The innovative items on the menu are based on Asian fusion and vegetarian fare, and the chef uses only the freshest local ingredients.
For breakfast and lunch, you can find many hearty and healthy Western food items here but in the evening, the mode is switched to a cozy atmosphere of modern Vietnamese family dinner with fusion dishes.
Vegetarians and other advocates of healthy diets shouldn't steer clear of this one. The cuisine of Hum Vegetarian is influenced by Southeast Asian dishes and is healthy, creative, and full of flavor. Each of the three sites of Hum is thoughtfully crafted, with relaxing music, a focus on natural wood furnishings, and an abundance of healthy plants and trees.
The spacious patio and shared tables at this District 2 spot are ideal for big gatherings. If you are going in a big group, it is better to let them know in advance. The restaurants stay true to their mission "to provide freshness and originality" by only using fresh, natural foods such beans, nuts, vegetables, flowers, and fruits from the surrounding areas.
Propaganda Bistro, located within Thong Nhat Park and only a short distance from the Notre Dame Cathedral, is a popular spot for locals and visitors alike. Nothing beats getting up early, going for a run, and then stopping by Propaganda - one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Saigon for breakfast. The food at Propaganda will make you happy for sure, but eating breakfast there will make you even happier than usual because the quality of the meal is excellent, and it's not too expensive.
You can eat outside or at a table near one of the murals with the playful propaganda designs that can also be seen on the restaurant's swag. The yellow and red propaganda murals cover every available surface, serving as both historical documentation and works of art. It's a fascinating look into people's lives throughout the conflict. The wartime concentration of northern farmers on food production to provide the South is a common theme in the artwork. There is something for everyone on Propaganda's broad drink menu, which features international wines, regional brews, and timeless cocktails.
A beautiful secret, Hoa Tuc (literally "opium poppy") is located a block from the Saigon Opera House n the chic courtyard that was previously Saigon's opium refinery. Hoa Tuc is a welcome escape from the city's hustle and bustle, honking horns, and oppressive heat thanks to its verdant surroundings and creeping vines, Paris Metro-inspired front patio, private al fresco eating area, and beautiful air-conditioned dining room.
When Hoa Tuc opened in August 2008, it was the first modern Vietnamese restaurant in Saigon. Hearty Vietnamese cuisine is well cooked and elegantly presented in a setting that is at once sophisticated and reminiscent. Hoa Tuc takes the "fusion" notion seriously, serving up an innovative cuisine that doesn't stray too far from the norm. Saigon-style pork and taro fried spring rolls and BBQ meat in betel leaf are sure to be crowd pleasers.
