Trying to find some restaurants where serve cheap, delicious Vietnamese food in Ho Chi Minh is always a popular demand of any tourists visiting to this vibrant city. One of my foreigners told me that he wants to eat a delicious Vietnamese food in a local style restaurant in Ho Chi Minh city, especially where many local people often go to.
As a real local living in Ho Chi Minh, I and many Vietnamese people often have a lunch or dinner at some cheap, favorite restaurants which are popular for us but not for foreigners or visitors. Vice versa, there are some restaurants or food courts which are very famous for tourists but are not our favorite spots. From my local food experience, I want to share some of my favorite cheap, best delicious Vietnamese food in Ho Chi Minh.
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Bánh canh tôm tít – The Cốc shop
Bánh canh tôm tít at The Cốc shop , a cheap, delicious Vietnamese food
- Address: Bánh canh tôm tít – The Cốc shop
717, Rung Sac street, Binh Khanh ward, Can Gio dist, Ho Chi Minh city
- Opening time: 06:30 – 21:30
- Price: Normal bowl 37.000 VND – Special bowl 52.000 VND
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Ranking first in my favorite cheap, delicious Vietnamese food list in Ho Chi Minh is Bánh canh tôm tít at The Cốc shop in Cần Giờ. Bánh canh tôm tít is the cheap, delicious Vietnamese street food that makes me want to eat again even though I’ve just eaten it yesterday. This is delicious food making me eat until the last drop of soup broth. Just thinking about that food, I salivate.
Bánh canh tôm tít -The Cốc shop is located not far from Binh Khanh ferry, which connects Nha Be district with Can Gio district. The shop is about 15km far from Ben Thanh market.
Outside of Bánh canh tôm tít – The Cốc shop in Can Gio
Bánh canh tôm tít – The Cốc shop specializes in mantis shrimp noodles, a specialty of Can Gio. Bánh canh tôm tít here is noodle soup topped with mantis shrimps, special fried fish from Phan Thiet, some pieces of pork and beansprouts. The broth made with mantis shrimps and pork bones is flavorsome, sweet and tasty. According to your taste, you can add chili and lime. Another small bowl contains Muối tiêu chanh (a mix of salt, pepper, lime, salted dried apricot) to eat with topping.
How to go to Bánh canh tôm tít -The Cốc shop from Ho Chi Minh city center?
Signboard of Banh canh tom tit, The Cốc shop
Locating at the starting point of Can Gio, Bánh canh tôm tít – The Cốc shop is about 15km far from Ho Chi Minh city center. So, it’s a bit hard for any travelers who wants to try this delicious, affordable Vietnamese food in Can Gio. However, there are still some cheap ways to commute from Ho Chi Minh city center to the Cốc shop to enjoy one of the best delicious Vietnamese street foods, Bánh canh tôm tít in Can Gio, as follows:
- Option 1: Take a bus no.20 Ben Thanh – Nha Be (6.000 VND/person, 50 minutes), stop at the last bus stop, then walk about 200 meters to Binh Khanh ferry, then take Binh Khanh ferry to Can Gio (2.000 VND/person, about 15 minutes). After getting off the ferry, walk about 500 meters, Bánh canh tôm tít -The Cốc shop will be on your left hand, next to the first petrol station.
This option is suitable for those who have free time and want to discover Ho Chi Minh city by bus and its outskirts.
Inside of Bánh canh tôm tít- The Cốc shop in Cần Giờ
- Option 2: If you are on the way to visit Can Gio by car or bus or motorbike or bike, or on the way coming back to Ho Chi Minh city center from Can Gio, let you have breakfast or have dinner with Bánh canh tôm tít at The Cốc shop. This is a favorite restaurant to have breakfast or dinner of many local people, bikers, runners, local tourists when they visit landscapes of Can Gio every weekend. They often start early on Saturday morning from Ho Chi Minh city city center to Can Gio to enjoy fresh air and discover the mangrove forest or eat cheap, delicious seafood for the lunch while watching the beach.
>> Find more: How to go to Cu Chi tunnels from Ho Chi Minh city center
As you know, Can Gio is a coastal suburban district of Ho Chi Minh City, in the Southeast region of Vietnam. Can Gio is famous for a mangrove forest, a monkey forest (Can Gio biosphere Reserve) with cheap, delicious local seafood market selling many kinds of seafood caught there.
Bánh canh tôm tít -The Cốc shop is now just available in Can Gio and there is no branch in Ho Chi Minh.
Bò Kho Gánh
- Address: Bò Kho Gánh
029 Lot H, Ngo Gia Tu Apartment, Su Van Hanh Street, Ward 2, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Opening time: 14:00 -22:00
- Website: Bò kho gánh
- Menu : Menu at Bò kho gánh
- Price: from 55.000 VND – 110.000 VND depending on the amount and style of beef in a bowl.
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Ranking second in my affordable, delicious Vietnamese street food list in Ho Chi Minh is Bò kho (beef stew) at Bò Kho Gánh in district 10.
Bò kho gánh shop
Bò Kho Gánh shop specializes in beef stew which is served in a porcelain bowl with an ancient Vietnam style. Bò kho can be eaten with many kinds of noodles (hủ tiếu_vermicelli, mì tươi_fresh noodle, mì gói_instant noodle) or bread (bánh mì) and a small basket of beansprouts. This delicious street food Bò kho can be added chili, lime according to your taste.
Beansprouts and vegetables to eat with Bò kho
There is a tray of condiments and sauces for you to choose from when eating with very tender beef tendon. The broth is sweet and tasty, with a robust meaty flavour.
A tray of condiments and sauces at Bò kho gánh
This Bò Kho Gánh shop has been handed down from one generation to the next from 1975 and there is no other branch. In 2024, Bò Kho Gánh was awarded Michelin bib gourmand in Ho Chi Minh city listed in Michelin guide 2024.
For me, I like to eat bò kho with beef tendon bread which costs 55.000 VND.
This Bò Kho Gánh shop is not far from district 1, just about 6 km from Ben Thanh market and now is a popular destination for dining of many local people and foreign tourists.
Mì quảng 3 anh em
- Address: Mì quảng 3 anh em
23 Pasteur, Nguyen Thai Binh ward, dist 1, HCM
- Hot line: 090 66 22535
- Opening time: 06:00 -21:00
- Price: 60.000 VND – 80.000 VND
- Website: Mi Quảng 3 anh em
- Maps: Branches in HCM
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A dish in my 3rd delicious Vietnamese food in Ho Chi Minh city is Mì quảng 3 anh em restaurant in district 1.
Mì quảng 3 anh em restaurant specializes in Mì quảng, a specialty of Quảng Nam province. Mì quảng can be chosen with topping such as chicken, fish, egg, shrimp, frog, fried shrimp meat, fried crab meat, pork. Furthermore, this delicious meal is always paired with lime, rice paper, fish sauce, fresh vegetables.
Mì quảng cá _fish mi quang
I just found this restaurant near Ben Thanh bus station because it’s not far from my office in district 1. I like mì quảng cá (fish mì quảng) and chicken mi quang with tender fish, chicken and fresh vegetables. There is no fish or chicken smell. The chicken broth here is sweet and tasty. The restaurant is clean, cozy, peaceful with friendly staff.
This Mì quảng 3 anh em restaurant closes very soon in the evening. Once, I visited it to have dinner at about 7:30pm but it already closed. So, it is better to have breakfast or lunch with Mì quảng here to enjoy peaceful atmosphere in district 1. This affordable price for a bowl of Mì quảng is 60.000 VND in district 1.
Menu at Mi quang 3 anh em in dist 1.
This brand Mi quang 3 anh em has 20 branches in Ho Chi Minh.
Bánh canh ghẹ Cầu Bông
- Address: Bánh canh ghẹ Cầu Bông
2 Le Van Duyet, Binh Thanh dist, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
(Old address: 2 Dinh Tien Hoang, Ward 1, Binh Thanh dist, Ho Chi Minh City)
- Hotline: 0908.129.129 – 0938.315.316
- Opening time: 11:00 -22:00
- Price: from 40.000 VND – 250.000 VND
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Bánh canh ghẹ Cầu Bông is the 4th affordable, delicious Vietnamese street food in Ho Chi Minh that I really want to introduce to you. The Bánh canh ghẹ Cầu Bông shop specializes in Bánh canh ghẹ (crab Vietnamese thick noodle soup). Bánh canh ghẹ is served in a big bowl with Vietnamese thick noodle made from tapioca or tapioca-rice flour mix topped with mushrooms, cooked blood, crab-roe, shrimp cake. For a big crab, it is kept in a medium bowl.
Bánh canh ghẹ Cầu Bông has a delicious taste created by a sweet and clear broth made from fresh crab, pork bone and dried shrimp. I often drink first the broth of bánh canh ghẹ until the last drop before eating the other parts of this delicious street food.
>> Find more: How to go to Ha Giang from Ho Chi Minh
The price of bánh canh ghẹ Cầu Bông is quite expensive for the first time you see the menu, ranging from 40.000 VND to 250.000 VND depending on the crab size. However, the expensive price is due to the crab you choose. Here there is a trick for you. Each time I come here to eat bánh canh ghẹ, I’ve just ordered Bánh canh chả (soup, noodle, shrimp cake) costing 40.000 VND only. It means that I don’t order crab.
This bánh canh at Bánh canh ghẹ Cầu Bông costing 40.000 VND, without crab but still delicious
I just want to taste the delicious broth of this noodle soup here. Furthermore, it often takes too much time to eat crab. In case I want to eat the crab, I sometimes buy the cheap crabs on the way back home where they sell lots of fresh, delicious, cheap crabs.
The Bánh canh ghẹ Cầu Bông shop is located next to the foot of Cầu Bông bridge in Binh Thanh district. Clients are served in an outdoor space with small red chairs put along a small hill. The shop is the only branch in Ho Chi Minh and started its business from 2005.
Vườn chay Tâm Hiếu – Tam Hieu garden
- Address: VƯỜN CHAY TÂM HIẾU – TAM HIEU GARDEN
3, đường số 3, Cư Xá Đô Thành, phường 4, quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh, Việt Nam
(3, số 3 street, Do Thanh appartment building, ward 4, dist 3, Ho Chi Minh)
- Hotline: 0968797258
- Opening hours 6:30AM-8PM (Excepts: Thursday 6:30AM-5PM)
- Price: from 55.000 VND -325.000 VND
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The last restaurant on my favorite, delicious Vietnamese food list in Ho Chi Minh is a vegetarian restaurant Tam Hieu Garden in district 3, not far from dist 1.
The vegetarian food is delicious with a combination of salad, fruit with rice, mushrooms and beautiful decoration. The restaurant is small but cozy, beautiful with friendly staff.
Banana flower vegetarian dish (Gỏi hoa chuối) at Tâm Hiếu Garden restaurant
I like green rice with salad topped with colorful fruit, vegetarian roll. The Tam Hieu Garden restaurant crafts delicious, affordable Vietnamese nosh from vegetarian mushroom roll to delicious fried rice. This vegetarian restaurant is a must-go place in case you are a real vegetarian or not.
Cuốn bì chay – bì mushroom vegetable roll at Tam Hieu Garden
In summary, there are still many cheap, delicious Vietnamese food restaurants in Ho Chi Minh city. However, I just mentioned five affordable, delicious Vietnamese food restaurants that I really like.
