Once stepping in Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinatown, you will feel like being in a mini Hongkong with people speaking Cantonese and stores selling Chinese dishes. As you stroll through the spiderwebbing streets and alleyways, get ready to enjoy these must-try dishes in the Chinatown of Ho Chi Minh City.
Must-try Dishes in the Chinatown of Ho Chi Minh City
Handmade Noodles
If you are into Hongkong movies, you must know the “Kungfu egg noodle” – handmade fresh noodles, made with the cook’s skillful moves. Unlike the pre-packaged noodle, this one is more flavorful and chewy yet tender. It normally comes with a braised duck leg or other toppings like char siu, shrimp, pork organs, etc.
| Restaurant | Khai Ky | Thieu Ky |
| Address | 116 – 118 Ha Ton Quyen, Ward 4, District 11 | 66/5 Le Dai Hanh, Ward 7, District 11 |
| Opening hours | 6:30 AM – 11:30 AM; 4:30 PM – 10:30 PM | 7 AM – 1 AM |
| Price | VND 32,000 – VND 98,000 | VND 30,000 – VND 67,000 |
Chinatown’s noodle is always among the best ones in town
Slurping noodles while watching a Kungfu egg noodle performance, isn’t it exciting?
Dim Sum
“Dim sum” means “breakfast” in Chinese. Thus, people usually enjoy it at the beginning of their day. Dim sum refers to all small bite-sized food served in a bamboo steamer or a plate. They are usually made from pork or shrimp, flour, and eaten with soya sauce. The most prevalent types are dumplings and Chinese buns, which appear everywhere from fancy restaurants and buffet parties to street stalls.
| Restaurant | Baoz Dimsum | Khang Dimsum Bar |
| Address | 88 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Ward 7, District 5 | 20 Nguyen Duy Duong, Ward 8, District 5 |
| Opening hours | 6:30 AM – 10:30 PM | 7 AM – 10 PM |
| Price | VND 55,000 – VND 400,000 | VND 38,500 – VND 275,000 |
Want to try dumplings? You can choose Wonton Soup
… or Har Gow
… or Siu Mai
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|
Roasted Duck
Beijing Roasted Duck is famous worldwide but you can have a similar delicious dish right in Chinatown. Unfortunately, Vietnamese don’t enjoy this dish at a restaurant. They simply go to these stores and take their favorite one away, so you should consider bringing it to your hotel.
| Store | Vinh Phong | Phat Thanh |
| Address | 523 Phan Van Tri, Ward 7, District 5 | 132 Bui Huu Nghia, Ward 7, District 5 |
| Opening hours | 5 AM – 9 PM | 5:30 AM – 9 PM |
| Price/one roasted duck | VND 340,000 | VND 340,000 |
Hotpot
It would be a waste to talk about must-try dishes in the Chinatown of Ho Chi Minh City without mentioning hotpot. Hotpot is the perfect option for a friend’s reunion or a family get-together. With a boiling pot in the center of the table, hotpot promotes friendship by urging people to cook together. Normally, they boil vegetables first and put meat or seafood in the pot later.
| Restaurant | Dan Ich (Fish Hotpot) | Phuoc Duyen (Vegetarian Hotpot) |
| Address | 99 Chau Van Liem, Ward 14, District 5 | 109 Nguyen Bieu, Ward 1, District 5 |
| Opening hours | 4 PM – 10 PM | 10 AM – 9 PM |
| Price/one hotpot | VND 310,000 – VND 510,000 | VND 190,000 – VND 220,000 |
A hotpot consists of many ingredients: vegetables, herbs, spice, proteins (meat, seafood, mushroom,…), and sauce
Sweet Soup
You may know this as a popular Vietnamese dessert, but many types of it originated from China. Nhan Nhuc (Dried Longan Sweet Soup) and Sam Bo Luong (Ching Bo Leung) are two popular Chinese sweet soups that you can easily find in the city. However, some types are only in Chinatown, including Hot Ga Tra (Herbal Egg), Dau Hu Hanh Nhan (Almond Jelly) and Quy Linh Cao (Guilinggao).
| Restaurant | Ha Ky | Tuong Phong |
| Address | 138 Chau Van Liem, Ward 11, District 5 | 83 An Diem, Ward 10, District 5 |
| Opening hours | 10 AM – 11 PM | 7 PM – 10 PM |
| Price | VND 25,000 – VND 45,000 | VND 18,000 – VND 51,000 |
Having cool sweet soup is a way to survive the heat in Ho Chi Minh City
Hot Ga Tra
Che Me Den is good on the tongue and good for your health
Dau Hu Hanh Nhan
Quy Linh Cao
Summary of Must-try Dishes in the Chinatown of Ho Chi Minh City
These must-try dishes in the Chinatown of Ho Chi Minh City will surely make you satisfied after a city tour. Besides, they’re the representatives of one of the largest communities in the city, so eating them is a yummy way to understand more about life here in Vietnam.
If you can’t reach Chinatown, check out these places to try Chinese cuisine in Ho Chi Minh City.
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