Vietnamese via Vespa

Asia travel expert, Kate Herz, saddles up and explores Vietnam’s foodie scene like the locals, on the back of a vintage Vespa.

Saigon is Vietnam’s biggest city with ten million residents, a frenetic hub of culture, history and business. Grand, French colonial governmental buildings and cathedrals sit alongside ornate Buddhist temples and towering silver skyscrapers. The Saigon River winds its way through this melting pot whilst thousands of scooters pack the streets, pedestrians calmly crossing the roads as they allow the traffic to move around them like flowing water around rocks. In 1975, the city was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City, but Saigon has stuck.

One of the best ways to get to know a city like Saigon is through its food. Discovering local cuisine reveals the history and heritage of a place, provides an opportunity to meet residents and, aside from all that, is a delicious way to spend an afternoon. And what better way to get under the skin of the city than by travelling as the Saigonese do?

This is how I found myself on the back of a vintage Vespa scooter about to experience Saigon’s street food scene.

The blend of old and new that merge together in Saigon, Vietnam’s largest city.

French fancies

Our first stop was District 4, where the Saigon Port is located. Canals surround this little island district and it’s here that the French background to the city becomes apparent, as we are offered popular local dishes such as snails and frog legs (“better than chicken!” we’re told).

Bánh xèo, savoury rice pancakes filled with pork and prawns.

Snails are very popular in Saigon, especially in District 4, and are often cooked with coconut milk. Other seafood to taste in this district include baked clams, crab claws covered in mounds of chilli, and scallops served in their shells with crushed peanuts and yet more chilli.

Vietnamese specialities

Next, we leave the riverside and zip off to District 3, just outside the city centre. Though there are lots of French villas here, the street food we find is more traditionally Vietnamese. We stop for some bánh xèo, savoury rice pancakes filled with pork and prawns. Its name literally means ‘sizzling cake’, because of the loud crackling sound when the rice batter is poured into a hot pan.

Another street dish you can try in this area – or anywhere else in Vietnam – is the famous phở, Vietnamese noodle soup (local tip: it’s pronounced ‘fuh’ – not phonetically to rhyme with ‘know’). The broth with rice noodles can come with chicken or beef and is served with a bunch of fresh herbs, such as mint and coriander, chilli, fresh lime and bean sprouts that you can add to suit your taste.

District 3 is also the perfect place to try Vietnamese coffee. Vietnam is the world’s second biggest exporter of coffee, after Brazil, an industry introduced by the French. Since then, coffee drinking has been adapted by locals and is now a ritual with its own style. Served in a filter that perches on top of the cup, the brew that trickles through is rich and strong. It’s usually mixed with sweet condensed milk and can also be served over ice.

Phở, or noodle soup, Vietnam’s most famous dish.

Saigon’s speakeasies

Our last stop reveals a side to Saigon many won’t expect. We cross an empty courtyard, passing a barking dog yanking on his chain, climb a flight of stairs and find ourselves in a little candlelit lounge with a jazz singer entertaining Saigon’s hip crowd sipping iced tea and cold beers. It’s discovering places like these that make great locally-guided tours pay for themselves.

Pack your bags

A 13-day culinary adventure through Vietnam and Thailand, from US$4,960 per person. For more information, contact Asia travel designer, Kate Herz (kate@jacadatravel.com).