Your Definitive Guide to Saigon Street Snacks
Southern sustenance.
If Vietnam is one of the world’s best food destinations, then Ho Chi Minh City proudly reps the street food side of things.
This includes a bewildering array of snacks sold by roadside vendors at all times of the day that draw on influences from across the country.
With an emphasis on bold, piquant flavours, these tantalising quick bites are one of the reasons why the city formerly known as Saigon is regarded as the food capital of Vietnam.
Banh trang tron
This savoury, spicy, sour and sweet salad, which started off as a way to use broken rice paper, is a student favourite.
The most basic version contains strips of banh trang (rice paper), chilli powder, kumquat juice, Vietnamese coriander and a healthy dose of MSG.
Many vendors offer additional ingredients such as peanuts, fried shallots, dried shrimp, hard-boiled quail eggs, thin strips of unripe mango and beef jerky, as well as satay sauce and other condiments.
Banh trang nuong
Essentially a rice paper pizza, this treat, originating in Da Lat, is popular with the younger set.
A round rice paper sheet is heated until crisp over a charcoal fire before an egg is cracked over it to act as a binder. Toppings like sausages, pate, beef jerky, dried shrimp, spring onions and fried shallots are then tossed on, followed by a drizzle of chilli sauce or mayonnaise.
The sheet is then rolled up, folded in half or cut into wedges with scissors to serve.
Com chay
Com chay is a scorched rice snack made from glutinous rice that’s cooked, flattened to dry and then shallow-fried until crunchy.
It can be eaten on its own but more often comes with toppings. There’s com chay mam toi or fish sauce and spring onions, com chay cha bong where pork floss and dried shrimp are added on top, and com chay cha ca, a deep-fried version which comes with a layer of fish paste.
Bap xao
Fresh corn kernels are stir-fried with margarine, fish sauce, dried shrimp, spring onions and sometimes salted duck egg yolks. It is served with chilli sauce, and some vendors will have mayonnaise and cheese too.
If you prefer your corn still on the cob, there’s bap nuong, which are whole ears of sweetcorn that are coated in scallion oil and grilled.
Xoi chien
These discs of fried glutinous rice are either eaten plain or, in the case of xoi chien nhan thit, stuffed with minced pork, shiitake mushrooms and wood ear fungus or jicama.
Originally devised as a way to utilise the crusty layer left over from cooking rice, this crusty, chewy delight is now made by shallow-frying rice patties in a pan.
Banh chuoi chien
Banana fritters in the same vein as pisang goreng in Malaysia and Thailand’s kluay kaek.
The main difference is the bananas are halved and then gently flattened before they’re dipped into a fermented rice and wheat batter and fried. Once removed from the oil, the bananas are battered and fried a second time to ensure they stay crispy.
Banh quai vac
A deep-fried, meat-filled turnover similar to a curry puff or empanada. It is also known as banh goi due to its resemblance to a pillow and banh xep because it is folded.
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This speciality of Bac Lieu province is usually filled with minced pork, wood ear fungus, carrot, jicama and glass noodles, and may include a hard-boiled quail egg as well. It is served with chilli or plum sauce.
Banh hot dog
Despite its name, this snack looks nothing like a hot dog. Instead, it resembles a toastie, albeit one made from a light, fluffy batter instead of bread.
Also known as triangle cake, these sandwiches are typically filled with sausages and Laughing Cow cheese, although there are a variety of other options such as pork floss, pate, salted egg yolk and more.
Chuoi nep nuong
A small banana — usually of the chuoi su (Musa acuminata × balbisiana) variety — is encased in steamed glutinous rice mixed with coconut juice and sugar, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled until the outside turns crunchy.
The grilled banana is then cut into smaller pieces and smothered in warm coconut milk, followed by a sprinkle of sesame seeds and maybe peanuts for a sweet, creamy treat.
Banh khoai mo
Crispy and brown on the outside and chewy and purple on the inside, this fritter will add colour to your afternoon tea.
Mix cooked and mashed ube with glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar, milk and condensed milk, then shape into a cocoon-like shape and deep-fry until golden.
Banh khoai mi
Cassava is combined with mung beans, tapioca starch, coconut milk, condensed milk, an egg and sugar then baked to create this golden, mildly sweet cake.
There is a paler, disc-like version called banh khoai mi nuong made using only cassava, shredded coconut and sugar that’s grilled over charcoal. It resembles the Cambodian nom bak ben.
Banh tam khoai mi
Grated cassava, tapioca starch, coconut milk, vanilla, sugar and natural food colouring is mixed, steamed in trays and cut into thin strips to make this colourful snack.
Also known as silkworm cassava cakes due to their shape, these chewy, stretchy strands are then rolled in coconut flakes and topped with sesame seeds.
Banh cam
A deep-fried glutinous rice ball filled with a mung bean paste mixed with sugar and sometimes grated coconut. The inclusion of regular rice flour and baking soda helps make the sesame seed-studded shell crunchy.
Banh can means “orange cake”, a reference to its resemblance to the fruit when fried. In 2022, CNN named it one of the 30 best fried foods in the world.
In northern Vietnam, there is a similar snack called banh ran, which includes jasmine essence and is coated with sugar or syrup.
Banh tai yen
Also known as bird’s nest cake, this flying saucer-shaped snack is popular for its crispy edges and a soft, fragrant centre.
The mixture of rice flour, glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, coconut milk, sugar and vanilla extract must be poured quickly into a shallow wok filled with oil to achieve the desired shape.
Hot ga nuong
This Thai import is made by emptying the contents of an egg into a bowl, stirring it together with salt, pepper, honey and agar powder then pouring the mixture back into the eggshell.
The whole thing is then grilled over a charcoal fire and served with seasoned salt, kumquat juice, chillies and Vietnamese coriander.
Bo bia
A local adaptation of Teochew popiah or fresh spring rolls that swaps out the original, crepe-like wheat flour wrapper for rice paper.
Bo bia are filled with lap xuong (Chinese sausage), dried shrimp, jicama and carrot. Omelette strips can be added too. These ingredients are lightly stir-fried, unlike Vietnamese summer rolls. Assemble on rice paper with lettuce and mint, roll tightly and serve with hoisin sauce and chilli oil.
There’s a sweet version made with the original popiah wrapper containing maltose candy, shredded dried coconut, condensed milk and sesame seeds.
First published in AirAsia Play on 18 Jan 2023.
