A Late Night Street Food Tour in Ho Chi Minh City

When day turns to night, Ho Chi Minh City changes its appearance. Dazzling lights of the immensely tall buildings are switched on and they shine like millions of small suns, the city wakes up in a new way with lively colors. Night activities begin and some will only finish when the sun rises.

Coffee shops, bars, and discotheques attract many citizens and tourists. Sometimes you expend all your energy having fun all night and you might want a bite to eat, or to unwind sitting on a small stool watching the people go by. Food stalls are open late and draw the attention of a lonely passerby. Some people may have just finished their shift at the bar or a late-night movie; some don’t have time to eat early because of work, or some simply don’t want to sleep with an empty stomach. To serve all of these loyal customers, substantial food stalls operate until very late night or even until the following morning.

In the City Center

Street Food Nguyen Canh Chan

On Nguyen Canh Chan Street, there are a lot of food stalls alternatively open and closed all day and all night. Enter Nguyen Canh Chan Street and you may get lost in the variety of foods here. Many Vietnamese foods can be enjoyed and served until 11 PM, or 12 AM, or later, some are open 24/7. You can try bun rieu (noodles with crab chowder), crab soup, fruits, fried beef ball, etc.

Address: Nguyen Canh Chan Street, District 1, opposite the offices of the firemen (Phong Chay Chua Chay in Vietnamese)
Price: it depends on the foods you have, but it ranges from 30,000 VND to 50,000+ VND.

Street Food Nguyen Thuong Hien

In the daytime, Nguyen Thuong Hien Street is famous for banh trang tron (mixed rice paper). But from 11 PM to 4 AM, this street is renowned for its shellfish restaurants. Many locals choose Nguyen Thuong Hien Street to gather with their friends, enjoying shellfish, and some sips of beer. You can also find food stalls serving hu tieu (Phnom Penh rice noodle soup), ha cao (shrimp dumpling), beefsteak, etc.

Address: Nguyen Thuong Hien Street, District 3
Price: It depends, the price ranges from 30,000 VND to 60,000 VND.

Fried Half-Dried Cuttlefish with Fish Sauce in Le Van Sy Street

Along Le Van Sy Street, there are four street food stalls that sell fried half-dried cuttlefish that attract many locals every night. They specialize only in fried cuttlefish. Serving from around 6 PM, these food stalls feed customers until the next early morning. You can come here, order one or two cuttlefish and sip on some beer. Nearby, a stand serves fruit smoothies (avocado, strawberry, papaya, pineapple…), so you can drink down some energy for the night to come.

Address: Le Van Sy Street, District 3
Price: it varies, around 100,000 VND per cuttlefish

Com Tam at Night in Tran Binh Trong Street

Com tam (broken rice) may be familiar to many tourists coming to Vietnam. Fragrant and soft, it can be eaten with pork culet and egg. This restaurant used to be located on Nguyen Trai Street, but it’s since moved to Tran Binh Trong Street, but the reputation hasn’t change. It’s open from 6 PM until midnight.

Address: 185 Tran Binh Trong Street, Ward 3, District 5
Price: 30,000 VND – 50,000 VND

Grilled Chicken and BBQ – Ga Bay Restaurant in Go Vap District

This restaurant specializes in chicken, but it also serves other kinds of meat like beef, pork, and shellfish. You can freely choose your BBQ materials and cook them yourself. It’s open from 3 PM to 11 PM.

Address: 53 Street Number 21 (Duong So 21), Ward 8, District Go Vap
Price: 30,000 VND – 100,000 VND

Chao Long (Porridge with Pork Tripe) in Phu Nhuan District

This food stall is open from 2 PM until 8 AM the next day. It’s been operating for a very long time and since has become very famous, so there are often many people there. The most crowded time is at midnight.

Address: 114 Phan Dang Luu Street, Ward 3, District Phu Nhuan
Price: 20,000 VND – 25,000 VND

In the North of the City

Oc Trung Tin (Shellfish Food Stall) in District 12

This food stall doesn’t have too many seats, but it is located on the sidewalk so it’s quite cool and comfortable to eat here. It’s open daily from 6 PM until 2 or 3 AM. You can enjoy the delicious food of scallops, snails, oyster, squids, etc. This place also serves grilled chicken feet which is favored by many people of Vietnam.

Address: A70 Quang Trung Street, Ward Dong Hung Thuan, District 12
Price: 30,000 VND – 150,000 VND

Bo Hai Chau Restaurant (Beef Restaurant) in District 12

This restaurant is located in a small alley but has a comfortable space for you to sit and enjoy the food. As its name suggests, it serves mostly dishes with beef: salad, hotpot, grilled beef, fried beef, etc. It also has various other dishes such as noodles, rice, and spaghetti for you to eat as appetizers.

Address: 96A, TA 19 Street, Ward Thoi An, District 12
Price: depends on the dish you order and the amount of food, around 50,000 VND – 500,000 VND for many people (two to six).

Bo Kho Me Nau Restaurant (Vietnamese Beef Stew) in District Hoc Mon

Bo kho is usually enjoyed with noodles or bread and very popular among the Saigonese. Located in a countryside district of Ho Chi Minh City to the north, this restaurant is still famous and the first pick of many locals. Bo Kho Me Nau literally means bo kho cooked by mom, and we know that anything cooked by mom is really delicious. It’s open from 6 AM until midnight.

Address: 55/1 Phan Van Hon Street, District Hoc Mon
Price: 30,000 VND – 50,000 VND

Chinku Restaurant – Smokeless Grill in Thu Duc District

This restaurant serves several grilled dishes like pork, beef, many kinds of fish, and shellfish. People usually come here with friends and family, then together grill the food themselves and eat their own accomplishment. Chinku Restaurant is open from 3 PM until 12 AM.

Address: 996 Phan Van Dong Street, Ward Hiep Binh Chanh, District Thu Duc
Price: 50,000 VND – 300,000+ VND

Chao Vit Co Sau (Duck Porridge) in Thu Duc District

Chao vit (duck porridge) is very popular in Vietnam. At night when the weather becomes a bit colder, having a bowl of chao vit is an excellent idea because it warms you up. Chao Vit Co Sau is a restaurant serving chao vit in Thu Duc that attracts many people in the area. It’s open from 4 PM until 11 PM.

Address: 116 To Ngoc Van Street, District Thu Duc
Price: 30,000 VND – 100,000 VND

In the South of the City

Tam Ky Restaurant in District 7

Tam Ky Restaurant offers lots of dishes with rice like grilled pork cutlet, egg, beef, seafood, etc. Although there are very few employees to help customers, the food is really yummy and will definitely satisfy your hungry stomach. This restaurant is open from 9 AM until midnight.

Address: 376 Nguyen Thi Thap Street, District 7
Price: 30,000 VND – 70,000 VND

Bo La Lot (grilled beef wrapped with wild betel leaf) in Tan Quy

Though this food stall doesn’t have comfortable spaces to sit, it specializes only in bo la lot so the food is very tasty. It’s important to eat bo la lot with delicious dipping sauce, and this food stall makes an excellent sauce! It’s open from 4 PM to 11 PM.

Address: 47/20, Street Number 2 (Duong So 2), Ward Tan Quy, District 7
Price: 30,000 VND – 60,000 VND

Chanh Thuy – Hu Tieu (Phnom Penh Rice Noodles) and Lau Xi Quach (Pork Shank Hotpot)

This food stall receives many positive comments on Foody (a Vietnamese food social network) because of the good taste and the very cheap price! You’ll be dizzy after confronting a bowl of substantial food! In this food stall, quantity accompanies quality, which means the food is also so good. It’s open from 12 PM to 2 AM.

Address: Alley 90, Nguyen Thi Tan Street, Ward 2, District 8
Price: 20,000 VND – 150,000 VND

Duy Ga Restaurant in District 8

This food stall is for those who love chicken and want a low price. They offer lots of dishes with chicken such as tripe hotpot, grilled tripe, fried tripe, etc. It’s located on the sidewalk, so you can enjoy chicken and watch the Saigon streets at night. It’s open from 7 AM until midnight.

Address: 290B Duong Ba Trac Street, Ward 1, District 8
Price: 30,000 VND – 60,000 VND

Thien Phuc Restaurant – Shellfish in Binh Tan District

It’s shellfish again! But you now can find it in District Binh Tan, a southern district of Ho Chi Minh City. Like many other shellfish restaurants, it also serves various kinds of seafood. Besides, there are also appetizers like fried rice and stir-fried noodles. This restaurant is open from noon to midnight.

Address: 117 Ho Van Long Street, Ward Tan Tao, District Binh Tan
Price: 30,000 VND – 50,000 VND

Nhan Quan Hu Tieu (Phnom Penh rice noodles) in District Binh Chanh

Nhan Quan has many branches in Ho Chi Minh City, so you can find one in a very southern district. Binh Chanh is no exception. There are two ways to enjoy hu tieu: dry or with soup. Each way has a distinct eating experience, but the primary ingredients are the same. This restaurant is open daily from 7 AM to 11 AM.

Address: 23/9 National Road 50, Ward Binh Hung, District Binh Chanh

In the Eastern Districts

Drink Beer in a Big Bowl with Bia To Restaurant in District 2

Bia to (literally means beer in a big bowl) Restaurant serves a wide range of food such as dishes with chicken, duck, seafood, salad, rice, and noodles. The special thing about this restaurant is that you don’t drink beer in bottles or glasses but in a big bowl. It’s quite funny but a new and strange experience. The restaurant is open from 7 AM until 12 AM.

Address: 61 – 63 Tran Nao Street, District 2
Price: 80,000+ VND

Pho Ong Hung – Eating Pho at Night in District 9

Undoubtedly, pho is the most well-known dish of Vietnam, and it’s a strange and great experience to eat pho late at night when most everyone eats it during the day. Pho Ong Hung Restaurant offers not only dishes of pho like the original pho (with beef) and pho with chicken, but also other dishes such as bun thit nuong (rice noodles with grilled pork), banh cuon (stuffed pancake), and so on. It opens from 6:30 AM to 11 PM.

Address: 45 Le Van Viet Street, District 9
Price: 55,000 VND – 200,000 VND

Banh Canh Ca Loc Phuong Thao in District 9

Banh canh ca loc (Vietnamese udon with snakehead soup) is a specialty of central Vietnam and it quickly became a popular dish when people brought it to the South. This dish will deliver an unforgettable experience with this dish because it’s simply delicious. This food stall is open 24/7, so you can eat at any time you want.

Address: 56/23 Street 147, Ward Phuoc Long B, District 9
Price: 20,000 VND – 30,000 VND

Ho Chi Minh City is a sleepless city and you can always find people awake working, chatting, or eating even late at night. Just take a night food tour in Ho Chi Minh City and you will discover the excitement of nightlife here.

We also publish thorough articles about Ho Chi Minh a.k.a. Saigon on our blog, and we provide you with the material to explore the city. Here are my recommendations for you:

Travel In and Around Saigon

A Comprehensive Guide to Renting and Buying Motorbikes in Saigon

The Ultimate Guide to Saigon’s Many Markets

Traveling with Dietary Requirements in Saigon (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Halal, and more!)

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