Vietnam $100 Street Food Challenge!! Best Street Food in Saigon!!!
Ho Chi Minh City $100 Street Food Challenge
Vietnam $100 Street Food Challenge!! Best Street Food in Saigon!!! Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, where Vietnam’s vibrant street food scene offers delicious, affordable dishes, often under $4. Today, I’m taking on the ultimate challenge: spending $100 on street food in Saigon, a feat I’ve failed in countries like Japan, Korea, India, and even Disneyland, where I fell short by just 30 cents. Determined to succeed, I’m hitting the streets alone to find the most expensive street foods Saigon has to offer. Let’s see if I can do it!
Food 1: King-Sized Banh Bao ($2)
At Banh Bao Topaz, a 30-year-old institution selling 2,000 steamed buns daily, I try their signature king-sized banh bao. Packed with eight eggs (seven quail, one salted duck egg) and juicy, porky meat, this bun is a Vietnamese twist on a hamburger. The cushiony bun holds tender pork and creamy eggs, with the salted duck egg adding a rich, slightly dry burst of flavor. At just $2, it’s a filling steal, but a challenge for my $100 goal.
Food 2: Freshwater Prawn with Sticky Rice ($4)
At a street-side restaurant (technically near the street, so it counts!), I dive into a luxurious dish of coconut sticky rice topped with a freshwater prawn and salted egg sauce. The sticky rice is underrated, and the rich, creamy sauce avoids the chalkiness of concentrated salted egg. The prawn, with its spiky, meat-filled arms and massive tail, is caked in sauce, delivering a savory, satisfying bite. At $4, it’s delicious but still far from my budget target.
Food 3: Papaya Salad ($3)
On one of Saigon’s busiest streets, a 40-year-old vendor run by two sisters has built an empire with their papaya salad. Shredded young papaya is mixed with cow lung beef jerky, shrimp crackers, peanuts, Vietnamese coriander, and a secret homemade sauce. The result is a celebration of textures—crisp crackers, chewy jerky, and crunchy nuts—paired with sweet, spicy, and savory flavors. Delivered to a nearby park via walkie-talkie, this $3 dish is a crowd favorite but keeps me behind on my goal.
Food 4: Crab Claw Soup ($20 each, $40 for two)
At Soupku, a two-year-old street-side spot, I splurge on their luxurious crab claw soup, ordering two for $40 to push toward my $100 target. This viscous, cornstarch-thickened gravy, reminiscent of egg drop soup, includes century eggs, coriander, and a giant crab claw made by fusing meat from multiple crabs. The spicy, savory broth glides down smoothly, while the egg is intensely eggy and the claw uniquely delicious. This hefty price tag gets me closer, but I’m still only halfway there.
Food 5: Com Cha Ca La Vong ($3)
This dish elevates clay pot rice’s crispy bottom to a whole new level. A thin rice layer is spread on a fiery pan, creating a uniformly crispy shell. It’s paired with a dip of concentrated fish sauce, dried pork fat, dried shrimp, scallions, and stir-fried minced pork. The salty, intense dip complements the golden-brown, crunchy rice, perfect for texture lovers. At $3, it’s a winner but doesn’t help my budget much.
Food 6: Steamed Snails with Chili Sauce ($5)
At a small market stall, a former mobile vendor now thrives thanks to a YouTuber’s feature. Her plump snails, steamed with lemongrass and served with a sweet-spicy-sour chili sauce, are a hit. Ordered via delivery apps or taken to go, the chewy snails (available in various sizes) are an accessible adventure for first-timers. At $5, they’re delicious but keep me full and short of my goal.
Food 7: Nem Chua Jae ($4)
Miss Nuoc, the “queen of sausages,” has been crafting fermented pork sausages for over 30 years. Her nem chua jae, made with pork ears, skin, garlic, chilies, Vietnamese coriander, kumquat, and salt, is served with banh mi bread or shrimp chips. A local food blogger’s review skyrocketed her popularity. The dense, savory, piquant sausage has a tangy, cured flavor and bouncy skin. At $4, it’s intense and salty, making me consider taking some home.
Food 8: Giant Meatball ($6)
Inspired by Indonesian bakso and Inception, this massive meatball is a dream for ball lovers. Stuffed with corn, carrots, seafood, smaller meatballs, purple cabbage, fried onions, dried cabbage, and spring onions, it’s bathed in meatball broth. The outer layer hides a fish cake, a cheesy processed cheese ball, and tender, chewy meat. A “meat flower” of flavors, this $6 dish is comforting but still leaves me short of $100.
The Verdict
After eight incredible dishes, I’m stuffed but fall short of the $100 goal again, totaling around $67. To hit the mark and do a good deed, I use the remaining money to buy sausages from Miss Nuoc for others, spreading the love in Saigon’s vibrant street food scene. In a city of 8 million, diverse, affordable food is everywhere, making it nearly impossible to spend $100 without effort.
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