The right breakfast foods can help you concentrate, give you strength – even help you maintain a healthy weight.
Apart from the normal street food tour, there are special tastes that are perfect if you have them in the early morning. Wake up early and see a community come to life, and soak in a Vietnamese morning with Saigonese.
In Vietnam, the early start on school and work means breakfast is usually rushed. Usually, breakfast time in Vietnam is around 6.30 to 7.30 am, sometimes even as early as 5.30, depending on the job. It’s 7 am on a Monday, your stomach is rumbling, the sun is glaring in your face, and work is calling. What do you get for your breakfast?
Breakfast is considered an essential meal since it provides a considerable amount of energy for a whole hard-working day. There is a wide variety of choices for breakfast, ranging from noodles to sticky rice, which is depending on different regions’ cultures in Vietnam, and this meal seems to be the cheapest meal of the day. In the past, breakfast was often cooked by the women in a family. In today’s modern society, since a growing number of Vietnamese women enter the labor market and do not have enough time to prepare breakfast every day, many Vietnamese opt for going to street food stalls and restaurants for breakfast.
Here are some of the most popular dishes for breakfast and where you can find them in Saigon.
1.Pho
Originating in northern Vietnam and got introduced to other parts of Vietnam through Vietnamese immigration, Pho has become the most popular dish in Vietnam. What list of Vietnamese cuisine would be complete without pho? It is almost impossible to walk a block in Vietnam’s major cities without bumping into a crowd of hungry patrons slurping noodles at a makeshift pho stand. This simple staple consisting of a salty broth, fresh noodles, a sprinkling of herbs and chicken or beef, features predominately in the local diet – – and understandably so. It is cheap, tasty, and widely available at all hours. The Vietnamese noodle soup we love to slurp is actually a breakfast food.
Where to eat:
- Phở Hòa – 260C Pasteur Street, Ward 8, District 3, HCMC.
Opening hours: 6am- 11pm
- Phở Lệ – 370 Nguyen Trai Street, District 5, HCMC/ 303 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3, HCMC.
Opening hours: 6am to 1am
- Phở Dậu – 288 M1 Nam Ki Khoi Nghia Street, Ward 8, District 3, HCMC.
Opening hours: 6am to 12pm
- Phở Hiền – 68/9A Tran Quang Khai, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, HCMC.
Opening hours: 6am to 10pm.
2.Com tam – Broken rice
When you come to Ho Chi Minh city, you should try this dish at least once time, and you will not regret. Com tam can be found at every street corner in Saigon. Most com tam joints are street stalls but more and more, com tam has been cropping up on the menus of high-end restaurants. Com tam Sai Gon is usually served with a caramelized pork chop, shredded pork skin, steamed egg cake, a bed of pickled vegetables and garlic chive oil.
Where to eat:
- Cơm tấm Ba Ghiền – 84 Dang Van Ngu, Ward 10, Phu Nhuan District, HCMC.
Opening hours: 7.30 am – 9.30 pm
- Cơm tấm số 1 – 150/1 Nguyen Trai, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, HCMC.
Opening hours: 6 am – 1 pm
- Cơm tấm – 113 Nguyen Phi Khanh, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, HCMC.
Opening hours: 6 am – 1 pm
- Cơm tấm Thuận Kiều – 26 Ton That Tung, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, HCMC.
Opening hours: 7 am – 10 pm
3.Banh mi – Vietnamese baguette
Banh mi is one of the most popular Vietnamese specialties abroad, and it is also known as a typical breakfast in Vietnam, especially if you are in a hurry. Grabbing a loaf of banh mi on the way to your work is a great idea. Undoudtedly, banh mi is one of Vietnam’s greatest culinary gifts to the world, and there is no better place to try one these special sandwiches than in Ho Chi Minh City. Not only layered with meat, smothered in pate and mayo, and topped with fresh herbs, pickles, and chili creates a texture and flavor party, you can enjoy many kinds of toppings inside Vietnamese bread.
Where to eat:
- Bánh mì Hồng Hoa – 62 Nguyen Van Trang, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, HCMC.
Opening hours: 5.30 am – 9.30 pm
- Bánh mì Cô Bích – 72/38 Nguyen Thai Son, Ward 3, Go Vap District, HCMC.
Opening hours: 5.30 am – 8.30 am, 3 pm – 9 pm
- Bánh mì chả cá – 41/1 Nguyen Binh Khiem, Da Kao Ward, District 1, HCMC.
Opening hours: 6 am – 1 pm
- Bánh mì bì – 172 Tran Hung Dao, District 5, HCMC.
Opening hours: 5.30 am – 9 am/ 2 pm – 5 pm
- Bánh mì Liên Thái – 95 Tran Dinh Xu Street, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, District 1, HCMC.
Opening hours: 7 am – 9 pm
4.Xoi – Sticky rice
Sticky rice is common food made from sticky glutinous rice steamed or cooked – a rustic dish which is very prevalent in many Asian countries. There are many varieties of rice, and sticky rice is a specialty of Vietnam. With glutinous rice, people can make a lot of different delicacies. Among them, sticky rice (or xoi in Vietnamese) is an indispensable. Saigonese love to eat steamed sticky rice. It is one of the most popular street food in this dynamic city. Elders, children, and adults eat this kind of food in the morning for breakfast, in the afternoon or in the evening. In Saigon, you can find hundreds of food stalls selling sticky rice. Often these are served for breakfast as a filling main dish but some types are simple snacks, wrapped in paper and eaten on the run; toppings include coconut, steamed dried beans, peanuts…
Where to eat:
- Xôi chè Bùi Thị Xuân – 111 Bui Thi Xuan, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, HCMC.
Opening hours: 7 am – 10 pm
- Xôi gà Út Mập – 19 Nguyen Trung Truc, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, HCMC.
Opening hours: 7 am – 9 pm
5.Banh cuon – Vietnamese steamed rice rolls
Vietnam has an endless list of dishes that can be eaten for breakfast but this is one of our absolute favorites. Simple, healthy and delicious, banh cuon is a must try when in Vietnam. These delicate rice noodle rolls may look familiar if you’ve had cheng fun at a dim sum restaurant before. When it comes to banh cuon, these parcels are filled with minced pork and wood ear mushroom, then topped with a smattering of fried shallots and dipped into fish sauce. Make sure to eat them while they’re hot and soft.
Where to eat:
- Bánh cuốn Hải Nam – 11A Cao Thang, Ward 2, District 3, HCMC.
Opening hours: 6.30 am – 10 pm
- Bánh cuốn Song Mộc – Alley 107 Vuon Chuoi, Ward 4, District 5, HCMC.
Opening hours: 5.30 am – 12 pm
- Bánh cuốn Tây Hồ – 127 Dinh Tien Hoang, Da Kao Ward, District 1, HCMC.
Opening hours: 5 am – 9 pm
6.Ca phe sua da – Vietnamese iced coffee
Often known as the ‘drink that fuels a nation’, Vietnam is currently the world’s 2nd largest coffee exporter, as the highland region has been transformed into a vast of coffee farms and plantations. Vietnamese, therefore, take great pride in their coffee. For almost occasions, hanging out with friends, meetings, a Vietnamese local can be found at one of Ho Chi Minh’s numerous coffee shops. But, I have to say that they have the habit of sipping a cup of coffee in the morning, they will be ready for the work day. And you, enjoy a cup of coffee mixed with condensed milk and get started discovering this vibrant city. Especially, sidewalk cafes will bring travelers a more interesting place.
Let try to start a great day in Ho Chi Minh City as the locals and experience the vibrant life in this city!