EDITORIAL NOTE

Ho Chi Minh City is a favorite destination for foreign tourists when traveling to Vietnam not only because of its beautiful scenery but also because of its diverse cuisine with many delicious dishes.

In addition to street food at affordable prices, many foreign tourists to Ho Chi Minh City also admit to being attracted by traditional dishes that have been creatively transformed to enhance their flavors and are expensive.

VietNamNet Newspaper introduces to readers the series of articles Foreign visitors try Vietnamese food in Ho Chi Minh City with a series of articles about the experiences of international visitors when enjoying Vietnamese dishes in the largest city in the country.

Dan and Anna are a couple from Sweden, passionate about traveling and have been to many countries, including Vietnam.

Impressed by the delicious and cheap cuisine in the S-shaped land, on the occasion of visiting Ho Chi Minh City, 2 Western guests decided to take on the challenge of eating 3 meals a day for 5 USD/person (about 125,000 VND).

They wanted to see what they could eat with that amount of money and also help viewers of the couple's YouTube channel have a more objective perspective on spending levels and food service prices in Vietnam.

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Two Western tourists challenge to eat 3 meals a day in Ho Chi Minh City with 5 USD/person

On the first day, Anna decided to go to a street food stall near the hotel where they were staying for breakfast. She ordered a portion of bread with grilled pork and fried egg, priced at 20,000 VND.

Dan starts his day with chicken noodle soup, priced at 30,000 VND/bowl.

The Swedish male tourist said he likes walking around alleys and lanes because from there he can discover many delicious local restaurants at affordable prices.

For breakfast, Dan ate noodles and Anna ate bread.

Anna commented that banh mi is a familiar breakfast dish for Vietnamese people. She also loves this dish because it is cheap, has a lot of ingredients, and is enough to keep her full until noon.

Dan also praised the chicken noodle soup for its delicious flavor, tender chicken and rich, attractive broth. “I’m not a breakfast person but this was a really decent meal with a lot of food,” he said.

For lunch, Anna decided to try the pig ear spring rolls for 7,000 VND each. She bought 3 rolls and thought that because she was getting older and had a smaller appetite, she felt that this portion was enough to fill her up.

Meanwhile, Dan chose to eat broken rice on the sidewalk at a restaurant on Ham Nghi Street (District 1). He ordered a meal of grilled meat, fried eggs and sausage, served with pickled vegetables, for 44,000 VND.

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Swedish female tourist experiences popular spring rolls

According to Anna, the spring rolls are beautifully presented, containing vegetables, rice noodles, meat and served with soy sauce. “This dish must be dipped in a thick sauce to be delicious, otherwise it tastes quite bland,” she described.

Dan commented that the price of broken rice was higher than other broken rice restaurants he had eaten at in Ho Chi Minh City. However, the Western customer said that because the restaurant is located in District 1, the price might be a bit higher than the average.

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Western guests commented that broken rice in District 1 is a bit expensive but the quality is commensurate.

For dinner, the couple stopped by a local restaurant on Nguyen Khac Nhu Street (District 1).

Anna ordered a serving of stir-fried noodles with beef, priced at 35,000 VND, with free iced tea. She commented that the stir-fried noodles were delicious, soft and smooth, and the soy sauce was even more flavorful.

Dan chose to have his last meal of the day with a chicken sandwich and fried egg, priced at 30,000 VND.

For the third meal of the day, Anna enjoyed stir-fried noodles with beef, while Dan ate meatloaf.

At the end of the day, Dan calculated that he had spent 109,000 VND for 3 meals, including chicken noodles for 30,000 VND, broken rice for 44,000 VND, bread for 30,000 VND and a glass of iced tea for 5,000 VND.

He was pleased and excited to be able to experience 3 different dishes for less than 5 USD. He revealed that he once spent 75,000 VND on food in a day in the city considered the most expensive in Vietnam.

For Anna, after dinner, she bought dessert including 1 fried dumpling with sweet filling and 1 donut, which cost 18,000 VND.

The female tourist estimated that she spent 94,000 VND on meals in 1 day, including 20,000 VND for bread, 21,000 VND for spring rolls, 35,000 VND for stir-fried beef noodles, and 18,000 VND for cakes.

Photo: DanAnna

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