Saigon’s Best Foods, Drinks, and Desserts to Keep You Cool

One of the best ways to beat the summer in Saigon is to eat and drink the most cooling things you could ever find.

Sweet soup

There is nothing more refreshing than having a cool fresh glass of sweet soup in the middle of a blazing hot day. As a tropical country famous for its diversity of fruits, there are endless options of sweet soups and various recipes to make them with ingredients ranging from fruits, vegetables to beans, glutinous rice, and tapioca powder. In Southern Vietnam, people sometimes pour coconut milk on the face for a richer and creamier taste. Whether served hot or cold, this sweet beverage is still an amazing dish that cannot be resisted. Yet, we recommend eating it with minced ice for a better experience in this weather. 

Price range: 10,000 – 30,000VND
Places to find:
Xôi chè Bùi Thị Xuân: #111 Bui Thi Xuan Street, District 1
Kỳ Đồng: #16C Ky Dong Street, District 3
Hiển Khánh: #718 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, District 3
Ý Phương: #380 Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, District 10
Cô Có: Alley 374 Le Hong Phong Street, District 10
Thanh: #68/210 Tran Quang Khai Street, District 1 (specializes in ‘Khúc bạch’ sweet soups)
Nhà Đèn: #476-478 Tran Hung Dao B Street, District 5 (specializes in Chinese sweet soups)
Cô Huôi: #57 Ho Thi Ky Street, District 10 (specializes in Cambodian sweet soups)

Balut

With the effect of cooling the body, high in protein and calcium, baluts are scientifically considered to be very nutritious snacks for health. Baluts in Vietnam are usually boiled and eaten with ground pepper salt, chili, ginger and Vietnamese mint leaves (or ‘rau răm’). Ginger helps warm your stomach and ‘rau răm’ helps improve your digestion system. Fried baluts or stir-fried baluts with tamarind are other ways to enjoy this snack.

Price range: 7,000 – 12,000VND
Places to find:
Kim Thảo: #104 Xuan Thuy Street, District 2
Huy Phương: #3/6 Nguyen Trai Street, District 5
#37A Van Kiep Street, Binh Thanh District
#322 Cay Tram Street, Go Vap District
#43 Cong Quynh Street, District 1

https://www.mazevietnam.com/2018/03/18/saigons-best-warm-foods/

Ice cream

Needless to say, this sweetened frozen food is one of the best treats for summer. Ice cream not only has nutritional value with a huge source of vitamins but is also rich in carbohydrates, fats, and proteins needed to produce energy. But be careful about how much you eat as ice cream may as well gain you weight. Therefore, remember, everything in moderation is the best!

Price range: 10,000 – 200,000VND
Places to find:
Uncle Tám’s longan ice cream: #2 Truong Han Sieu Street, District 1
iKem: #53B Nguyen Du Street, District 1
Bạch Đằng: #28 Le Loi Street, District 1
Pacman: #13 Pham Viet Chanh Street, District 1
Bố già: #290/3 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 3
MOF (Japan’s ice cream): #30 Le Loi Street, District 1
Xcream (New Zealand’s ice cream): #212 Nguyen Trai Street, District 1
Goody (Italy’s ice cream): #59 Pham Ngoc Thach Street, District 3
The Fountain (Sweden’s ice cream): #103 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3

Tofu

As an excellent source of protein, calcium, iron and other nutrients, zero cholesterols, and low amounts of carbohydrates, tofu is a great ingredient offering many health benefits. Unlike traditional tofu served hot with ginger and sugar syrup, now it is innovated, served with iced and many toppings such as beans, tapioca pearls, jelly, flan or fruits, perfect for a hot day.

Price range: 7,000 – 30,000VND
Places to find:
Orisoy: #171 Quang Trung Street, Go Vap District / #133 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1
ToFu: #315 Phan Xich Long Street, Phu Nhuan District
Xe lam: #38 Huynh Thuc Khang Street, District 1
Doraemon Factory: #512F-G Nguyen Tri Phuong Street, District 10

Fruit bowl

The fruit bowl is not only eye-catching but also very delicious and nutritious. You can enjoy a variety of different fruits providing vitamins and minerals needed for the body along with yogurt helping the nutrients easily absorbed into the body. Thanks to this, fruit bowl is the right choice for those who want to lose weight and beautify the skin.

Price range: 20,000 – 40,000VND
Places to find:
Banana’s Juice Shop: #102B Le Thi Rieng Street, District 1
#251 To Hien Thanh Street, District 10
#130B Xom Dat Street, District 11
#177 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1

Bingsu

If you’re feeling exhausted, then try this signature dessert from Korean. Bingsu looks like a huge snow mountain in a bowl decorated with colorful fresh fruits, sweet red beans, rice cake pieces, groundnut powder, any other kinds of toppings and a layer of sweet creamy condensed milk.

Price range: 55,000 – 200,000VND
Places to find:
Izzibing Snow Dessert: #49 Pho Quang Street, Tan Binh District
Seol Hwa: #28/1 Pham Van Nghi Street, District 7
Excape: #19 Tran Quang Dieu Street, District 3
Bene: #58 Dong Khoi Street, District 1
Bingsuya: #15B Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1
Remnant: #368 Phan Xich Long Street, Phu Nhuan District

Smoothie

Undoubtedly, a smoothie is a good choice for a healthful diet and a great beverage for hot weather. Made from blended fruits, vegetables, water, milk and other ingredients, smoothies are an excellent way to increase vegetable intake. However, some people may be concerned about many sellers using fruit powder instead of real fruits to make smoothies. Don’t worry! The places recommended below use completely fresh fruits as ingredients.

Price range: 20,000 – 40,000VND
Places to find:
Five boys: #84/7 Bui Vien Street, District 1 (topped with fresh fruits)
Banana’s Juice Shop: #102B Le Thi Rieng Street, District 1 (topped with fresh fruits)
Guanabana: #23 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1
Smoothie Factory: #223 De Tham Street, District 1
Luminus: #280 Pasteur, District 3
FresYo: #450 Truong Sa Street, Phu Nhuan District

Sugar cane juice

What can be more refreshing than a chilled glass of sugar cane juice on a hot summer day? The sugar cane is freshly squeezed using an electric squashing machine and usually added lime, tangerine, and pineapple for more sweetness or sourness depending on the customers. This drink is not only delicious but also keeps you in good shape with abundant carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and other minerals. The sugar cane juice is so common in Vietnam that its vendors can be found on every street and alley or anywhere near schools, markets, and parks.

Price range: 4,000 – 16,000VND
Places to find:
#108 Phan Van Tri Street, Binh Thanh District
#25A Phan Dinh Phung Street, Phu Nhuan District
#306/54C Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street, Binh Thanh District (with toppings including jelly, beans and jackfruit)
#83 Co Giang Street, District 1 (normal and ice blended sugar cane juice)
#93 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street, District 1

9. Nước sâm

Nước sâm is one of the most popular drinks in Saigon, especially in the summertime. Although ‘sâm’ means ginseng in English, there is actually no ginseng in this dark-colored drink. In fact, it is a combination of more than 24 different medicinal ingredients from leaves or roots that make it a healthy beverage with a cooling effect for the body, but rarely can you see all of them in one glass of nước sâm. The main herbs are usually sugar cane, corn silk, pandan leaves, pouzolzia zeylanica (cây thuốc giòi), plantago asiatica (cây mã đề). Nước sâm is also known to help with high blood pressure, diabetes or some infectious diseases. However, this drink might be too bitter for some people to enjoy so they usually add a little sugar.

Price range: 7,000 – 15,000VND
Places to find:
Cô Ba: #110 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1
Hồng Phong: #124 Le Hong Phong Street, District 5 (the junction of Le Hong Phong Street and Nguyen Trai Street)
Hữu Duyên: #800 Nguyen Trai Street, District 5
Nguyen Trai, Tran Hung Dao, Trieu Quang Phuc Streets of District 5
Su Su: #421 Vinh Vien Street, District 10
The junction of Ta Uyen Street and Tran Quy Street, District 11
Co.opmart Supermarkets

Pennywort juice

As a member of the carrot and dill family, pennywort contains many vitamins and minerals that help to maintain youthfulness, purifying the blood, curing nervous conditions, improving memory and vitality and relieving arthritis pain. This blended vegetable juice is suitable when you are eating a lot of greasy food or feeling sick as it is not only a drink but is also medicine. The Saigonese also add green beans or fresh coconut water into the blender for more sweetness and lightness, giving the drink a slightly different taste to the original juice but still nutritious and delicious. Like sugar cane juice, pennywort juice can be found near schools, universities, markets or parks.

Price range: 5,000 – 7,000VND
Places to find:
Nguyen Van Luong Street, Go Vap District
Nguyen Bieu Street, District 5 (near the end of Y Bridge)
#1 Lam Son Street, Thu Duc District

Fresh coconut water

Obviously, 100% natural, safe and refreshing coconut water is perfect to cool yourself down in summer. Coconut water can either be served right in the coconut so you can spoon the white meat by yourself or served in a glass along with the meat. Sometimes, there are also street vendors that add a little salt, kumquat or pineapple jam to the coconut water, creating new drinks which are really tasty.

Price range: 6,000 – 10,000VND
Places to find:
Pasteur Street, District 3 (the junction of Pasteur and Vo Thi Sau Street)
Tao Dan Park, District 1
Ben Thanh Market, District 1
Hoang Van Thu Park, Tan Binh District