Last summer’s trip to Vietnam was nothing short of wonderful. Our two-week stay in the country began and ended in Saigon, with a six-day side trip to Quy Nhon in between. We’ve been meaning to return to Vietnam for the past 14 years, but it took Cousin Jimmy’s wedding to finally make it happen. Coincidentally, it was also the 50th anniversary of when my family left Vietnam following the war. The timing and occasion seemed poetic in some way.
Whether traveling domestically or internationally, I usually arrive with an ambitious spreadsheet of restaurants or specific dishes that I need to try. For Vietnam, I had two reservations at Michelin-starred spots, a short list of old haunts to revisit, and a few family commitments to attend. Otherwise, our calendar was free to wander and eat whatever looked good.
Following our nose and good sense did not lead us astray once. Here’s a rundown of the best dishes we ate in Saigon:
As much as Vietnam has advanced on all fronts, I love that the most efficient way to obtain the local currency remains exchanging crisp Benjamins at a local jewelry store. While in the heart of District 1 to change our dollars into dong, we stepped into a random noodle shop for a bite to eat; see IG stories for the geotag of all the locations mentioned in this post.
Even though we were smack dab in tourist central, the crowded dining room and bustling operation signaled that these porky noodles were going to be solid. The Astronomer and I shared a bowl with kidneys, livers, wide rice noodles, and broth served on the side, while June’s bowl had thin egg noodles, ground and sliced pork, and no green flecks in sight. Both bowls hit the spot.
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