5 long-standing sweet soup shops in Ho Chi Minh City that not everyone knows

Cuisine

Tuesday, April 18, 2023 13:10 (GMT+7)
13:10 April 18, 2023

Sweet soup is an attractive afternoon snack, cooling off on the hottest days in Saigon.

Che is a popular snack, especially in hot weather. Photo: @vanheats .

Che is a favorite dish of Ho Chi Minh City people in the afternoon. Especially in hot weather, people flock to shops from street vendors to large stores. Below are some of the che shops with special flavors over the years in Ho Chi Minh City.

Chau Giang Sweet Soup Shop - Lamppost Sweet Soup

Address : Tran Hung Dao, District 5, HCMC.

Price range : 20,000-35,000 VND.

The chè shop has been associated with many generations of Saigonese for over 80 years. The chè shop is located right under a lamppost in District 5's Chinatown and is only open in the evening, so it is also called by many other names such as "lantern chè", "ghost chè"...

Photo: @theannoyingtrang777.

Chau Giang Sweet Soup always attracts many customers because of its sweet taste with more than 20 different sweet soups such as lotus seed sweet soup, longan sweet soup, ginkgo biloba sweet soup, chicken egg sweet soup, stewed papaya, ginseng sweet soup, water chestnut sweet soup... However, the shop has a small area so it usually sells take-out. The shop's sweet soup is considered sweet by many people, so customers who cannot eat sweets should consider this.

Diner Ha Thu commented: “I often eat ginseng. The dish is decorated very attractively, with full ingredients including jujube, longan, lotus seeds, water chestnut, ginseng, dried seaweed… sweet and refreshing taste.”

Tuong Phong Tea

Address : An Diem, District 5, HCMC

Price : 15,000-30,000 VND.

Che Tuong Phong is considered the most Chinese-styled tea shop in Ho Chi Minh City. The tea shop has been around for more than half a century. The space is simply decorated with a tea counter in front and a few tables and chairs placed inside. In addition, the shop also has a few small plastic chairs placed on the sidewalk for customers to enjoy their food while enjoying the cool breeze.

Photo: @nhuoclac.daily

When you come here, you should try the almond tofu dessert, steamed egg dessert, black sesame dessert, tea egg dessert… the desserts that make the shop famous. In addition to desserts, the shop also has snacks such as fried tofu, beef balls… for you to enjoy with friends.

Photo: @hongbietangi, @huysilom

Diner Duy Khanh commented: “The Chinese dessert shop is delicious, with a light, sweet taste. However, you should come early because there are still very few dishes left around 9-10pm.”

Ha Ky Tea

Address : Chau Van Liem, District 5, HCMC.

Price range : 20,000-45,000 VND.

Ha Ky Sweet Soup is a familiar address for all ages of Saigon people. The shop has existed for more than 30 years from a street vendor and is now a spacious shop. The shop space is airy and not too large.

The restaurant's menu has up to 38 desserts with a variety of flavors, and also sells some savory dishes such as spring rolls, wet rice cakes... If you want to eat hot desserts, you should try green bean desserts, black sesame desserts, floating rice balls desserts... If you like something a little cold to cool down, you can try chicken egg desserts, ginkgo, almond tofu desserts, strawberry desserts... The restaurant's 100% authentic Chinese-flavored Quy Phuc Linh dish is highly appreciated by many diners.

Diner Alvin Xu commented: "This shop's chè is delicious, the sweetness is not too much like normal chè shops, the quality of the chè food is also very good and of course the price is higher than normal."

Hien Khanh Tea

Address: Nguyen Dinh Chieu, District 3, HCMC.

Price : 15,000-25,000 VND.

Located in an old house on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Hien Khanh is a sweet soup shop associated with the childhood of many generations of Saigon people. The shop has existed for more than 60 years. The highlight that makes the shop always crowded is the sweet, light taste of the sweet soup, with a faint aroma from the jasmine syrup.

Photos: @chanlovefoods, @biteallfood.

The shop is also famous for its special jelly dishes such as white jelly, green bean jelly or lotus seed jelly... The dishes are not as diverse as other shops, but the rustic, nostalgic space and special sweet soup flavor always attract customers.

Diner Tit commented: “A long-standing traditional sweet soup shop. I have been eating it for more than ten years but the taste is still the same, very sweet and lingering.”

Oil lamp

Address : Nguyen Kiem, Phu Nhuan District, HCMC.

Price : 10,000-15,000 VND.

The shop has been open for nearly 50 years, with five pots of sweet soup displayed on the table, an oil lamp and a few small chairs. The oil lamp sweet soup shop only has four dishes: steamed banana sweet soup, mung bean and tapioca sweet soup, white bean sweet soup and floating rice balls sweet soup. Every night at around 7pm, the shop owner and her husband push the sweet soup cart and start preparing to sell.

Photo: @onghoangtrasua.

Customer Wu Jin commented: “The dessert is well-cooked, not too sweet. I like this type of dessert after Chinese dessert. I have eaten here and bought take-out many times because it is delicious and the lady who cooks the dessert is old and friendly.”

The Travel - Cuisine section presents readers with "bedside" books for those who love housework. Regardless of street food or luxury restaurants, each dish and each cooking style has its own story, secrets that not everyone knows.