Ellis (from England) is a travel blogger and has had the opportunity to visit many countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, etc. On his personal Youtube channel, which attracts more than 45 thousand followers, Ellis also regularly shares videos recording interesting experiences about culture and cuisine in each land he has the opportunity to visit.

Most recently, during a long trip to Vietnam, Ellis and his girlfriend spent a lot of time exploring and experiencing the cuisine in two big cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The British blogger was especially impressed with the flavors of affordable dishes in the South.

He even challenged himself to go out with only 120,000 VND (about 5 USD) to see how many dishes and drinks he could enjoy with that "modest" amount of money. And the result at the end of the day surprised the Western guest.

Western tourist challenges himself to experience a series of delicious dishes in Vietnam in one day with 120,000 VND (Screenshot)

Showing that he is as “a gourmet and a drinker” as the Vietnamese, Ellis chose to enjoy a cup of milk coffee at a roadside beverage shop to start the day full of energy. He commented that Vietnamese coffee is “the most fragrant, strong, very delicious”, suitable for drinking in the morning, helping to maintain a clear and refreshed spirit.

Not only satisfied with the coffee flavor, the British guest was also impressed with the famous drink but very affordable price, only 12,000 VND/cup.

“Coffee at roadside shops like this is affordable and has good taste. You even get free iced tea when you drink coffee here,” Ellis said.

Ellis enjoys Vietnamese iced milk coffee (Screenshot)

Next, the British guest went to a roadside banh cuon shop to enjoy breakfast. He shared that he had eaten Vietnamese banh cuon before and really liked the dish, which is made from rice flour, served with sausage and a rich dipping sauce.

At the restaurant, Ellis ordered a portion of banh cuon for 25,000 VND. The thin, soft rice paper was filled with minced pork and wood ear mushrooms, served with pork sausage, herbs, bean sprouts, fried onions and a few slices of crispy shrimp cake. The British blogger was also pleased because the food was served quickly, a full portion with lots of ingredients.

“This dish is served with sweet and sour sauce, with a little bit of chili pepper, and looks very appealing. The rice rolls are soft, thin, and have been cut into small pieces for easy eating. The shrimp cakes are crispy and have a very fragrant shrimp flavor,” he described.

British blogger loves banh cuon and keeps praising it as delicious (Photo cut from clip)

After finishing breakfast, Ellis also “quenched his thirst” with a glass of cool iced tea at the restaurant. He also humorously revealed that he likes to eat banh cuon like Northerners, which is to pick up the banh cuon separately and dip it in fish sauce instead of pouring fish sauce directly onto the banh cuon, mixing it well and enjoying it like Southerners.

At noon, Ellis and his girlfriend stopped by a quiet alley in Tan Phu district and decided to enjoy grilled pork noodles because they were so fascinated by the aroma of this dish.

The couple stopped at a roadside restaurant and ordered a normal meal for 25,000 VND, including grilled meat, spring rolls, vegetables, vermicelli noodles and pickles, served with sweet and sour fish sauce.

A bowl of vermicelli filled with ingredients including vermicelli, grilled meat, spring rolls, herbs, cucumbers, pickles, peanuts, pork rinds, etc. costs only 25,000 VND, surprising the Western guest (Photo cut from clip)

They seemed to enjoy the refreshing taste of the mixed vermicelli dish, served with herbs and pickled papaya and carrots, which was very tasty and not too greasy.

“The noodles are soft, the grilled meat is well-marinated, the spring rolls are crispy and not greasy, and the pickled vegetables and peanuts are crunchy, everything is great. This is also one of my favorite dishes in Vietnam,” commented a Western guest.

Leaving the grilled pork noodle shop, Ellis and his girlfriend came across a small sugarcane juice stand nearby so they stopped to buy some. The British guy revealed that he was “addicted” to this popular beverage and was delighted when the seller enthusiastically introduced him to how to squeeze fresh sugarcane juice on the spot.

He was even surprised when a "giant" glass of sugarcane juice, enough for two adults to drink until they were full, cost very cheap, only 10,000 VND.

Western tourists love Vietnamese sugarcane juice and commented that it is "one of the best refreshing drinks in the world" (Screenshot)

After a short break to cool off with a glass of cold sugarcane juice, Ellis and his girlfriend decided to use the remaining money to buy a mixed sandwich for 20,000 VND, a full plate of sticky rice with side dishes for 20,000 VND, and a grilled spring roll for 10,000 VND.

With the banh mi, the foreign guest commented that the crust was crispy, the filling was very full, including pate, grilled meat, rich sauce and vegetables. He also showed that he was a gourmet when he could enjoy many types of Vietnamese herbs and spices such as Vietnamese coriander, fish mint, perilla, etc.

“It’s unbelievable that with only $5, I can buy and enjoy so many street foods in Vietnam. This place is really interesting, the food is quality but the price is affordable, hard to find anywhere else. Vietnam is truly a street food paradise,” Ellis concluded.

Phan Dau

Vietnamnet.vn