Have you ever tried a food tour on Metro Line 1?

Báo Tuổi Trẻ•02/01/2025

Since the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line officially came into operation, distance is no longer a barrier for food lovers in Ho Chi Minh City.

‘Cưỡi’ metro trải nghiệm ẩm thực thỏa thích từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên - Ảnh 1. — *Many people in Ho Chi Minh City have experienced the metro train in recent days - Photo: QUANG DINH*

Many young people believe that they will no longer have to travel for hours to Thu Duc, the university village, to hang out at cafes and restaurants because the metro can get them there in less than 30 minutes.

During their journey through Ho Chi Minh City by metro train, tourists can stop at many restaurants and eateries to enjoy the local cuisine.

Ben Thanh Station

Metro Line 1 starts at Ben Thanh Station. A few hundred meters from the station entrance is Ben Thanh Market, a long-standing symbol of Saigon's culture.

Inside the market, there are many stalls selling a wide variety of food. Particularly noteworthy are the long-standing establishments, such as the Hue-style banh beo (steamed rice cakes) stall that has been around for nearly 30 years in Ben Thanh Market. Located near the West entrance, it's always crowded and bustling. Diners sit around, using chairs as tables.

Ăn sạch món Sài Gòn từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên bằng metro - Ảnh 2. — *The Hue-style banh beo (steamed rice cake) stall in Ben Thanh Market is always bustling with customers - Photo: HO LAM*

A plate of Hue-style banh beo includes: banh beo (steamed rice cakes), banh it tran (steamed glutinous rice cakes), Hue-style pork sausage, banh bot loc (tapioca dumplings), coriander..., and is especially garnished with crispy pork fat.

Enjoying the Banh Beo from Ben Thanh Market with variations of meat and mung bean filling, diners can appreciate the softness of the rice flour, the crispness of the shrimp filling, and the perfectly balanced sweet and salty taste of the fish sauce.

Ăn sạch món Sài Gòn từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên bằng metro - Ảnh 3. — *A regular plate of cakes costs 30,000 VND, which is considered not too expensive given the shop's central location in Saigon - Photo: HO LAM*

Just a few steps from the Hue-style banh beo (rice cake) stall is Be Che stall, which has been in Ben Thanh Market for over half a century. The stall mainly serves Southern Vietnamese sweet soups such as: mung bean sweet soup, water chestnut sweet soup, corn sweet soup, glutinous rice sweet soup, Thai sweet soup… Each sweet soup here has its own unique and appealing flavor.

Besides tea, diners can try traditional Vietnamese sweets such as steamed banana cake, flan, etc.

Leaving the market, you can also stop by Number One chicken sticky rice restaurant, which was nominated for a Michelin 2024 award;

Bếp Mẹ Ỉn, a Vietnamese restaurant, was included in Michelin's Bib Gourmand list in 2023; Ốc Đào was also on the Michelin Selected list in 2023...

On the way from Ben Thanh Market to the metro station, Tat Thanh (23 years old), a final-year student atFPT University, confided to Tuoi Tre Online:

"I've lived in Ho Chi Minh City for four years now, but I've never been to Ben Thanh Market because it's too far from my house, so I'm hesitant to go."

Thanks to the metro, I can easily come here to visit. Before, if I wanted to eat out in the city center, I had to come back early because the dormitory was far away and had a curfew. Now, if I can get back by metro faster, I don't have to worry anymore."

‘Cưỡi’ metro trải nghiệm ẩm thực thỏa thích từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên - Ảnh 4. — *Bé Chè shop was established in 1968 - Photo: TÔ CƯỜNG*

Thao Dien Station

Near Thao Dien train station, diners can find a wide variety of delicious dishes, from traditional Vietnamese dishes like balut (fertilized duck egg) and pho to signature dishes from around the world such as tacos, ramen, and udon.

Stepping out of the train station, you can cross the pedestrian bridge to reach Thanh Hung Phu Quoc noodle shop, one of the most famous Phu Quoc noodle shops that has opened in Ho Chi Minh City in recent years.

‘Cưỡi’ metro trải nghiệm ẩm thực thỏa thích từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên - Ảnh 5. — *When eating "bun quay" (stirred noodle soup), every customer has to diligently stir the dipping sauce in their bowl - Photo: TO CUONG*

Bun Quay is special because of its ingredients. The noodles are made in-house, and the shrimp, fish cake, and squid must all be fresh to ensure the dish's authentic flavor.

The soul of the dish is the dipping sauce, made with ingredients such as sugar, chili powder, and a squeeze of lime, creating a intensely sour and spicy flavor that awakens all the senses.

The sight of diners busily stirring the dipping sauce to blend the various spices together is the origin of this dish's unique name.

If you're in Thao Dien, you should also try Kim Thao's fertilized duck eggs. They're famous for their consistent egg quality; each egg is neither too old nor too young, making them delicious and flavorful.

‘Cưỡi’ metro trải nghiệm ẩm thực thỏa thích từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên - Ảnh 6. — *Each duck egg costs around 12,000 VND, which is quite expensive compared to usual, but many customers still frequent the place - Photo: TO CUONG*

The lime and pepper dipping sauce, made according to a family recipe, is also the perfect catalyst, making diners eat one egg after another without getting tired of it. The owner revealed that he has only been selling for over 10 years, but the restaurant is always bustling with customers thanks to his secret egg selection and traditional dipping sauce recipe.

Additionally, vegetarians can visit Chay Garden, located about 1km from Thao Dien metro station. This restaurant has also been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand prize and is considered a "vegetarian paradise" in the heart of the city.

Thu Duc Station

Upon arriving at Thu Duc metro station, diners will be amazed by the diverse array of delicious eateries from all three regions of Vietnam, such as Tay Son rice rolls, Linh Dong braised offal, and Em Toi snakehead fish noodle soup…

Among them, Giao Toan Beef Hot Pot stands out, a famous garden restaurant in Thu Duc for decades. Many people in Ho Chi Minh City still share memories of driving dozens of kilometers to Thu Duc on weekends just to enjoy a pot of hot pot with their family.

‘Cưỡi’ metro trải nghiệm ẩm thực thỏa thích từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên - Ảnh 7. — *Giao Toan Beef Hot Pot restaurant has a spacious and airy atmosphere, perfect for dining on hot afternoons - Photo: HO LAM*

The restaurant is about 4km from Thu Duc metro station. Visitors can take an electric bus and reach the restaurant in 10 minutes.

What makes Giao Toan's beef hotpot restaurant legendary among many people in Ho Chi Minh City is its space, which is likened to a miniature garden – spacious and shaded by trees.

At the same time, the hot pots overflowing with meat are also one of the signature features of this place; the smallest portion costs 250,000 VND and can feed 3 to 4 people.

Family groups can opt for the 500,000 VND option, which is also the restaurant's full beef hotpot set.

Ăn sạch món Sài Gòn từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên bằng metro - Ảnh 8. — *Giáo Toàn's beef hotpot is packed with meat; even the smallest portion is enough for 3 or 4 people - Photo: TÔ CƯỜNG*

National University Station

This is the final station on the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line.

About 4km from the metro station is the Luong Dinh Cua food street, with many stalls selling traditional dishes such as grilled spring rolls, fish cake noodle soup, and vermicelli with tofu and shrimp paste.

Among them, there are the most vegetarian hot pot restaurants, such as Huu Duyen, Hoang Dat, etc.

‘Cưỡi’ metro trải nghiệm ẩm thực thỏa thích từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên - Ảnh 9. — *The bustling Luong Dinh Cua street food area is filled with vegetarian hot pot vendors - Photo: HO LAM*

Many students believe that if you've come to the University Village (the affectionate name for the National University area), you absolutely must try vegetarian hot pot. In the memories of many who studied there, vegetarian hot pot is like a "specialty" and also the reason for casual get-togethers among students.

At Huu Duyen Vegetarian Hot Pot, there's a variety of options such as Thai hot pot, fish sauce hot pot, Sichuan hot pot, etc. It's served with a large plate of vegetables including enoki mushrooms, spinach, water spinach, and cabbage. Many people particularly love the fermented bean curd dipping sauce here because of its fragrant aroma, sweet and creamy taste, and firm consistency.

‘Cưỡi’ metro trải nghiệm ẩm thực thỏa thích từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên - Ảnh 10. — *Huu Duyen vegetarian hot pot has a variety of vegetables, however, the broth is still too salty - Photo: HO LAM*

Ho Thi Nhuong, a fourth-year student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, told Tuoi Tre Online that since her first year, she had heard a lot about vegetarian hot pot and was determined to try it first when she came to the village.

"Because I love eating vegetables, I can have up to two vegetarian hot pot meals a day. On weekends, hot pot restaurants are super crowded. Huu Duyen Vegetarian Hot Pot is my favorite because the hot pot here tastes good and the vegetables are quite fresh. The price is reasonable, only 35,000 VND per serving."

Besides vegetarian hot pot, diners can also visit Binh Dinh restaurant specializing in famous Binh Dinh specialties such as: Tay Son rice rolls, fish cake noodle soup, grilled pork noodle soup...; fish hot pot 44; Ngo Quyen broken rice .

These are all recommended dining spots to try if you have the chance to visit the village, and they're not too far from the metro station.

‘Cưỡi’ metro trải nghiệm ẩm thực thỏa thích từ Bến Thành đến Suối Tiên - Ảnh 11. — *A plate of broken rice at Ngo Quyen in the University Village, drenched in sauce - Photo: HO LAM*

Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien) comprises 14 stations, spanning 19.7km, with an estimated travel time of nearly 30 minutes from the first to the last station. Ho Chi Minh City is currently subsidizing 100% of the fare for residents to experience the metro line until January 20, 2025.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/food-tour-bang-metro-so-1-ban-da-thu-chua-2024123113334044.htm#content-11