Markets, Motorbikes, and Memorable Moments

Yesterday we went on a motorbike tour of Ho Chi Minh City and it was so much fun! It was a combination tour that included sightseeing and street food. We rode through the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City on the back of a motorbike, taking in the sites of this vast metropolis. We stopped at numerous sites throughout the city and ate a variety of traditional Vietnamese street food. It was exhilarating, informational, and the kids said it was the best thing we’ve done so far on our gap year!

Flavors of Vietnam – Eating Where Locals Eat

We made numerous stops during our four hour tour of Ho Chi Minh City, trying a variety of local street food. Having a tour guide that spoke Vietnamese was amazing! He took care of all the ordering, showed us the correct way to eat certain things, and took us to hidden places where locals eat.

We started with grilled banana cake. This is a banana that the vendor wraps in sticky rice, grills over charcoal, and drizzles with sweet coconut sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Next up we had fresh sugar cane juice that they made right in front of us. It was super sweet, but very refreshing after being in the heat!

The next stop was for Vietnamese pancakes (Bánh Xèo). This is a savory crepe, thin and crispy, filled with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, and herbs, then eaten with fresh greens and dipped in fish sauce.

After that, we stopped for some traditional Vietnamese coffee. Vietnamese coffee is made with strong dark-roasted Robusta beans, brewed using a metal filter, and sweetened with thick condensed milk.

For our last food stop, we had grilled pork noodles. This dish includes grilled pork, light springy rice noodles, crushed peanuts, scallions, mint, perilla, lettuce, and an egg roll. To finish it off, a sweet-sour-spicy fish sauce dressing is poured over the bowl. It was delicious! Our tour guide commented that we were all excellent at using chopsticks. I felt like someone would probably feel after Nikola Jokic complimented their basketball skills.

When in Vietnam – Ride a Motorbike

The kids absolute favorite part was riding on the motorbike. Our tour started at a site where weapons and other war equipment were secretly stored underground during the Vietnam War. The next stop was what our guide called “The Old Apartments”. This is a complex that the U.S. government built after the war for those people whose houses were destroyed. The guide said this was what “true Vietnamese living looks like“.

Next up, we went to the biggest flower market in Ho Chi Minh City and visited a local food market. We saw some pretty disgusting things like skinned frogs and other various meat sitting out in the heat for sale. To round out our trip we took a ride through China Town, visited their local market, and stopped at the amazing Thien Hau Temple.

This video shows the highlights from our tour.

The food stops were sprinkled throughout the tour making for a fantastic variety. This was such a fun way to see a lot of the city and experience the motorbike culture that is such a huge part of daily life here.