Saigon is absolutely a perfect city to experience Vietnamese cuisine from traditional to modern style. Below is our team's top picks for Vietnamese restaurants in Saigon that includes home kitchen's cooking style to modern twists and fusion. 

1. Nha Hang Ngon. Traditional Vietnamese Cuisine.

160 Pasteur Street, Ben Nghe, District 1. 

Opens 7:30AM - 10.30PM. Price: Main from 50.000 VND 

Nha Hang Ngon is ideal for travelers, who first came to Vietnam and looking for a first authentic taste of Vietnamese food. The restaurant's menu covers dishes from North to South, for example sizzling pancake, Hue style noodles, Hue mussels rice, chicken sticky rice, grilled pork broken rice. The restaurant atmosphere is pleasant with a courtyard dining area furnished with a lily palm and small coconut trees. The in-house dining room has a food display area, resembling the Southern village food market. Save some room for dessert and try the Vietnamese classic dessert, sweet soup. The sweet corn pudding (che bap) made with sweet corn, glutinous rice, topped with thick coconut cream and toasted sesame seeds. Or the rainbow dessert (Che suong sa hot luu) that has tapioca covered pomegranate seeds, agar jelly, sweet mung bean paste, and creamy coconut milk.

2. Quan Bui. Home-style Vietnamese Meals

Bui Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine: 17A Ngo Van Nam St, Dist.1

Bui Bistro: First floor 39 Ly Tu Trong. Corner of Hai Ba Trung and Ly Tu Trong Street. District 1.

Opens 8AM - 11PM. Price: Main from 80.000 VND

Quan Bui is one of a few restaurants in Saigon that honors and elevates the home-kitchen cooking style of Vietnamese to the next level. The authentic Vietnamese cuisine restaurant located on a hidden alley off the main street, this four-flour chic building with a rooftop garden and open kitchen is almost always busy. The restaurant's tasty and hearty dishes remind locals with their family meals, but also surprise them with high quality fresh ingredients, additions of spice and herbs. Do not leave Quan Bui without trying their stir-fried beef with coconut shoots or stir-fried pumpkin flowers with garlic. Made-fresh-to-order food cannot get any fresher than this.

3. Ru Pho Bar. Modern Vietnamese Cuisine

27E Tran Nhat Duat, Tan Dinh Dist. 1. 

Opens 10AM – 10PM. Price: Main from 70.000 VND

Ru claims to be where “true Vietnamese flavors meet a touch of modern flair”. Setting in a restored house of Saigon’s 1960s retro style, Ru presents to both locals and foreigners their contemporary take on traditional Vietnamese food, based on family’s generation old recipes. Taking pride in using only the ingredients of finest quality without any enhancing additives or added preservatives, Ru sets itself far apart from any famed street food vendor or popular Pho restaurant.

The staff is incredibly attentive and there’s a line-up of unique creative desserts and drinks in the menu. We recommend a table on the balcony upstairs, and the salt and garlic prawns while waiting for your hot bowls of goodness.

4. Hoa Tuc. Modern Vietnamese Cuisine

Hoa Tuc is proud to be the first contemporary Vietnamese restaurant in Saigon in August 2008. In the modern yet nostalgic settings, Vietnamese hearty dishes are meticulously prepared and beautifully presented. Hoa Tuc embraces the “fusion” concept with a creative menu that does not deviate too much from tradition. Guests will fall in love with the BBQ beef in betel leaf and the Saigon-style pork and taro fried spring rolls. 

Hoa Tuc, which translates to “opium poppy”, is a lovely hidden gem tucked away in the stylish courtyard where once was Saigon’s old opium refinery and just a block from the Saigon Opera House. Taking you away from the bustling streets, the noisy horns and the city heat, Hoa Tuc eases you with its lush greenery and creepers all around, its inviting Paris Metro inspired front terrace, its secluded al fresco dining section and charming air-conditioned indoor dining room.  

Special starter platter has mini fried and fresh spring rolls, crispy fish cake and green papaya salad.

Explore Set Menus for Lune Production and Hoa Tuc Combo at our Special Offer: Show & Cuisines Package - Hoa Tuc Restaurant

5. Propaganda Vietnamese Bistro

This bistro stands out among other restaurants in Saigon by not only their creative dishes, but also their urban setting with the propaganda art murals of Vietnamese farmers. 

They serve pure Vietnamese cuisine and stay clear from fusion. The originality lies in the little twist in the composition of the dish and the presentation. Their spring rolls are cut into mouth-sized bites that resembles sushi, instead the familiar large lumps of food Vietnamese have grown so accustomed to be served. The restaurant furthermore discovers and brings into light the underrated Vietnamese ingredients like sweet potato, palm hearts, green mango, brown rice, and put them together in inventive delicious ways. Guests will find themselves keep coming back for more avocado and brown rice fresh spring rolls, seafood stuffed sticky rice cake, crunchy wild pepper and green mango salad, and coconut broken rice.

 Lune Production Team