The 10 Tastings of Ho Chi Minh City With Locals: Private Street Food Tour

My wife and I have been on probably 25 food tours spread across the globe. There are certain aspects that make a good food tour. This one hit on some and missed on others. First, there is the quantity and quality of the food. This tour provided an ample amount of food which was tasty without leaving us feeling bloated. So that was good. Next, there is the quality of the tour guide in telling interesting stories about the city and the food. Our tour guide was not great in this respect. While he was friendly, he struggled with English a bit and really did not give much information about the city or the food. Rather, it felt like we just walked from place to place and ate food. Because we did not have other visitors on the food tour, it was a little awkward. Third, there is the organization of the tour. This took on heightened importance because a spring day in Saigon is very hot and humid. It was sunny and 95 degrees farenheit (35 Celsius), but no steps were taken to minimize the amount of walking between stops. We ended up walking more than five miles in the heat. We were able briefly to sit down at a few spots but it would be smart to plan the places so they were somewhat close together. This tour did not do that. In fact we walked more than ten minutes from the initial meeting point to the first food, and it would have been easier to have met closer to that spot. So, on balance, I give this for three stars for the reasons set forth above.

We chose a food tasting trip with Spring as we felt we really didn't know what foods to order in Vietnam or where to go in search of quality food away from the tourist trap areas, which tend to charge high prices and Westernise their menus. Spring was so helpful and informative, with everything from travel there and back as well as learning about the locality and customs of Ho Chi Minh. We really went off the tourist trails and every dish or drink that Spring introduced us to was absolutely delicious. We really felt she gave us the knowledge and confidence to eat well independently in Vietnam. We will definitely seek out her services if we return and thoroughly recommend her as a local tour guide - skilled, friendly, helpful and great English!

Hieu was a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. The 10 dishes that we tried were authentic and Hieu provided detailed descriptions of the origin and ingredients. All food providers had good hygiene. The tour was well paced and we were really full by the end of the evening.