Breakfast by Bike

I awoke bright and early in Ho Chi Minh City. I had decided to sign up for a food tour for my first morning back in Vietnam. 

Food tours have become my very favorite way of exploring a city, but this one was especially great because I ended up being the only one who had signed up! Around 8:00 in the morning, my tour guide arrived in front of my hotel on her motorbike. She handed me a helmet, and I climbed on back and we set off down the chaotic bustling streets across Vietnam's largest city's 1st, 3rd, and 10th districts.

Ou first stop was at Banh Mi 24/7, which, despite its name, does in fact have opening hours. The banh mi shop sells Vietnam's iconic baguette sandwich stuffed with grilled pork, pate, and tons of herbs and vegetables. Banh mi (which literally just means "bread") is incredible, and this one was no exception. It's Vietnam's native "fast food", and the shop was bustling with people grabbing a banh mi to go on their way to work or school.

After the first course, I hopped back on the motorbike and we sped along the busy roads of the city to another local shop serving chuối nếp nướng, or grilled bananas in sticky rice.

Tiny southeast Asian bananas were wrapped in glutinous rice and grilled wrapped in a banana leaf over hot coals. The little roadside family-run shop is tiny, but it's extremely popular and they make hundreds and hundreds of orders of this dish every day!

Served in little Styrofoam box, the warm bananas were topped with a serving of coconut cream and dusted with a fine peanut powder.

We came next to the Ho Thi Ky Flower Market, one of the city's most famous local markets. Unlike some of the other markets in the city that cater to tourists, this was very much a local spot (like Bangkok's flower market) where people shop for fresh flowers, potted plants, and local food.

We parked the bike and set off through the market on foot. My guide talked to me about life in Ho Chi Minh City as we took in the sights of the colorful market lanes.

Shortly, we stopped for another snack, sweet and slightly sour fresh passionfruit juice.

Next, we tried quail eggs grilled in a cup over coal and topped with mayonaise and chili sauce.

And a small Vietnamese flan, another remnant of the country's European colonial past.

Finally, we arrived at Bo Kho Ganh, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant that's been serving up bowls of its famous beef soup since 1975, the year the war ended.

The bo kho was served with rice noodles in a rich, savory red broth filled with massive chunks of melt-in-your-mouth beef and a ton of fresh herbs and veggies. I was already full at this point, but the soup was so good that I ate the entire bowl.

My guide had definitely saved the best for last, but everything that we had tasted was delicious.

I returned to my hotel stuffed and unable to eat another bite (always the sign of a good food tour). Now, it was time for the real Vietnam adventure to begin...