Saigon food, shopping and prices — the quick planner for 2026

In short: what a day costs

Ho Chi Minh City is the priciest city in Vietnam, yet still cheap by world standards. A bowl of pho at a street café runs about $2, a metro ride $0.40, a coffee $1.20. Stick to street food and buses and a day fits into $20–25; mid-range comfort lands around $50–80.

Prices below are in dong — roughly 26,000 VND = $1, so knock off three zeros and divide by 26 for a quick estimate. The full cost breakdown, with trip and monthly budgets, is in the Ho Chi Minh City prices guide.

Food: three dishes to start, and where

Ho Chi Minh City puts the whole country on one plate: northern pho, central bun bo hue, southern com tam, French-legacy banh mi and coffee. If you don't have time to eat your way through the menu, start with three dishes.

A few reliable addresses to save you the research: for banh mi, Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa(there's always a queue, but it moves fast); for Michelin-level pho, Pho Phuong; for every region at once, Quan An Ngon. And order your coffee cà phê sữa đá — iced, with condensed milk, brewed through a phin filter.

The full picture — the top dishes, street food by district, restaurants from Michelin to home cooking, coffee culture and a food budget — is in the food and restaurants guide.

💬 "There's always a queue at Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa — but it moves in 10 minutes. The sandwich, about 86,000 dong, is huge: 13 kinds of cold cut, pâté, pickled carrot, cilantro and Vietnamese mayo. They open at 14:30, so come at opening." — traveller on Tripadvisor, 2025

Shopping: one market, one mall

For shopping, Ho Chi Minh City is the best in the country: street markets where you bargain for everything sit next to luxury malls. To keep it simple, remember one landmark for each format.

The usual things to take home are coffee (from 50,000 VND / ~$2), spices, silk and a custom-tailored ao dai. The full rundown — every market and mall, what to buy, how to bargain and how to claim the VAT refund — is in the shopping guide.

A sample daily budget

Three scenarios for one person, from counting every dong to not counting at all. Lodging, food, transport and the small stuff are already included.

💬 "A local dish in a simple café is $2 or even less, and street banh mi starts around 20,000 dong (under a dollar). Two people can eat very well for well under $10 a head a day if you stick to Vietnamese food." — backpacker report, Nomadic Matt, 2025

From here, go by topic: food and restaurants, shopping, and the full price breakdown with trip and monthly budgets.