A Few Great Snacks
Although if you eat enough, anything can be a meal
I have lived with a Vietnamese person for a couple years now and he’s a great flatmate. One thing I have noticed is that he’s basically always eating something small. Little pieces of fruit, seeds, nuts, a piece of bread… I love it! This is pretty common in Vietnamese culture, right up there with sweeping and gossiping.
Snacking is very important. I feel like this is a self-evident truth, but it bears repeating because today I have some bangers for you to check out around town. Go on, get local and enjoy your day just a bit more because life is too short.
Here are three of my favorite snacks - perfect for a little something between meals, or even a meal if you’re feeling it.
Enjoy!
Há Cảo 45
Hours: 4pm-Midnight
Address: 45 Nguyễn Văn Lạc, Thạnh Mỹ Tây
https://maps.app.goo.gl/MJfnYvZo2tjaWFwm9
NOTE: I don’t eat há cảo often enough to do a separate post, so I’ll stick this here.
If you’re looking for dirt-cheap local dumplings that are also really, really tasty, this is the spot for you! It is right on an insanely busy street in front of a paint store that closes at night, and it’s a fantastic late night snack. There are a wide variety and you can get them fried or steamed. Bowls can be had, and you can get servings of 12, 15, or 18, in either a variety or specific mix of types you want. The dipping sauce is particularly good.
I’ll be the first to acknowledge that the service could use some work (read: it’s bad), but I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to eat your delicious dumplings and ignore everyone except my friends after a long day. Laugh off the grumps and enjoy your dumplings, I say.
Also, importantly, DO NOT get the tea or spring rolls from the lady next door. They are both terrible and expensive.
Xíu Mại Chén Đèn Dầu
Hours: OPEN 24 HOURS
Address: 348 Phan Xích Long, Cầu Kiệu
https://maps.app.goo.gl/J8ERvte4chJFpvJ87
This is easily one of my Top Ten dishes in Vietnam, but it’s frustratingly difficult to find - places open and close with alarming regularity. Every time I think I have found a place that will stick around it will just be… gone… one day, leaving me to find yet another joint to get my fix.
This is a specialty of Đà Lạt in the central highlands but has made its way south, thank god. You get a fresh, crispy baguette and a little bowl of savory, peppery soup with a couple pork meatballs and a quail egg, as well as some herbs, green onions, and fried shallots. This is a dipping situation, so rip up your bread and dunk away. If I’m going, it’s gonna be a meal - that means at least two bowls, and sometimes two baguettes. I love it.
Luckily, this place is one of a little mini-chain, and this particular branch is in a busy neighborhood and *appears* to be open 24 hours (have not personally verified), which makes it extra convenient for late night cravings. Check google maps for one that might be closer to you.
Cơm Nắm IM HiHi
Hours: 6:30am-9:30pm
Address: 37 Đ. Vĩnh Hội, Khánh Hội
https://maps.app.goo.gl/mXnV9ALBRPK7R9Qa8
This weird little takeaway shopfront in (former) District 4 does a modern version of a traditional northern food, cơm nắm, which is cooked rice pressed tightly into a little ball or log for easy transportation. They are shorter but thicker than their maki cousins (sushi rolls). It’s basically impossible to find in the city, but this place might have cracked the code on appealing to an urban market.
They have a variety of fillings and press them into the rice which is then usually rolled in nori (seaweed paper). They’re not huge, but they’re cheap and pretty filling for an on-the-go snack. Last time I got the chicken teriyaki, which was a great accompaniment to my cafe afterwards.
Snacking is one of the Great Vietnamese Activities - whether it’s fruit, little cakes, a milktea, or these excellent options, people are kinda snacking all the time and it is freeing. Go graze, baby, and enjoy life. It’s hard enough - don’t deny yourself these little moments of pleasure.
What do you munch on the regular (besides banh mi)?
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from my pals who immigrated to Hawaii:
Yes, our canned Spam is quite the deal here and you CAN visit any reputable gas station, convenient store or deli and purchase, 24/7, a fresh (because they sell rather quickly and are replenished often) a convenient little 2” x 4”x 2” Spam delectable called “Mitsubi”- spam, rice, sometime egg and cheese, all surrounded neatly by nori (seaweed) and wrapped in cellophane wrap, generally for about $3.00. Not a bad option when you consider a burger at McD’s is about 3 x’s that amount.
The hook is that it really does smell SO good when you enter the store, it’s right next to the check out counter and the size and price are so small you just naturally pick up one for yourself and one for whomever your traveling with.