Vietnamese have statement: ” Nhap gia tuy tuc”. It means ” When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Therefore, if you’re going to visit our lovely country, let take experience as a Vietnamese.

Yes, you’re right ! I imply that  you must ride motorbike on the street, use chopsticks, pass the street with no rule, and especially try Vietnamese street vendors. Because, follow practice is the best way to understand and discover a country.

Street vendors become the unique culture in Vietnamese community. Many tourists are attracted and considered them as a beauty of city. Street vendors present as a symbol of Vietnamese – hard-working and kindness. Women get a little income from selling these street food but they must save and feed a big family. However, they are always friendly, happy and kind to all the customers. Foreigners will find them easy to talk to, and even be taught Vietnamese language for free.

The rare resting moment of the seller. Source: @s.sunrays

What can you buy from street vendor in Viet Nam?

Everything! On the city street, every fifty feet or so, there are always men or women selling something: fruits, fast food, porcelain cup or bowl, sandal.. or even meat. As the research, Street vendor is more popular in some developing countries. Here, workers work all day and don’t time to get food directly from market, so that they buy from street vendors on the way they get home. People find it more convenient to find food.

Source: @pttung1102

Vietnamese people transport the food by bicycle, motorbike, piled on platters and carried on their heads, pushing a cart or by the more traditional way, they carry food by a bamboo yoke.

Everything you can get from a market, Vietnamese get from street vendors. Source: todaytv.vn

The most popular street vendor you can see in Ho Chi Minh is vendor of coconuts. Mekong Delta is famous for coconut so that it’s easy to understand why coconut appears almost corners in Sai Gon. The second reason is that Sai Gon temperature is relatively high so people tends to find something cool. Just pay only 10 000 to 20 000 VND, you can own the whole coconut, drink a cool juice in the hot weather of Sai Gon and then eat the coconut inside.

Source: @H.Trieu – Nguoilaodongnews

Orange juice, coffee, milk-tea, or other Vietnamese drinks are found almost on the sidewalk. There are a stand and many small chairs for customers to sit and drink. Especially, in the night, many Vietnamese young rush out the street vendor to chat and watch the city street.

Wake up in the morning, you can find the Vietnamese traditional sticky cake by street vendors. That’s also the commonly way Vietnamese do every morning. You can easily find sticky rice, cake, banh mi or boiled corn on the bicycle, yoke.. by the grandparents, mother, aunt, uncle or father.

:Banh mi” – an dispensable food in my life. Source: @rongchoii

“Banh tran tron” – rice paper and shaking fruits is one of top famous street food in Viet Nam. Visitors can directly watch how the sellers, with their skillful workmanship, add the spices and mix many pieces of rice paper.Or the way they shake fruits is not much inferior to the bartenders in the bar.

Source: @huongartlife

Street vendor is more attractive in Tet festival. Street vendor varies from fruits, flower to households, clothes… It contributes the bustle and warm atmosphere in Tet. Sellers carry the fresh flower on their shoulders. Household items are transported in the perfect way on the motorbike. The street now is full of colors with flowers and red distich, lucky envelop sold on the sidewalk.

Three of Ha Noi street vendor photos from birb’s eyes of Dutch photographer Loes Heerink

You also can find more about preparation for Tet in Viet Nam here: How Vietnamese prepare for tet? -1001 things must know.

The difference in Southern, Central and Northern Vietnam?

Source: zing.vn

Ho Chi Minh – a modern city, is famous by the traffic jam and high building for long time. A few people mentions it as a culinary city. In 2012, the world food magazine “Food and Wine” voted Ho Chi Minh City as one of the world’s top street food cities. The street vendors in Sai Gon bring the modern and busyness of residents here. The yokes are almost replaced by bike and motorbike. They sell almost food which are availably sold on street such as bread, fruits, snack, meat, breakfast, milktea, dumpling, eggs, fastfood, cup, household items..

The seller on street vendor in central provinces is not bustle as in Ho Chi Minh as well as not as traditional as in Ha Noi. They walk slowly on the bridge, enjoy themselves in the beauty of Huong river in Hue or Han river in Da Nang. In the midnight, eat the hot boiled corn, chat with the sellers, listen the hard story but happy ending from them, i hope that the clock can stop right now, at that moment.

Ha Noi –  the city of the old and the new thing. People visit Ha Noi because here is the modern capital of Vietnam. Others come by the ancient architecture. Although Ha Noi change over times, there is a thing that can’t missed in the street in Ha Noi is mother, grandmother with a yoke on shouder.

Source: phapluatplus.vn

If Ho Chi Minh residents buy from street vendors because of their demand, Ha Noi people stick the street vendors by their habits. Many past years, Ha Noi remains itself the traditional beauty with photos of a yoke. Sweet soup, green rice and fruits is three of top food sold by street vendor here.

Thank you for choosing Viet Nam is the next destination.

Backpackers Vietnam

You also visit us and discover other destinations: Top 7 best attractions in Danang that any backpackers should not miss out, ALL ABOUT QUY NHON – BINH DINH PROVINCE