Located between Nguyen Thien Thuat and Cao Thang streets, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Ban Co market has long been famous for its many second-hand shops as well as its alleys that crisscross each other like a chessboard. In addition to its main products of shoes, bags, clothes, etc., Ban Co market is also famous for its long-standing stalls selling delicious and cheap snacks.
Food blogger Wowsung (real name: Park Woo-sung) had a memorable experience discovering a variety of delicious dishes at this famous address.
The first dish Wowsung tried was banh beo chen. He humorously said that the counter with so many spices and side dishes was exactly like a buffet counter.
He ordered a mixed portion including banh bot loc, banh beo, banh nam, nem nuong with fish sauce, chili sauce, scallion oil, pork rind... for 25,000 VND.
Wowsung seemed to enjoy the food and kept praising it as delicious. He said that eating at street stalls gives him a sense of freedom, comfort, and being immersed in the daily life of the city.
"I feel there is a special taste when eating out and eating in a restaurant, anyone who eats on the sidewalk a lot will feel it," the young man said.
The next dish the Korean blogger chose to try was Da Lat grilled rice paper. He ordered a portion with less butter and no sausage for 20,000 VND.
The young man commented that Vietnamese grilled rice paper is quite similar to pizza: “Grilled rice paper is delicious, cheap, suitable for a late night snack with friends. After eating, the stomach is also light.”
In addition, he said that Koreans certainly do not know about this dish, so if anyone has Korean friends, they should introduce it to them to try grilled rice paper at least once.
Wowsung affirms that freshly grilled rice paper is the best because it is hot and crispy, and eating it while watching the streets and traffic is also very interesting.
Finally, the male blogger ended his culinary exploration by eating ginseng pudding for dessert. Ginseng pudding is a sweet dessert originating from Guangdong, China and is very popular in the South.
A full cup of ginseng soup includes water chestnuts, jelly, lotus seeds, palm sugar and longan juice, a drink made from the process of preparing and drying longan pulp.
“When I first learned about Vietnamese tea, I thought it was a traditional Chinese medicine, only for sick people or those who wanted to drink it for nutrition. But then I realized it was a natural sweet drink from Vietnam,” Wowsung shared.
He also said that in Korea, the chef does not use white sugar but uses palm sugar and brown sugar like the ingredients used in this dessert, so when eating it, it feels very familiar. Sam Bo Luong is both cheap and helps purify and cool the body in the hot weather of Saigon.
At the end of his culinary exploration at Ban Co market, Wowsung confirmed that he felt very happy because he was able to “hang out” at the popular sidewalk stalls, something he rarely gets to do in Korea. In addition, the shop owners here are friendly and enthusiastic, the food is cheap, suitable for students.
However, he also noted that Ban Co market has many alleys, so before coming here, diners should carefully check the directions as well as the addresses of the shops to avoid getting lost.
