How much should I budget for food in Saigon?
Street food budget in Saigon: 200,000–350,000 VND/day (8–14 USD) for three meals plus coffee. Mid-range restaurants: 400,000–700,000 VND/day. Fine dining: 800,000–2,000,000 VND/day. Food in Saigon is ~20% more expensive than Hanoi but still extremely affordable by international standards.
Saigon will not drain your food budget. Even on premium tourist street spending, you are unlikely to spend more than 500,000 VND per day on meals unless you’re eating at rooftop restaurants nightly. The default mode — walking to wherever locals are eating — costs a fraction of that.
Budget tiers
Tier 1: Street food only
200,000–350,000 VND per day (8–14 USD)
- Breakfast: bánh mì or cơm tấm (35,000–60,000 VND) + cà phê sữa đá (25,000 VND)
- Lunch: cơm bình dân plate (50,000–70,000 VND) + water or iced tea
- Dinner: hủ tiếu or bún thịt nướng (55,000–80,000 VND)
- Snacks: chè, fruit, bánh tráng trộn (20,000–40,000 VND)
Total: 185,000–275,000 VND, call it 300,000 with flexibility.
This is genuinely the best way to eat in Saigon. The most acclaimed food is in this price range.
Tier 2: Mixed street + casual restaurants
400,000–700,000 VND per day (16–28 USD)
- Breakfast at a sit-down Vietnamese café (80,000–120,000 VND)
- Lunch at a proper restaurant with AC (150,000–250,000 VND) + beer
- Dinner at a casual restaurant (200,000–350,000 VND with drinks)
This is the comfortable tourist default. You eat well, you have AC at lunch, and you can order beer at dinner without recalculating.
Tier 3: Upmarket dining
700,000–1,500,000 VND per day (28–60 USD)
- One fine dining meal (400,000–800,000 VND): Anan Saigon, Nhà Hàng Ngon, Noir
- Rooftop cocktails (200,000–350,000 VND per drink, 2–3 drinks)
- Street food breakfast and lunch to balance the budget
This tier gives you one memorable meal per day plus the rest eating street food.
Specific prices in 2026
| Dish | Street stall | Restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| Cơm tấm (full plate) | 45,000–65,000 | 80,000–120,000 |
| Bánh mì | 28,000–45,000 | 55,000–80,000 |
| Phở | 60,000–80,000 | 90,000–150,000 |
| Hủ tiếu Nam Vang | 55,000–75,000 | 80,000–130,000 |
| Cà phê sữa đá | 20,000–35,000 | 45,000–75,000 |
| Tiger beer (can) | 25,000–35,000 | 50,000–80,000 |
Where you’ll overpay
Bến Thành Market interior — every stall overcharges tourists. Eat outside the market or two streets away.
Bùi Viện Walking Street — English menus, Western music, tourist pricing. Fine for drinks but food is marked up 50–100% versus equivalent quality two blocks north.
Hotel restaurants — breakfast included in the hotel rate is fine; à la carte dinner at the hotel is always the worst value on your trip.
Tipping
Not required or expected at street stalls and most casual Vietnamese restaurants. At mid-range and fine dining restaurants, 5–10% is appreciated. Rooftop bars often include a 5–10% service charge on the bill.