What attracts tourists to Ho Chi Minh City's new culinary tour?

Ho Chi Minh City has just announced more than 20 new culinary tours, connecting from urban to suburban areas with prices ranging from 300,000 to 3 million VND/person. This is a step to diversify products, stimulate tourism and affirm Vietnam's position as a "culinary paradise".

On the morning of October 22, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism held a press conference to announce the Ho Chi Minh City Culinary Tourism Program 2025. This is the first time the city has introduced a series of culinary tours with more than 20 completely new products, jointly designed by travel agencies.

Ho Chi Minh City builds culinary tourism products to affirm its position as a "culinary paradise"

PHOTO: AN BIEN

According to the Department of Tourism, the launch of this tour package is part of the strategy to make cuisine a key tourism product, implementing the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Development Project to 2030. After expanding its administrative boundaries, Ho Chi Minh City now owns 681 tourism resources that are qualified to develop into unique destinations, ranging from vibrant urban areas to riverside areas, craft villages, islands and ecological zones.

"With the diversity and richness of culinary tourism programs, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to affirm its position as an international tourism center, an unmissable destination on the world tourism map," said Ms. Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism.

If the previous "food tours" were only limited to culinary streets, the new tour series has expanded its scope to the entire Southeast region. A typical itinerary is the Ho Chi Minh City - Binh Duong - Vung Tau Culinary Journey tour (3 days 2 nights) by TST Tourist, taking visitors to enjoy Ngoc Linh ginseng pho, visit Windmill film studio, Ba Thien Hau pagoda, then continue down to the beach to eat Co Ba Vung Tau pancakes, check-in at Suoi Ben Bien Cafe and visit the Museum of Ancient Weapons. Each destination is a story, from food, people to local culture told in the language of taste.

Vung Tau's famous banh khot

PHOTO: MINH TAM

For travelers who love unique experiences, the "From Farm to Bar" tour in Ba Ria - Vung Tau opens a journey "from farm to chocolate bar". At OCA Cacao Farm, guests can visit the cacao garden, try making handmade chocolate and enjoy a cacao buffet.

Without having to go far, tourists can still "taste" the essence of Saigon cuisine right in the city center with short programs during the day. The "Vespa Le La - Local Street Eats" tour (Saigontourist) allows tourists to get on an old Vespa, ride through famous alleys to enjoy sandwiches, pancakes, sweet soup, grilled seafood... these are the dishes that make up the soul of street food.

Che Be Shop (in Ben Thanh market) has up to 18 different types of sweet soup, customers often stop by to eat.

PHOTO: Contributor

Meanwhile, the "Culinary Essence of Ho Chi Minh City" tour (by Penguin Travel Service Joint Stock Company) evokes memories of old Saigon with fried breadsticks dipped in Bretel butter coffee, rice paper rolls stacked on plates, and a view of the city at night from the top floor of Social Club Saigon. For those who love to explore new lifestyles, the "Food Tour in the Gen Z way" (Penguin Travel) offers an exciting journey such as going to Ben Thanh market to choose ingredients, learning to cook at Madame Lam, and ending with a Go Kart racing experience. This is a "culinary and entertainment" tour specifically for young people.

Foreign tourists stroll around the streets and experience the cuisine in Ho Chi Minh City by many different means of transport.

PHOTO: LE NAM

Not only focusing on food, many tours in the new product range also incorporate green and sustainable culinary elements. A typical example is "Discover Hikari Tokyu Binh Duong". Visitors can learn about the aquaponics model (circular farming), compost system (processing organic waste into bio-fertilizer) and restaurants using solar energy and recycled materials.

In addition, visitors can join MOM Cooking Class to learn how to cook delicious Vietnamese dishes such as banh xeo, bo la lot, goi hoa banana... Join the handmade chocolate making workshop at Chocoland store, make your own chocolate bar and bring it home as a gift. These experiential models are loved by many international visitors and young people in the country.

With unique flavors and beautiful designs, Vietnamese chocolate products are increasingly attractive to domestic and foreign diners.

PHOTO: LE NAM

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism expects that this product chain will contribute to bringing the number of international visitors to 10 million and revenue to VND290,000 billion in 2025, while creating momentum for a new development phase.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chum-tour-am-thuc-moi-cua-tphcm-co-gi-hap-dan-khach-du-lich-185251022150449088.htm