If you are looking for something different to do whilst you are in Vietnam, I think I have found it for you. Saigons Vespa Food Tour takes you around the City whilst sampling the very edible treats on offer. Sit back and relax whilst you are driven all over the City by very safe drivers, you will really feel like you are a local.
Our first impression of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) was of the amazing number of scooters zipping around literally everywhere. It seemed a bit chaotic but as you looked closer it all seemed to flow. No-one was crashing even though they were inches away from each other. Yes there was a lot of ‘bibbing’ of horns, however that is just normal for this part of the world. This put me at ease as we were being picked up in a few hours to become part of the mele. I was really looking forward to this Saigon Vespa Tour, I had heard good things from a friend.
Which Saigon Vespa Tour Company Should You Choose?
We decided to go with Vespa Adventures after a lot of research. They not only had great reviews but had branched out all over Vietnam and so we felt confident we would have a great experience. Their food tour of Ho Chi Minh had five stops in total, one for drinks, two of which were for food, the 4th was music entertainment, the 5th was a club!
The Pick-up
We were collected on time by two very lovely guys who would be our chauffeurs for the evening. Saigon after dark was about to become a very different experience. We would actually be in the traffic! Thankfully we would not be driving ourselves, Mr C has a license but this traffic is unreal. There is no way we could navigate, stay on the bike and survive, it appeared to be utter chaos. However our drivers had no issues as obviously this is very normal to them, easy in fact! I felt completely safe throughout my whole trip sitting pillion to my lovely driver. The bikes were comfy and my helmet also fitted perfectly! Off we went!
1st Stop on our Vespa Trip
I’m didn’t really have any preconceived ideas about what the tour would be like. Our friends had told us we ‘must’ go on a food tour in Ho Chi Minh. So here we were, sitting on the back of a Vespa zipping through the traffic. Our first stop was the Zoom Cafe where there was reserved seating and pints of cold beer were on offer. (Non-alcoholic substitute available too). Loads of outdoor seating was available where you could watch the crazy traffic zoom past. (See what I did there?) We got chatting to the others on the tour and before we knew it almost an hour had past and it was time to go to stop number 2.
Try Something New……
The Scooter, (not necessarily a Vespa though) in Vietnam is a familiar sight everywhere you go. There are thousands of them as they are literally the only way you can quickly get around. Scooters can nip through the traffic jams which cars just get trapped in. We found ourselves part of the mele again, off to a restaurant this time for some food. I was hungry by this point and eager to eat and I was not going to be disappointed. We sat on tables of around 10 people and plates of food were placed down the centre. Noodles, rice, pork…..and frog! Yes frog!
Wow! Upon closer inspection you could really tell it was frog. It’s little legs and rib cage had been cooked in a sauce and looked intriguing. I had heard that it tasted like chicken, so there was nothing else for it but to try it. It was delicious and I even went back for seconds! If I had known before we arrived that I would be offered frog I might have been apprehensive, however when it was placed in front of me it there was only one thing to do. Girl up and try it! I’m so pleased I did, the entire spread was so tasty!
The Third Stop On Our Saigon Vespa Food Tour
The vespa trip was turning out to be fantastic! I was already quite full of frog and noodles, however there was another food stop to come. Once again we hopped on the bikes and drove off in to the traffic. Our next stop was a very busy two storied restaurant. Tables had been reserved for us all on the upper floor terrace over looking the streets below. What a good people (and scooter) watching spot!
Only one option was given to us this time and it was quite unusual. A huge pancake-like meal was put in front of us, folded in half. Inside was a mixture of bean sprouts and prawns, however the prawns seemed to still have their shells on. This is what made it even more unusual and for me, quite tricky to eat. Are you supposed to eat the shell or somehow take it off once you have recovered it from the pancake? Very odd and a bit off putting. As you can see there were a variety of dipping sauces provided too. What was I dipping in here? The prawn or the pancake? Or do you simply tear off a piece and dip it in? Who knows! We were given no instructions so just made it up as we went along.
Music Anyone?
Our Saigon By Night Tour was far from over. We left the baffling prawn pancake restaurant and hopped on the bikes again. Feeling more comfortable in the crazy traffic (probably somewhat due to the beers consumed) we were taken to a music venue. In this cute little backstreet venue we were shown to some seats as a musician was in the centre of the room halfway through a set. What was unusual was that there was no chatting amongst the audience. It was completely silent apart from the musician. A few beers deep Mr C and another man couldn’t comprehend this so were tucked in the corner (thankfully) as they chatted away about football. It was nice to experience something different, however it wasn’t really us and we were happy when it was time to leave. Saigons Vespa Food Tour was coming an an end with us very satisfied.
Last But By No Means Least on Saigons Vespa Food Tour
Our final stop seemed to be a nightclub, a strange choice we thought after stuffing us full of food, they now wanted us to party! Full of frog, noodles, pancake and beer we probably would have preferred to have gone to a bar to chat to be honest. With the offer or staying or getting a lift back to our hotel on the Vespas we hopped back on. Some of the group stayed, but most copied us, having had a great time but not in the mood for a party.
The Verdict on Our Saigon Vespa Food Tour?
Would I do this again? Absolutely yes! Not only was it my first time on any kind of scooter it was my first taste of frog and my first immersion in to the traffic culture of another country. I simply loved it! There are several companies around which offer food tours, however I can definitely recommend Vespa Adventures. Get booking!
Where to Stay In Ho Chi Minh?
The city is huge and therefore there is accommodation to suit all budgets. We stayed at Liberty Central Riverside which had an infinity pool on the roof which was lovely. It was also situated near to the main sights of Ho Chi Minh making it easy to navigate to all the main attractions. There is a lot more to do here than just Saigons Vespa Food Tour. Read more about what else to do whilst you are in Ho Chi Minh, it is a fascinating place with so much history.