HCMC Night Markets: Hồ Thị Kỷ

Ho Chi Minh City is full of night markets, but here is what nobody is willing to say out loud. Most of them blur together. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Except for the Ben Nghe street food market. You should avoid that place at all costs unless you’re the type of dork who seeks out people that look exactly like you when travelling internationally.

But here’s the thing. HCMC night markets aren’t meant to be overly polished. They’re meant to be rough around the edges. You’re supposed to get strange looks from locals. You’re not supposed to be able to understand the menu boards. But the food should shoot you into the mesosphere. And that is exactly what you get at Hồ Thị Kỷ Night Market. I assure you, your over-priced beer and dry ass grilled pork at Ben Nghe isn’t doing that for you.

You want authenticity? You want flavors that punch you in the face? Good. Because I found them at the Hồ Thị Kỷ Night Market and I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about visiting.

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What is the Hồ Thị Kỷ Night Market

Tucked inside District 10 Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Thi Ky night market, or more affectionately known as Ho Thi Ky food street, is one of the busiest HCMC night markets. It’s buried inside a residential area and during the day it acts as the city’s largest wholesale flower market. It’s a maze of narrow alleys winding off of one main road. It’s not pretty, the food isn’t curated, it’s chaotic, and you’ll find layer after layer of street food stalls set up on each side of the street.

You won’t see many tourists here as it doesn’t fit into the neat mold of the District 1 tourist hub. The food here is a mixture of classic Vietnamese street food and Cambodian fare due to the Khmer community in the area. You can literally find anything your heart desires and several items that will make you want to hurl. I’m after those hurl-worthy items and it was my main consideration the first time I visited and I’ll be covering a few of them in this post.

A quick heads up. I will be using simplified English spelling for everything going forward because my Vietnamese sucks and I never remember which accent mark goes where. I will give you the proper Vietnamese at least once for every new word.

Gỏi đu đủ khô bò

You see that spelling in the title? That’s all you get. And yes, I Googled it to make sure I had it correct. Told ya I’m stupid. But let’s talk about goi du du kho bo. This is a spicy papaya salad reminiscent of Thailand’s som tum. But in Vietnam you get a black beef jerky to go along with your papaya. Black you say? I did indeed, and this beef jerky is unlike anything else you have ever had.

In the western world, beef jerky means lean cuts of meat. But in Vietnam’s goi du du kho bo, they use beef offal, and more specifically, beef liver and lungs. Sounds a little intimidating, but I assure you there is no overly metallic flavor and the sauce that dresses this salad will cancel out any fears you have in a heartbeat.

This salad also has rice crackers, peanuts, Vietnamese coriander, and Thai basil, but let’s talk about that dressing. As best I can tell this dressing consists of vinegar, fish sauce, chilies and at Ho Thi Ky, they used kumquat. But I have read that lemon can be used in its place.

What you’re left with is sweet papaya, a slight earthy bitterness from the herbs, the salty beef meat that’s been cured in soy sauce, and a nice crunch from the peanuts. Drizzle it all with the fruity, sour, spicy, and umami sauce and you have the perfect salad. It’s not quite as pungent as the Thai som tum, and in my opinion, goi du du kho bo is the better of the two and I love som tum. Dishes like this are what set Hồ Thị Kỷ apart from every cookie-cutter HCMC night market.

Where to Stay in Saigon

Looking for other great places to stay in Saigon? Base yourself nearby and you’ll always be near a HCMC night market

More food from around the world: 60+ Must Try Vietnamese Foods From North to South

Trứng cút lộn xào me

I started you off with a little beef offal and now we are diving head first off the deep end. And I assure you this isn’t the most bizarre thing on this list. By western standards anyway.

Trung cut lon xao me, is a close relative to balut which I am sure you have heard of. A relative only in the sense that it’s another bird egg and this time it’s quail. In case you have never travelled anywhere, balut is a partially fertilized duck egg. This is the same thing, just with that pesky quail. Quail is quite common throughout Vietnam and prepared from the egg stage to full grown birds. Stir-fried, grilled, deep-fried, you name it, the Vietnamese cook it. And I love them for it because it’s delicious.

This version of the quail eggs has them first boiled. The eggs are then peeled and stir-fried in a tamarind based sauce with garlic, onions, chilies and fish sauce and finished off with Vietnamese coriander and ginger.

This is more a snack than it is a meal, but you get a natural sour and sweetness from the tamarind, a pungent kick from the garlic and those lovely little partially developed quails. It might sound strange but it is extremely tasty. If you’re one of the ones willing to criticize it even though you have never tried it, I hope you catch gonorrhea.

Bánh tráng nướng

I’m sure some of you are losing your goddamn minds right now. You came here thinking I was going to show you all the touristy shit HCMC night markets have to offer. And bam, you’re hit with beef offal and partially developed quail eggs. But relax, I am going to take you to tourist heaven because despite being extremely popular among locals and foreigners alike, this is also extremely good.

Banh trang nuong is Vietnam’s version of a pizza. Instead of a flour based dough, this is a thin rice paper. And instead of pepperoni, cheese, and tomato sauce, you get baby shrimp, onion, corn, pork, cheese, and sauces like mayo and sweet chili sauce. They lay the rice paper out over fresh coals and add all the toppings. It literally takes about 45 seconds to make one and usually costs less than $1.00.

Oddly enough, this is the hardest thing in the world to describe. It’s sweet, savoury, and crunchy and something you just have to try for yourself. It actually reminds me more of a nacho than a pizza with that freshly grilled crunchy rice paper, but we have already established that I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Cambodian xiên bò nướng

The name of this dish is a lot more impressive in Vietnamese than in English. Xien bo nuong is grilled beef skewers. They are Cambodian style beef skewers marinated in fish sauce, lemongrass, and palm sugar and then grilled to perfection. You have two options for the skewers, with cheese and without. You will also get a side papaya salad drizzled with sweet chili sauce. While it doesn’t sound impressive you have to try these to truly experience their greatness. Caramelized edges due to the palm sugar. A hint of umami hits as you begin to chew. Follow it up with a fresh crisp papaya salad. You’re not going wrong with these.

You can find Cambodian style beef skewers at a few stalls in Ho Thi Ky, but you should be on the lookout for one in particular. It’s most likely the smallest of the beef skewer stalls, but its story is what sets it apart. This particular stall is one of the 4 original stalls in this Saigon night market. The owner is a retired Khmer boxer from Siem Reap that has been set up here for more than 33 years.

Phá lấu bò

Ok, that’s enough of you feeling comfortable. Let’s get back to what I came here for. Pha lau bo is Vietnam’s version of a beef curry. Except this curry contains beef offal again. In fact, the dish is entirely offal along with the curry and some fresh herbs and a baguette on the side. Offal in this dish will include liver, spleen, stomach, and intestines and whatever else they can throw in there.

This is unlike any curry I have had anywhere. You get a heavy dose of coconut milk, but it lacks the depth of spice you will find in Indian, Malaysian, or even Japanese curries. That’s by design though. This dish is meant to embrace the full chewy and fatty flavor of the offal followed by a bitter aftertaste of fresh Vietnamese coriander. Use your baguette to soak up the curry like a champ. This has easily become one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes.

Bò lá lốt

Bo la lot is grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves. Doesn’t sound impressive? Well give your balls a tug because this is methamphetamine levels of addiction.

Take your freshly grilled beef wrapped in its betel leaf. Shove that tasty little combo into a rice paper wrapper, stuff it full of herbs and sprouts, douse it with a nước mắm chấm, roll it up, and enter the pearly fricking gates. I can’t begin to tell you how good these things are.

If you’re feeling extra adventurous like me, ask for Vietnam’s famous fermented fish sauce, mắm nêm. It’s a level of pungent you won’t believe, but it works perfectly. You will find bo la lot all over Saigon, and at every HCMC night market in the city and you should never pass up an opportunity to eat them.

Ice cream

Simple stop to finish another night off at Ho Thi Ky with ice cream. There are tons of sweet treats here, but Ho Chi Minh City is infamously hot even in February, so mango passion fruit was the go-to for me. Em had a taro ice cream and now we were stuffed beyond belief.

Is ice cream the ultimate Vietnamese street food? Absolutely not. But has ice cream ever been a bad idea?

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Not just another HCMC Night Market

You made it this far. You’ve navigated the offal, the half-developed quail eggs, and probably questioned my sanity more than once. But if you’re still here, you get it. This isn’t another polished, curated “foodie experience” designed for your western sensibilities. This is Ho Thi Ky food street in all its glory.

Most Saigon night markets blur into one after a while. They’ve got the same handful of street eats, the same selfie-snapping crowds. Ho Thi Ky kicks that whole notion in the teeth. Here, you’re getting what isn’t mass-produced for tourists. You’re getting the heart and soul of local eating. The weird, the awesome, and the genuinely delicious you won’t find on every corner. It’s where stories are told through skewers and stews, not just pretty lights. It’s rough, it’s real, and it’s absolutely essential if you want to actually eat Ho Chi Minh City, not just visit it.

Hồ Thị Kỷ Night Market—Prices, hours, and location

Prices:
Prices will vary widely depending on what stall you hit and what you order. For instance, you can get beef skewers from 10,000-15,000 VND ($0.38-$0.57 USD) each or you can get grilled seafood for as much as 200,000-300,000 VND ($7.65-$11.50 USD). But for the most part, if you’re just snacking your way through Ho Thi Ky food street you can easily manage 200,000-250,000 VND ($7.65- $9.56 USD) all in.

Hours:
Food Stalls: Generally operate from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM daily. Some vendors may open earlier in the morning.
Flower Market: Operates 24 hours a day, with peak activity from midnight to 3:00 AM.

Location:
Alley 52, Ho Thi Ky Street, Ward 1, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City.

HCMC Night Markets—Final thoughts

For me, Ho Thi Ky has everything one could want in a SE Asian night market. It’s authentic, a bit rough around the edges, and it’s filled with amazing food. It kind of reminds me of Jonker Street in Malacca, Malaysia. Just less curated with more authentic food and way less touristy. So should you go check out this HCMC night market? You’re goddamn right you should.

So let’s hear it. Have you been? What would you like to try on my list of dishes? Are you an adventurous eater or are you prude? Let me know in the comments.

HCMC Night Markets—FAQ

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