Saigon Street Food Tours: Scooter or Walking, and Which One to Book
4 min read
The short answer
Saigon food tours come in two kinds: you ride behind a local driver on a scooter and cover several districts, or you walk a shorter route and eat at fewer, closer stops. Nearly all take three to four hours and list the tastings in the price; every page we link lists drinks as well. If you are not sure which kind you want, the Premium Scooter Street Food Tour lets you choose walking or scooter: €29.61 per person, 4.9 / 5 from 6,143 reviews, with a private option.
Scooter tours
On a scooter you see more of the city and reach neighbourhoods a walking route would not. The Premium Food and Sights Scooter tour (€23.33, 3 to 4 hours) describes five districts and seven stops, with options from 3 up to 12 tastings, and the operator, Saigon Adventure, which also runs the Premium Scooter Street Food Tour, describes itself on both pages as a licensed company with accident insurance for guests. The motorbike street food tour with 12 tastings (€27.81, 3.5 hours) lists noodles, spring rolls, grilled snacks, bánh mì, flan and oysters. Two more variants:
- The Day-Night Sights and Local Food tour (€22.43, 3.5 hours) offers optional female riders in ao dai; the page says they must be requested at least six hours ahead, otherwise riders are assigned at random.
- The Michelin food and craft beer tour by scooter (€44.21, 4 hours) adds Vietnamese craft beer.
If you eat vegan, the local food tour by scooter with a vegan option (€30.88, 4 hours) is the one to look at: it names the option in its title, and the page says the operator contacts you before the tour to tailor the menu, from vegan dishes to allergy-free options.
Walking tours
The Original Walking Street Food Tour (€24.75, 3.5 to 4 hours, up to 30 people) lists food, drinks, beer and taxi fares among its highlights and says the walk covers about 2.5 km. Pickup from hotels in Districts 1, 3 and 4 is part of it; for other addresses the operator arranges a meeting point at the Saigon Opera House. The operator tells guests who are nervous about motorbikes that the walk is for them. For a quieter evening there is the private street food evening walking tour (€43.96, 4 hours) through the night markets.
What to settle before booking
Diet and weight are where the pages differ most. On the two Saigon Adventure scooter tours, including our recommendation, vegan, vegetarian or other special-diet menus are listed only for the private option, although their inclusions also say vegetarians are catered for, so confirm with the operator before you book a shared tour; both pages also say the ride is not recommended for passengers over 100 kg. The 12-tasting motorbike tour says a vegetarian version may have fewer than 12 tastings and lists people with back problems as not suited. The walking tour says any food restriction can be accommodated and that the team is told about it before the tour. If you travel with children, ask the operator whether and from what age they can ride on a scooter before you book.
Our recommendation
Book the Premium Scooter Street Food Tour and pick walking or scooter in the booking step. It is the most reviewed of the food tours we list, but read the diet and weight notes above first. If a motorbike is a deal breaker, the Original Walking Street Food Tour is the plainest all-in walk. To see museums by day first, read about the War Remnants Museum and Independence Palace, or browse all 101 Saigon street food tours, from €2.91.
