Eating [and Drinking @ night ] in Vietnam? Advice?

Guidebooks suggest that street-eating is both cheaper and safer than many of the restaurants...true or false in your well-traveled opinions? I%26#39;d love an authentic experience (although I am a veg who eats fish).

Also-I am a solo female traveler who really likes beer. Are there any particular safety concerns or cultural issues I should be aware of prior to entering any bars/street cafes? AND...as i will be alone, could you recommend any places that would allow me to either meet some expats or young locals likely to have some knowledge of English? (I will be in Phu Quoc, HCMC, Hoi An/Hue, Hanoi).

MANY THANKS!

W

Eating [and Drinking @ night ] in Vietnam? Advice?

Street food is certainly cheaper than restaurant food, though that said, many of the smaller restaurants are pretty cheap by Western standards.

Street food is pretty safe if you see it freshly cooked in front of you and it is piping hot. We ate street food, cheap cafe food and classy restaurant food for three weeks with no ';internal issues';.

Carry immodium just in case and you%26#39;ll be laughing :-)

Eating [and Drinking @ night ] in Vietnam? Advice?

Definitely check out the bia hoi streetside beer in Hanoi. For a couple thousand dong, you get a plastic chair on the sidewalk and a cool glass of beer. Plenty of tourists, locals and expats around, so it%26#39;s a great place for a solo traveler to meet people. The street food and hawkers will come to you in this instance! I know the bia hoi on Boa Khanh street sold food as well- some do, some don%26#39;t. But all awesome

You should read the following

Hanoi street food:

www.savourasia.com/content/view/107/116/

Hanoi beer:

www.savourasia.com/content/view/98/111/

Saigon street food - see the older section (2002-2005):

http://www.noodlepie.com

In HCMC, staying in backpacker area in District 1 gives you more chance to talk with people.

In the past, I walked from the Notre Dame Cathedral up to District 3 direction and saw a cultural house. Many young people talked to me. They had an English speaking club or something.

If you are based in the backpacker area there are two bars which will probably draw you in with their mix of travellers, expats and locals. Go2 and Allez Boo, they%26#39;re both very prominant and you should have no particular bother in either. Also in the same area are a couple of Bia Hoi places always teeming wiht a good mix of locals and travellers. Again, you won%26#39;t need directions to them, you%26#39;ll stumble upon them easily.

Zoom cafe at the bottom of De Tham is another hangout where you can sit and watch the world go by with a nice cool beer and strike up conversations of course most restaurants and cafe%26#39;s can supply you with a bottle of something cold and refreshing.

My favourite bottled beer here is Saigon variously called White or Green, it%26#39;s a larger bottle and a little weaker than the more commonly available Saigon Red. For me that means I can drink more of it. Another bottled beer that I find tasty is LaRue and if you%26#39;re in Hoi An and the surrounding areas they sell a large bottle of it, again a weaker strength, that%26#39;s excellent for a hot day when you want to drink but not get drunk.

Be prepared for ice in your beer, it may seem a little odd at first but at least you rehydrate and you dehydrate.

In addition to those places named you might try the Le Pub in Saigon (Backpacker area) and Hanoi. In Hoi An there is a little place called the Moon Cafe that has the coldest beer in Hoi An. In Hue the DMZ Cafe has very cold Hue Beer which is very, very good. I found the ';fresh beer'; (Bia Hoi) in Hanoi gives me a really bad head ache. The local ';fresh beer'; in Hoi an isn%26#39;t bad at about 3000VND but does need ice. I prefer Tiger Beer over all the rest, except when in Hue. I try to avoid ice as I%26#39;ve seen how it is delivered. Lots of folks have ice drinks without any problems. Never had any problems with eating the street food, fruits or vegetables. Hope you enjoy your trip.

Hanoikids might be a good idea they are students wanting to practice there english on you they will show you the ropes, type hanoikids in the box at the top of this page you will get all the info you need,

What has this got to do with street food?

Hi All

mountolympus

Hanoi Kids will show you the best places to eat, drink, and any other thing you want to know they will show you things that you would never find on your own and being that oubobcat is on her own it would be good company for her.

';Carry immodium just in case...';

Totally wrong! If you have digestive problems, the last thing you want is to stop your system from working. By getting ';stuff'; through your digestive tract, you are removing the bacteria that started the problem. What you do have to watch for in that case is dehydration, so replace electrolytes and fluid. Pho is very good for that. You might consider getting a script prior to leaving from your doctor for Cipro and filling it, taking the antibiotic with you....just in case. Happy traveling. Chuck...