Travel & Nomad

What's New in Ho Chi Minh City for Travellers Right Now (2026)

Saigon moves fast, and the things worth your time this autumn are not on the old lists: a wood-fired banh xeo kitchen gone viral, a Yunnan-style dessert that sells out in half an hour, an off-menu banh mi by the canal and a footbridge taking shape over the river.

Quick answer: The newest things worth your time in Ho Chi Minh City this autumn are a viral wood-fired banh xeo kitchen on the city's east side, a Yunnan-style snow milk dessert that sells out soon after opening, an off-menu chicken banh mi by the Thi Nghe canal, zero-proof drink pairings at top restaurants, and the Saigon River pedestrian bridge, whose main span was joined on 21 October 2026. Visitors can pay most of these small counters by scanning the shop's QR code from USDT with Fizen QR Pay, and an eSIM keeps Grab and maps working across a sprawling city.

Key takeaways

Wood-fired banh xeo is the drive of the month. A Quang Ngai-style kitchen on Do Xuan Hop, Phuoc Long ward, sells crisp pancakes at VND8,000 each; weekdays 3pm to 8pm, weekends from 7am.
The snow milk queue sells out fast. The takeaway shop at 688/84 Le Duc Tho opens at 5pm and was turning people away by 5:30pm when VnExpress visited.
Zero-proof is in. Restaurants such as Akuna and Tales by Chapter now pair tasting menus with non-alcoholic drinks.
A river footbridge is coming. The 720-metre bridge from Bach Dang wharf to Thu Thiem had its main span joined on 21 October 2026; no opening date yet.
Visitors can pay by QR from USDT. Fizen QR Pay pays Vietnamese QR codes for travellers and foreigners, funded with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain.

Somewhere off Do Xuan Hop, a woman is feeding sticks into a fire under a row of small aluminium moulds, and people who drove 20 kilometres to get here are waiting for the next batch. That is Saigon this autumn: the dishes going viral are old regional recipes and family stalls, not the famous names on every list.

Everything below is from reports dated July to October 2026, and the small stalls change hours often. We close with the practical part: Fizen is building the stablecoin neobank for people on the move, a wallet you own, local QR payments and travel data in one app.

Which banh xeo is Saigon crossing the city for?

Le Thi Thom has been making Quang Ngai-style banh xeo over a wood fire on Do Xuan Hop street in Phuoc Long ward since 2018, but a recent social media video has sent people from across the city, some riding more than 20 km. VnExpress reported on 23 October that the pancakes come out thin, crisp and dry rather than oily, filled with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts, rolled in rice paper with herbs.

Price: VND8,000 for a filled pancake, VND4,000 plain. Quang Ngai sides like banh beo and bun mam nem run VND10,000 to 40,000.
Hours: 3pm to 8pm Monday to Friday; from 7am on weekends.
Queue tip: everything is cooked to order and weekends bring double the crowd. Reviews mention long waits and a loose sense of who ordered first, so phone ahead or come early.

Skip it if you are short on time: it is far from District 1, and the alley takes some finding.

Is the Yunnan snow milk queue still worth it?

The dessert craze of the summer was snow milk: frozen milk hand-shaved into thin layers, topped with freeze-dried strawberry, yogurt bites and crushed Oreo. VnExpress International found dozens queuing at a takeaway shop at 688/84 Le Duc Tho, An Hoi Dong ward, some for close to an hour, on 27 July. It makes about 150 portions a day at VND35,000 to 45,000, opens at 5pm and put up a sold-out sign around 5:30pm.

Queue tip: be there before 5pm. Skip it if you are not near the north-west of the city; the report is from July, so check the shop's page before you cross town for it.

Saigoneer's 15 September pick is the opposite of a viral shop. Xoi Thi Nghe, 2B Huynh Man Dat, Thanh My Tay ward, near the Thi Nghe market and across the canal from the zoo, is a sticky rice stall that will make a shredded chicken banh mi if you ask: chicken, pickles, cucumber, mayo and coriander, VND15,000. It runs from sunrise until it sells out, around 10am, and commuters order without getting off their bikes. Eat it on the canal-side benches.

Skip it if you sleep past nine: the stall packs up by mid-morning.

What is new at Saigon's better tables?

Two shifts. First, zero-proof drinks: VnExpress reported on 13 October that about four in ten guests at Michelin-starred Akuna now choose non-alcoholic pairings, and Tales by Chapter pairs a 10-course menu (VND750,000) with botanical drinks. Bars like Pisco Hana pour them too. Second, the 2026 Michelin Guide (4 June) added new Ho Chi Minh City Bib Gourmands, including Banh Canh Cua Ba Ba, Banh Cuon Tay Ho 127, Bun Rieu Yen, Chi Mo and La Lola, plus a first star for Upstairs.

Skip the tasting menus if you came for street food: the new Bibs are where the value is.

When can you walk across the Saigon River?

Not yet, but soon enough to watch. On the morning of 21 October 2026, crews joined the 3,400-tonne steel main span of the pedestrian bridge from Bach Dang wharf to the Thu Thiem new urban area, about 720 metres long, with an arch modelled on the water coconut leaf. No opening date has been announced; the project now moves into finishing work. Skip a special trip: see it from the Bach Dang riverside on an evening walk.

How do you pay and stay online across the city?

Small stalls like these usually show a bank QR code. If you are visiting (not a Vietnamese resident), Fizen QR Pay pays VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes from USDT: create or import your Fizen wallet (non-custodial), get USDT on Solana or BNB Chain into it, deposit from the wallet into QR Pay (KYC per wallet and per device), then scan and confirm the amount in dong. BNB Chain deposits need no gas; on Solana keep a little SOL. Limits: US$800 per payment, US$1,000 per week. In Vietnam it pays Vietnamese account holders' codes only. Steps: QR Pay guide.

Saigon is big, and Grab is how you reach Phuoc Long or Le Duc Tho. Install a travel eSIM at home: Fizen's Vietnam plans ran on Viettel 4G when checked on 26 October 2026, slowing to 128 kbps once the data is used. New users get US$10 of eSIM credit in the Fizen app's eSIM tab.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the wood-fired banh xeo in Ho Chi Minh City?

On Do Xuan Hop street in Phuoc Long ward, on the city's east side. It opens 3pm to 8pm on weekdays and from 7am on weekends, at VND8,000 per filled pancake.

What time should I queue for snow milk on Le Duc Tho?

Before the 5pm opening. When VnExpress visited in July, the shop stopped taking customers around 5:30pm because it makes only about 150 portions a day.

Is the Saigon River pedestrian bridge open?

Not yet. The main span was joined on 21 October 2026 and the bridge is in finishing works. No opening date has been announced.

Can tourists pay by QR code at street stalls in Saigon?

Yes, with the right app. Fizen QR Pay lets visitors pay VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes from USDT on Solana or BNB Chain. Vietnamese residents cannot use it in Vietnam.

What should I do if a QR payment is still processing?

Do not pay again. Wait for the final status so you do not pay the stall twice, and contact Fizen support if it stays stuck.

Which network does a Fizen eSIM use in Ho Chi Minh City?

Vietnam plans in the Fizen catalog ran on Viettel's 4G network when checked on 26 October 2026. Plans are data only and most cannot be topped up, so size for the whole trip.

Pay Saigon's QR codes as a visitor

Fizen QR Pay works for travellers and foreigners in Vietnam. Fund it from your Fizen wallet with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain, scan the stall's code and confirm the amount in dong. Travel eSIM data is in the same app, payable with USDT or by card via Stripe.

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Terms and conditions

Information only. This article is information only. It is not an offer or a sale, and it is not financial, legal or travel advice. Venue details, prices and hours come from the sources listed and can change; check before you go.
For readers in the United States. This is information only, not an offer or sale, and not advice. Fizen products and services are not offered to US Persons.
QR Pay availability. QR Pay is for cross-border use by travellers and foreigners in Vietnam and the Philippines only, and is not available to residents of those countries in their own country. It is funded only with USDT on Solana or BNB Chain; USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. The Fizen wallet is self-custody; USDT you move into QR Pay is governed by the Fizen QR Pay Terms, so only move in what you plan to spend. KYC applies.
Independent. Fizen is not affiliated with the restaurants, stalls or publications mentioned. Acceptance of any payment method at a given shop is not promised.

Sources

Venues, prices, hours and the bridge status checked against reports dated 31 July to 23 October 2026; eSIM network checked in the Fizen catalog on 26 October 2026.