Saigon Vegan Food Tour by GirlPower Motorbike Riders | KissTour

The best part of this four-hour scooter tour is that food and city travel happen together. You leave the polished center of District 1, ride with a local woman driver, and stop for a full vegan meal rather than a single tasting plate. Pho, spring rolls, rice vermicelli, pandan cake, grilled banana, and dessert make this a serious dinner.

I like the one-driver-per-guest setup, which gives you more room to ask questions and adjust the pace. I also like the women-led team, especially since the experience is built around direct local contact rather than a large group following a flag.

The main consideration is the scooter itself. Ho Chi Minh City traffic can feel intense, and you need comfortable clothes, light luggage, and a willingness to ride behind a driver for several hours. Pickup outside Districts 1, 2, and 3 costs extra.

Key points at a glance

• Six or more vegan dishes: Expect pho, cha gio, hu tieu, fried pandan cake, grilled banana, and a final Vietnamese dessert.
• A scooter ride beyond District 1: The route takes you into other parts of Ho Chi Minh City and includes a local sightseeing stop.
• One English-speaking driver for each guest: This creates a more personal outing than a standard group food walk.
• Women-led local team: The company was founded by a local woman and supports women working in tourism.
• Food, drinks, scooter, fuel, helmets, and insurance included: The $65.65 price covers more than a simple restaurant crawl.
• Evening is the usual time: The tour normally starts at 5:30 PM, with 8 AM and noon departures available by arrangement.

Leaving District 1 by scooter at 5:30 PM

The experience usually begins at 5:30 PM and lasts about four hours. You can arrange hotel pickup, or meet at the Saigon Opera House at 7 Công trường Lam Sơn in District 1. The stated end point is the meeting point, though it is worth confirming the exact pickup and return plan when you book.

Your driver arrives with a scooter and an extra helmet. Each guest is paired with one English-speaking driver, so this is not a convoy where you are left trying to keep up with a guide at the front. The format also gives you a natural chance to ask about dishes, neighborhoods, and daily life in Ho Chi Minh City.

The ride is part of the meal. You are not simply transported from one restaurant to the next. You get a changing view of Saigon at street level, with time between stops to notice the city and talk with your driver.

You should wear clothes that allow easy movement. Avoid heavy backpacks and expensive jewelry. A phone or camera that fits in a pocket is more useful than a large camera bag, especially when getting on and off the scooter.

Why vegan food works so well in Vietnam

Vietnamese food is built around fresh herbs, rice noodles, coconut milk, fruit, chili, lime, and sauces. That gives a vegan menu plenty of range. You are not limited to plain vegetables or one substitute dish.

Buddhism has also shaped a strong vegetarian and vegan food culture in Vietnam. Some restaurants serve dishes inspired by Buddhist cooking, with careful attention to vegetables, noodles, tofu, herbs, and sauces. The tour uses that tradition as a way to show you local food rather than treating vegan dining as a special request.

The food is designed to move through several flavors. You can expect salty, sweet, sour, and hot notes across the evening. Since the food is included and described as unlimited, the experience is meant to feel like dinner, not a few small bites.

If you are gluten-free as well as vegan, make that clear before the tour. The experience is promoted for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diners, but Vietnamese sauces, noodles, and fried items can use different ingredients. The provider says special requests can be customized, so early notice matters.

First stop: vegan pho with herbs, lime, and chili

The meal begins with vegan pho. This is a useful first taste because pho is one of Vietnam’s defining dishes, and the vegan version keeps the familiar structure: broth, noodles, herbs, lime, and chili.

The key here is how you season it. Mint, lime, and a little chili let you adjust the bowl to your taste. If you like a sharper broth, use the lime. If you prefer heat, add chili gradually.

This stop also gives you a sense of how local vegan diners eat. The restaurant is described as a regular choice for vegan locals, which makes it more interesting than a menu designed only for international visitors. You get the comfort of a famous Vietnamese dish while still trying it in a plant-based form.

Pho is filling, so pace yourself. Several more dishes follow. A small bowl at the beginning is easier to manage than eating quickly and finding yourself too full halfway through the night.

Cha gio and local herbs at the next stop

The next dish is vegan cha gio, or spring rolls, served with local herbs. These bring a different texture to the meal, with a crisp exterior against fresh greens and herbs.

This is one of the places where the tour format helps. Your driver can explain how to combine the roll with herbs and sauce, rather than leaving you to guess. The food is simple to handle, but the right balance of herbs makes a difference.

You may also find this stop more familiar than the later dishes. That is useful if you are new to Vietnamese food, since it gives you a recognizable starting point before the tour moves toward regional noodles and sweet snacks.

A Buddhist-inspired restaurant and southern hu tieu

The route then continues to a Buddhist-inspired vegan eatery. Here you try stir-fried rice vermicelli, hu tieu, a southern noodle dish served with a flavorful sauce.

Hu tieu is a good counterpoint to pho. Pho is associated with broth, while this version centers on noodles cooked with other ingredients and sauce. It shows how much variety exists within Vietnamese noodle dishes, even when meat and seafood are left out.

The sauce is important. It gives the dish its main character and keeps the noodles from feeling plain. If you have a preference for less heat or less sweetness, tell your driver. The tour is described as customizable, and the one-to-one arrangement makes that request easier to communicate.

This stop may be the most substantial part of the meal after pho. Together, the noodles, spring rolls, and later sweets amount to a proper dinner. You do not need to plan another meal afterward.

Freshly cooked banh tieu la dua

The food then turns to a small sweet snack, banh tieu la dua, or fried pandan cake. It is cooked in front of you at the restaurant, which gives the stop a useful bit of action. You see the snack being prepared rather than receiving something that has been sitting ready for hours.

Pandan gives the cake its familiar fragrant note, while frying adds a crisp outer texture. The portion is smaller than the noodle dishes, so it works as a break between savory food and the fruit-based dessert that follows.

This is also where the tour feels less like a standard dinner menu. You are not only sampling famous dishes. You are trying snacks that may be easy to overlook if you eat only at large restaurants or follow a standard sightseeing route.

Chuoi nep nuong, grilled banana with sticky rice

The most unusual sweet stop is chuoi nep nuong, grilled banana wrapped in sticky rice and served with coconut milk. The outside may look slightly dark from grilling, while the inside is soft, golden, and juicy.

Vietnamese cooks do remarkable things with a few basic ingredients. Here, banana, sticky rice, coconut milk, and fruit become a rich dessert with several textures. The sticky rice gives it weight, the banana brings sweetness, and the coconut milk rounds it out.

This is likely to be one of the dishes you remember because it changes the role of banana. It is not simply sliced fruit placed beside a meal. It is cooked, wrapped, grilled, and served as a proper Vietnamese sweet.

Since this dish can be filling, it helps that the tour spreads the food over several stops. You have time to ride between venues and let each course settle.

A local night stop for views and conversation

Food is only part of the evening. The tour includes a sightseeing stop at a local place where people spend time at night. You can pause, take photos, and talk with your driver away from the restaurant tables.

The stop gives the ride a little breathing room. Without it, four hours of eating could feel like a sequence of quick meals. Here, you get a chance to look around, enjoy the night view, and ask for local recommendations.

One useful detail from the tour’s guest feedback is the praise for Kim, who was described as punctual, communicative, and especially hospitable. Kim also pointed out places and suggestions that applied to Vietnam more broadly. You cannot assume Kim will be assigned to every booking, but the detail gives you a good idea of the personal touch this format aims for.

The driver pairing matters here. You are not chatting with a guide only during formal explanations. The conversation can continue while you ride, stop for photos, or wait for a dish.

Finishing with Vietnamese dessert

The final food stop is another Vietnamese dessert before the ride back. The exact dessert is not specified, so you should not book this expecting a particular final dish. What is clear is that the evening ends with something sweet after the savory noodles, rolls, and grilled banana.

The return is planned for around 9:30 PM on the usual evening schedule. That timing works well if you want a relaxed dinner without giving up the rest of your night entirely. It also means you should allow some flexibility, since food preparation and traffic can affect the exact return time.

The tour can also be arranged for 8 AM or noon if an evening ride does not fit your plans. The food sequence may feel different in daylight, but the same basic idea remains: scooter transport, several vegan dishes, and local conversation.

What the $65.65 price includes

At $65.65 per person, this is not the cheapest way to eat vegan food in Ho Chi Minh City. You could order individual dishes for far less. The value comes from combining dinner, transport, a private driver, local guidance, and a planned route.

The price includes:

• An English-speaking driver for each guest
• Scooter, fuel, and extra helmet
• Unlimited vegan food and beverages
• Accident insurance
• Optional alcoholic beverages
• Hotel pickup and drop-off where applicable
• The service of a women-led local team

That package makes the price easier to justify for a first visit, especially if you want to see more of the city than the streets around your hotel. You are paying for access and ease as much as for the food.

Pickup from outside Districts 1, 2, and 3 adds $4, or 100,000 Vietnamese dong. Personal expenses and optional gratuities are not included. Since alcoholic drinks are optional, ask what is available and what may cost extra before ordering.

The tour is normally limited to 15 people, but the one-driver-per-guest arrangement means your actual interaction is more personal than that maximum suggests. If you strongly prefer a private car, a walking tour, or a quiet restaurant meal, this is not the right format.

Who should book this scooter food tour

I would recommend it to a vegan or vegetarian who wants more than restaurant suggestions. You get a full meal, a ride through several districts, and a chance to ask a local driver how food fits into everyday life in Ho Chi Minh City.

It also suits first-time visitors who want an easy way to leave District 1 without planning their own route. The scooter handles the distance, and the food stops give the ride a clear purpose.

The experience may suit you if:

• You are comfortable riding on the back of a scooter
• You want vegan dishes that locals eat, not only international plant-based food
• You enjoy talking with a guide one on one
• You are happy to eat several courses over four hours
• You want hotel pickup within the covered districts
• You prefer a women-led local company

It is less suitable if traffic makes you anxious, you need complete control over transport, or you dislike moving between several food stops. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. If you weigh more than 120 kilograms, or 260 pounds, tell the provider so a larger scooter and stronger driver can be arranged.

Practical booking advice before you go

The tour is often booked about 12 days ahead, so reserve early if your dates are fixed. Confirmation is provided at booking, and cancellation is free when you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time. Changes or cancellations inside that window are not refunded.

Ask about pickup when booking, particularly if your hotel is not in District 1, 2, or 3. The stated meeting point is the Saigon Opera House, and the tour ends back at the meeting point, while hotel pickup and drop-off are also offered. Confirming this detail avoids confusion on the day.

Bring a phone or small camera, but keep your hands free during the ride. Comfortable clothes are more important than dressing up. Vietnam’s food culture is casual, and the scooter makes heavy bags and loose valuables awkward.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want a full vegan dinner tied to a real city ride. The strongest reasons are the one-to-one driver setup, the range of food, and the chance to move beyond the central tourist streets. Kim’s reported punctuality and helpful local suggestions also suggest the kind of friendly service the company is aiming for.

Skip it if you want a short walk between restaurants, a fixed private vehicle, or complete certainty about every dish before you arrive. At $65.65, the price makes sense when you value transport, food, and personal guidance together. For a vegan visitor who wants an active evening and a taste of several Vietnamese specialties, it is a well-targeted choice.

FAQ

How long does the Saigon Vegan Food Tour last?

The tour lasts about four hours. The usual evening schedule begins at 5:30 PM and ends around 9:30 PM.

What food is included?

The experience includes at least six vegan dishes across five food stops, including vegan pho, cha gio spring rolls, stir-fried hu tieu rice vermicelli, fried pandan cake, grilled banana with sticky rice and coconut milk, and a Vietnamese dessert.

Is hotel pickup available?

Yes, hotel pickup and drop-off are offered. Pickup from outside Districts 1, 2, and 3 carries a surcharge of $4, or 100,000 Vietnamese dong.

Where does the tour start?

The stated meeting point is the Saigon Opera House at 7 Công trường Lam Sơn, Bến Nghé, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The activity ends back at the meeting point.

Can I take the tour in the morning?

Yes. In addition to the usual 5:30 PM departure, morning and midday starts at 8 AM or 12 PM can be requested.

Are scooters and helmets included?

Yes. Scooters, fuel, and helmets are included, along with private English-speaking drivers and accident insurance.

What happens if I need to cancel?

You receive a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the tour are not refunded.