Banh cuon stall @ Ben Thanh market

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Ben Thanh is a huge marketplace that sells all sorts of things from clothes to electronics, but the good stuff is in the food stalls located in the back.  These tiny food stalls serve up Vietnamese cuisine found all over Vietnam.  It can get a little overwhelming when trying to decide what to eat.  After a couple laps around the food area, I decided on a the banh cuon stall. 

Even though back in the States, I've never been a huge banh cuon fan, I saw this older lady making it fresh and I had to sit down and try it.  The process is similar to making other forms of Chinese rice noodles.  I've had the pleasure of waiting in the lines of SF's now RIP Hing Lung (see post HERE) back home and watching them make the rice noodles while waiting for a table.

Of course, more cafe sua da.

The banh cuon are made with super thin rice sheets and mixed with ground pork then topped with fried pieces of garlic.  The noodles are so thin, its almost translucent.  Nuoc mam is provided on the side for dipping.  The noodles here are ultra fresh and the texture is wonderfully springy.  Refreshing, yet light, which works well in this heat.  At 30,000VDN ($1.50USD), you can't resist sitting down for a snack like that.

Address:                   banh cuon stall @ Ben Thanh Market
                                  intersection of Le Loi, Ham Nghi, Tran Hung Dao, and Le Loi sts. District 1
                                  Saigon, Vietnam
 

Type:                         Vietnamese

Popular chomps:        banh cuon

Chomp worthy:           banh cuon