Get Your Dim Sum, and Then Some, in Saigon

Dim Sum is a great way to enjoy a ton of different tastes and textures, and there are more than enough options in Ho Chi Minh City to satisfy every steamed dumpling lover.

These are some of the best dim sum places I've personally experienced in Saigon. Some are best for takeaway (looking at you, Mr. Hao), while some are best enjoyed in the ambience of the restaurant (Baoz and San Fu Lou are both delightful and downright luxurious).

All are worth investigating with your food hole. Just don't forget to pack that wallet before you go - dim sum can rack up a bill reaaaaaal fast, especially if you're ordering for more than two people!

Click through for a list of my local favorites!

Baoz Dimsum

Baoz is a giant, comfortable dim sum factory-type restaurant that may actually have an infinite number of floors. No one knows. You just tell them how many people you have and they get you on an elevator. No one knows where the food comes from, either, it just appears! And you'll get no argument from me on the food, at least.

This is one of the more expensive options on the list, although not THE most expensive (that 'honor' is reserved for any of the branches of San Fu Lou), but the quality is apparent, the service is insanely fast, and you can't find a better place for a large family or group gathering - there are plenty of circular party tables with rotating centers which are perfect to sit down, load up, and pig out.

Atmosphere: Modern and Comfortable

Price: about 50-80k / dish (with 3-4 pieces per dish). Higher overall.

Cleanliness: Spotless

Service: Swift and virtually invisible

English: It's a crapshoot, TBH

Bathrooms: Also spotless

Roast Duck (Yeah, yeah, I know it's not dim sum) with Orange Buns (Highlight):

Pork and Chive Dumplings:

Scallop with Crab Roe Dumplings:

Salted Egg Yolk Buns:

Dimsum Mr Hào

If you're looking for great dim sum at very reasonable prices, you can't do better than Mr. Hao's place. It's not five-star food, and it's definitely not a luxury dining destination, but the bang for buck couldn't be higher - the food is all top-notch and you're paying dirt-cheap rates per fairly high-quality dumpling.

The restaurant sells out quickly, so be sure to stop by earlier in the evening if you're looking to score some of everything on the list, which is recommended. If you happen to come by or order delivery past 8pm, chances are a good portion of the menu will be sold out (which is always a good sign!).

Atmosphere: Just the basics, ma'am

Price: about 50-65k / dish (with 3-4 pieces per dish). Cheap.

Cleanliness: Clean but bare-bones

Service: Super fast

English: Negatory

Bathrooms: ...just hold it.

Steamed Pumpkin Buns:

Scallop Dumplings (Highlight):

Pork Xiu Mai:

Tân Nguyên Thái Dimsum

This restaurant has been in operation more than 20 years and started out as a tiny food stall down the street, now a two-floor destination for an absolutely massive variety of traditional Hong Kong-style dim sum. 

We stopped in about 9am on a Saturday and chose six different dishes. I had hopes that we could find a number of them without shrimp (because I and my gouty foot can't have any, or we are in pain for ~days~), but the servers informed us that about 90% of the meat dim sum have shrimp for that extra "bounce" (a real term really used for a variety of meatball food products in SE Asia). My lucky dining partner got all the shrimp-y goodness.

Atmosphere: Homey

Price: about 40-50k / dish (with 3-4 pieces per dish). Mid-range overall.

Cleanliness: Very

Service: Impeccable

English: Actually, yes

Bathrooms: ... ok, not fancy

Pork and Crab wrapped Tofu Skin and Fried (Highlight):

Banana and Scallops (YEAH I KNOW) in a fried bun:

Beef Meatball:

Pork Xiu Mai:

Beef Xiu Mai:

Fried Vegetarian Wonton:

Hua Wu Lou - Dimsum Street

Hua Wu Lou is a relative newcomer to the restaurant scene (opened in 2019) and has made a big damn impression in the neighborhood, with good reason. If you're coming during dinner hours (6-8pm), be prepared to wait a bit, or make a reservation! Those cheese baked crab shells are DIVINE, and the mixed veg and seafood plate is a serious treat.

Located in one of Saigon's most interesting markets, Ban Co (meaning: chessboard, so called for the maze of square alleys it's comprised of), this shop is fast, efficient, and very, very tasty. And affordable to boot!

Atmosphere: Basic, open air corner shop

Price: about 30-50k / dish (with 3-4 pieces per dish). Mid-range overall.

Cleanliness: Very clean

Service: Impeccable

English: None that we encountered

Bathrooms: Basic. But you don't come here for the bathrooms, you come to pig out on that crab!

Grilled Pork Wrapped in Steamed Rice Crepe:

Crab Salad Covered in Cheese and baked in a Crab Shell (Highlight):

Steamed Scallop Dumplings:

Salted Egg Yolk Buns:

Mixed Vegetables and Seafood in XO Sauce:

San Fu Lou - Cantonese Kitchen

There are several branches of San Fu Lou around town in various hotspots, all are excellent, and all are very, very pricey. A meal for a family can quickly and easily jump past the 100 USD range if you're looking to fill up!

As far as your dining experience will go here, it can't be beat for ambience and atmosphere, even if the prices quickly become stratospheric. The service and dishes are otherworldly, and you'll wish you came equipped with a second stomach just to keep the happy coming. Rest assured, you'll pay for it, but this is a great place for special, special occasions.

Atmosphere: Stylish luxury at a price that keeps you aware of it

Price: about 50-200k / dish, depending on number of dumplings. Very high overall.

Cleanliness: Very high end, cleanliness is not a problem

Service: Impeccable

English: Yes

Bathrooms: Eliminate your bodily wastes in luxury

Scallop Soup Dumplings:

Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce (Highlight):

Stir-fried Chicken with San Fu Lou Sauce:

Charcoal Steamed Buns with Salted Egg Yolk:

Cantonese-style marinated beef tendon:

Scallop and Prawn Steamed Dumplings:

Pork, Mushroom, and Crab Roe Dumplings (Highlight):

A Note About Há Cảo:

These are just a few of the better dim sum options in Saigon, but not all by any stretch of the imagination. I have not included the Vietnamese Há Cảo places, the general term for dim sum here in Saigon, but not because it's inferior - it's only because they almost uniformly have shrimp in them (in fact, it's right there in the name: 'Há Cảo' is a loanword for 'shrimp' from China). 

So if you want some budget-friendly dim sum, there are plenty of options! I just can't steer you to the best. :) But if you come across some phenomenal places, please drop them in the comments!

Thank you so much for reading, and happy dim summing!