You are a food lover? You are traveling around to explore the cuisine? Come to Vietnam and try Chè since it is one of the most delicious beverages ever.
What is exactly Chè in Vietnamese?
Some people who have never tried Chè before might think of it as a soup or cocktail. However, it is not. Honestly, there are no English words described Chè because this is one of the symbols of Vietnam. You should try to say it in Vietnamese.
Chè is a Vietnamese traditional sweet beverage. Varieties of Chè are made with kinds of beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, fruit, dumplings, lotus seed, and coconut cream… With those materials, Chè is cooked in water and sweetened with sugar, one of the very must-have ingredients.
There are tons of kinds of Chè in Vietnam, and if you are a person who loves sweet things, you should try them. Here we go!
Chè chuối – Chè with banana
Chè thập cẩm – The mixture of Chè
Chè hạt sen – Chè with lotus seed
Chè đậu – Chè with beans
Chè trôi nước – Chè with dumplings
These are some examples of Chè you should try in Vietnam. Of course, the list is not enough to try all of them.
Chè in Northern Vietnam
However, if you are in the North of Vietnam and you want to try Chè, be careful. Since people from the North calls tea by Chè. These two things are completely different. To make it easy, you should try to say Chè ngọt when you travel to the North, it means sweety Chè.
Where to eat Chè in Ho Chi Minh City?
The answer is everywhere. Trust me! Chè can be made at home easily; therefore, maybe you can try it if someone invites you to their homes and their mother cooks it for you.
Also, you can find it on the streets at some vendors. These days, finding Chè is quite hard than before.
Otherwise, there are some clues for you.
Chè mâm
Here, you can eat a combo of 16 kinds of Chè, such as Chè with beans, Chè with dumplings… A combo costs around 120.000 VND, so you can share it with your friends. It is funny that the number of people who can eat all of them just in 1 time is rare. Otherwise, you can call the kind of Chè that you want to eat. Each bowl costs you around 5.000 VND – 10.000 VND.
Address: Sư Vạn Hạnh, District 10
Price: 5.000 VND – 150.000 VND
Xôi chè Bùi Thị Xuân
This business was established in 1977 and is one of the most famous restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. Here, you can try some kinds of Chè, sticky rice… Because it is well-known, the seats easily full of people, but don’t worry because you can take it away. The price costs around 10.000 VND to 60.000 VND, which is very reasonable for our pockets.
Address: 111 Bùi Thị Xuân, Phạm Ngũ Lão Ward, District 1
Price: 10.000 VND – 60.000 VND
Nguyễn Tri Phương Street
In this street, you can find some restaurants, such as Ý Phương, one of the famous places to eat Chè in Ho Chi Minh. The price is around 20.000 VND to 40.000 VND per person. Also, you can try other gastronomies of Vietnam here, like bánh xèo, spring rolls…
At the market
Trust me! You can find Chè at any market you visit, even at supermarkets.