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HCMC among world’s top 10 cities for street foods
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Ho Chi Minh City has recently been again ranked among the world’s top ten cities for street foods in a list compiled by travel website VirtualTourist.com.

It was also recommended on Reuters’ Travel Picks column.

“Vietnamese cuisine has received some major street cred in recent memory (Anthony Bourdain's praise comes to mind), and a quick visit to Ho Chi Minh City's Ben Thanh or Binh Tay Markets explains why,” the travel site introduced about Vietnamese foods.

In the recommendation for street foods in the city, the site mentions famous names including pho, banh mi, bo la lot (seasoned beef in a leaf), spring rolls and com tam (cooked broken rice with a fried egg on the top) with an explanation about fish sauce.

“A member noted that no matter what com tam dish you get, it will always be served with nuoc mam (fish sauce), and since each street food stall usually makes their own, people will often choose which stall to return to based on their nuoc mam,” the site added.

VirtualTourist also gives advice for tourists coming to the country for the first time.

“However, since hawker registration and street food health standards aren't as stringent in Vietnam, travelers should be careful to always choose popular, crowded stalls with high turnover.”

Other cities in the list consist of Bangkok, Singapore, Penang, Marrakech, Palermo, Istanbul, Mexico City, Brussels and Beachside Ceviche in Ambergris Caye.

This is not the first time HCMC is recommended as a good place for street food. Early this year, the city was ranked among the world’s top ten cities for street foods by the US’s monthly culinary magazine Food & Wine.

Travel guide book Lonely Planet also listed banh mi as one of the most lip-smacking street foods around the world.