Anyone who has been in Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon) in the dry season must never forget the extremely hot summer. There are many ways to beat the scorching on these days. The best way is grabbing a cool drink for hot summer days on Saigon street.
Which drink would you like to drink to quench your thirst in Saigon? I would like to share with you Top Drinks for hot summer days in Ho Chi Minh City, which has become an important and special part of Saigon.
At any street corner in Saigon, in convenience stores, supermarkets, coffee shops, on small rolling carts on the streets, small stalls on the pavements, you can easily get something to drink.
Bottled drinks, ingredients, cups, spoons, water, and others are arranged in glass cases, on wooden or metal shelves, on plastic tables, in rolling carts, on the back of motorbikes. Street vendors use a foam box to keep many bottled drinks cool.
Favorite drinks for hot summer days and are sold popularly in Saigon
Not many people know that Vietnamese drinks are as diverse and mouth-watering as its cuisine. Located in the tropical monsoon climate region, Vietnam luckily possesses the beverages with great flavor that can satisfy even the difficult drinkers.
Drinking session is considered as an indispensable part of Vietnamese daily lives. Whether it’s meeting friends for a coffee/tea or stopping at a street side stalls for a refreshing juice/smoothie, even in important events such as public holidays and ceremonies.
Trying each drink in Vietnam, you can experience the local traditions and many interesting stories revealed by Vietnam Travel’s guidance.
1. Coconut juice
Coconut juice is such a popular refreshment for hot summer days. People love to enjoy both the lightly sweet taste of coconut juice and also the coconut flesh inside. Visitors can find coconut juice in most of the coffee shops in Sai Gon. Its cost is around 2 USD for each coconut.
However, one of the most favorite things to Sai Gon residents is to drink coconut juice from street vendors while chatting with each other and observing the flow of people in a hurry on the streets.
The most famous place standing a lot of coconut street vendors is a small corner at the end of Pasteur road. Best selling items here are coconut juice mixed with kumquat and coconut juice mixed with pineapple jam.
Both have one thing in common is sweet and cool. The price of a glass of coconut water here is very cheap, less than 1 USD to have a full of glass.
2. Nuoc Sam
Nuoc Sam or herbal tea is a very typical drink in Saigon. It is quite healthy and tonic since Nuoc Sam is made from herbal plants which help to cool down body temperature in hot weather.
Nuoc Sam is made at home easily by boiling the water with some special herbal plants bought at oriental medication shop along with Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street, District 5.
Just boil for a few minutes, let it cool down in open air, then put in the fridge for later use.
If you do not have time to do so, you can find some pavement stalls for Nuoc Sam on Cach Mang Thang Tam street after passing the Cong Truong Dan Chu roundabout.
It has a fairly cheap price, less than 25 cents
3. Artichokes Juice
Besides coconut juice and Nuoc Sam, artichoke juice is one of the favorite drinks of Saigon people.
Artichoke juice is a very good beverage for health. It is bitter for the first taste and slightly sweet on the back of the tongue.
Artichoke juice is made from boiling water with artichoke roots which are found to be highly beneficial in healing lethargic livers and kidney problems.
You can see a lot of pavement stills in Sai Gon street selling artichoke juice. These shops are designed for stopping-by or take-away. Only with less than 25 cents, you have a glass of cool artichokes juice.
4.Nuoc Dang (Bitter Juice)
Like the name of the drink, Nuoc Dang is very bitter but extremely good for health.
Drinking bitter juice is not easy for those who just like sweets, but when one gets over bitterness, he/she will enjoy it because of its benefit of detoxification and cooling-down. If you cannot taste bitterness, just moderate the taste by drinking Nuoc Sam afterward.
Nuoc Dang is available at small shops and pavement stalls in Sai Gon with a cheap price of less than 25 cents/per glass.
5. Sugarcane juice
It would be a big mistake if sugarcane juice is not listed as a popular sidewalk beverage in Saigon.
A sugar cane juice shop does not take up too much space, a typical one only contains a small blending machine and some small chairs and stools where people can sit and talk with their friends while having drinks.
Both young teens and adults love to drink sugar cane juice since it is a stress-relieving drink that can cure thirsty and low sugar situations.
A glass of sugar cane juice costs you not more than 50 cents. Ben Thanh market is an easy place to find sugar cane juice at an affordable price.
In summary, it is difficult to draw a conclusion about which beverage is the best in Saigon.
However, 2 well-knowns shops where sell Nuoc Sam, Bitter Juice, Artichokes for over 10 years are located in the intersection corner between Dinh Tien Hoang and Dien Bien Phu, District 3.
6. Mixed juices
If each fruit has different nutritional components and flavours, a combination of fruits will contribute to increase nutrition and taste of the drink. Let’s choose fruits of different colors to your favorite, wash them thoroughly and cut into thin slices.
In turn, put in a glass in layers and filter water. You can also add chia seeds and sugar for your taste. Put it in the fridge with some mint leaves on top. It can’t be denied that having a refreshing summer drink to keep your body cool is a blessed feeling for you to beat the heat.
Refresh and replenish your body with the above suggestion of the best summer beverages! All fruits are good for the body and the state of mind, which should be supplementary as your daily meals.
If you do not have enough time to prepare ingredients, you can choose canned juices instead, but still guarantee the delicious and cool taste.
Wish you enjoy a refreshing and happy summer!
