This entry has been long overdue. If you know me in real life, you probably would have heard me raving about the Saigon Lunch Lady and her amazing concoction.
Away from the tourist wrecks of Ho Chi Minh City, next to the river at the intersection of three roads under a tree lies this unassuming little stall without a signboard or real roof. Everyday, a lady by the name of Nguyen Thi Thanh prepares a boiling cauldron of broth that alternates daily (from bases like pork ribs to crab) to satisfy the rumbling stomachs of hungry locals.
Amazingly, this little stall is not just host to locals but also well-informed backpackers from afar whom have heard about the Saigon Lunch Lady whom is a celebrity of sorts on the blogosphere (Go ahead, google her!). This is partly thanks to her being featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservation show. She is no stranger to foreigners and comes out to greet us. She does a variant of Bun Bo Hue, which is rice noodles and a generous variety of ingredients like prawns, quail eggs, meat balls, fish cake, pork, pig’s blood (that black pudding thing) bathed in that fresh flavorful soup of the day, all for about $1.
Throw in some spring rolls and dough sticks for a tummy filling walkaway! Thirsty? Her sister runs a drink stall right next to hers that peddles cool soya milk. 
That’s us posing with her! Might I daresay (for such a price) its the best bowl of soup in Vietnam and even South East Asia. This is one soup not to miss when in Ho Chi Minh.
23 Hoang Sa St.,
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Saigon Lunch Lady