4 Amazing Desserts in Saigon

A meal is not complete without desserts. That is true around the world, but desserts differ from country to country. To Vietnamese, deserts are also as important as entrée and main meals. They are diverse and unique. It is easy to see some sweet and delicious desserts on the streets and enjoy it in Vietnamese ways. Let’s have a look at some of the best desserts that Saigonese really enjoy.

Vietnamese sweet soup

One of the best inherent Vietnamese sweet desserts, which is “Che” – Vietnamese sweet soup. There is nothing more enjoyable than having a bowl of Che on a hot summer day. The dessert consists of various ingredients, including beans, milk, tapioca, fruit, coconut cream, glutinous rice and plenty of sugar.

Che can be served hot or cold in a bowl, cup, or glass. There are plenty popular types of Che in Vietnam that you can treat yourself to fulfil your Foody tour.

Steamed Layer Cake (Banh Da Lon)

Banh Da Lon - steamed layer cake, containing rice flour, tapioca starch, mashed mung beans, taro or durian, coconut milk or water, and sugar. The texture of the cake is soft, gelatinous and chewy, which explains why it is cheekily referred to “pig skin.” This dessert comes in all shapes and sizes with alternating layers of green and yellow tapioca flour.

Caramel Pudding of Flan

Caramel Pudding is comprised of custard pudding with a layer of soft melting caramel on top. Firstly introduced to Vietnamese by the French, this lovely dessert is constituted of eggs, sugar and milk or coconut milk. Caramel Pudding is served with ice and a shot of espresso on top of the caramel layer – a must-try dessert if you’re looking for a bit of caffeine and sweetness.

Coconut Jelly

This kind of dessert is genuinely delightful due to its own gentle sweetness, you can find numerous dessert cafes in Saigon selling Rau Cau Trai Dua (Coconut Jelly), especially along the streets in district 1. It is served in a coconut shell (its flesh still is intact). The top layer of the coconut jelly is custard-like coconut cream, while the bottom consists of jelly, which is made by coconut water. Rau cau trai dua is also an optimal dessert option for vegans, since the jelly is made from seaweed extract powder called agar-agar.