Food and drink– tax –

Singapore's renowned bar team opened a “disco izakaya” in Saigon. 118 Pham Viet Chanh Street, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. On this street crowded with craft-beer shops and local eateries, “Doobie Doo Bar” quietly opened. The sign reads “Disco Sakaba (De..

A temple of “molecular pho” has appeared in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. On December 21, 2025, a counter restaurant with just 14 seats, “Pot Au Pho 2.0,” opened at 91 Ton That Dam Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It's helmed by P.., chef of Anan Saigon, the first to earn a Michelin star in Vietnam..

Dinh Van Kien, a young man from Son Tay Thuong commune in Quang Ngai province, turned the vocal technique he learned at the Hue Conservatory into “a storyteller of cuisine.” At three stilt-house restaurants built from bamboo and natural materials, he's turning gong music and the Co Tu people's mountain table into a tourism resource.

On the site of “New Saigon,” beloved for about 40 years in Denver's Little Saigon, the five Nguyen sisters will open the Vietnamese restaurant “Re Tre (bamboo root)” in summer 2026.

At Le Méridien Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City on May 10, the traditional ao dai and modern cocktails cross paths in a 10-hour straight-through “Saigon Ao Dai Cocktail Festival 2026.” We report on this new landing point for nightlife.

Korean chicken major BHC announces its first entry into Vietnam. Partnering with Singapore's Hao Open Foods, it plans 50 shops in 10 years across Hanoi, HCMC, and Da Nang. We break the news on the contract details and a competitor comparison.

In 2026, the 100th anniversary of Michelin's star ratings, the announcement ceremony for the 4th Vietnam edition will be held in Hanoi on June 4. We break the news on the selection lists for three cities, guest-chef information, and three-year trend data.

In Quang Tri province, 64 people were hospitalized from banh mi food poisoning. April saw consecutive cases—62 in Nghe An, 108 in Vung Tau. The causes are salmonella contamination and room-temperature storage at street stalls; a safety guide for travelers is included.

In Ho Chi Minh City, a couple arrested for producing 2,800 tons of contaminated pho noodles | the scale of harm over 10 years comes to light. On April 26, 2026, Ho Chi Minh City police arrested a 44-year-old couple, suspect Nguyen Thi My Phung and others, who had long manufactured and shipped fresh pho noodles with illegal chemicals mixed in, in Tan Tao Ward..

2,500 people gathered over two days that distilled Ho Chi Minh City's pizza culture. On April 18–19, 2026, the “Saigon Pizza Festival 2026” was held in the SOHO area of The Global City in District 2 (Thu Duc City), Ho Chi Minh City. It was organized by a Ho Chi Minh City food and culture commu..