Brian Jeffrey
1. In Ho Chi Minh City, there’s a snail shop near Tran Hung Dao and Tran Binh Trong streets named ‘Quan oc co mo’ (Ancient Tomb Snail), situated in the cemetery area of scholar Truong Vinh Ky. The shop, run by Le Quang Toai, offers a variety of seafood products, mostly snails, from 5 pm to 11 pm daily at prices averaging VND 65,000-70,000 per serving.
2. Along Tran Phu street, known for its funeral parlors in HCM City, you’ll find a steamed sticky rice cart run by Luu Bao Minh, offering toppings like crushed peanuts, fried onions, pork floss, Chinese sausage, and soy sauce. Customers flock to the cart at night, where names like ‘xoi am phu’ (the hades’ steamed sticky rice) and ‘xoi nha xac’ (morgue steamed sticky rice) are used.
3. On Nguyen Thi Dinh street in district 2, there is a 30-year-old shop called ‘Lau bo nghia dia’ (Graveyard beef hotpot) serving take-away hot pot with beef from 5 pm to 9 pm. The striking location of the eatery, amidst graves, adds to its eerie charm.
