KISSTOUR | Motorbike Vegan Food Tour in Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh City’s vegan food scene comes with a bonus: you get to cross the city on the back of a scooter between bites. Saigon Kiss Tours uses an all-female driving team, so your guide handles the traffic while you watch streets, shops, and districts slide past.

I like the variety of dishes, from vegan pho and spring rolls to Southern hu tieu and grilled banana wrapped in sticky rice. I also like the personal scale. One recent outing had only three people, each with a private driver, and Hani was singled out for being funny, kind, and well informed about the city. The main thing to consider is the scooter itself: this is not a good fit if you use a wheelchair or feel uneasy riding through city traffic.

Key points to know before you ride

• Four hours of food and city riding: The usual evening outing starts around 5:30 pm and returns around 9:30 pm.
• An all-female driving team: You ride as a passenger while an English-speaking woman drives.
• A useful vegan introduction: The menu covers pho, cha gio, hu tieu, pandan cake, grilled banana, and dessert.
• Small-group feel: One reported departure had three people, each paired with a separate driver.
• Pickup is limited by district: Hotel pickup and drop-off are free in Districts 1, 3, and 4.
• Morning departures are possible: The usual time is evening, but 8:30 am or noon starts can be requested.

Why a scooter is the right way to eat through Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City is too large to understand from one restaurant table. On this tour, the scooter is your moving dining room. You sit behind your driver, helmet on, and travel between several districts as the city changes around you.

That matters because the food stops are only half the experience. You also get a look at local streets after dark, historic parts of the city, and areas you might not reach on foot from a central hotel. The ride gives the evening a sense of movement that a standard restaurant crawl cannot match.

Your driver is more than a chauffeur. She introduces the dishes, helps explain how to eat them, and points out parts of the city along the way. The available guide languages are Vietnamese and English, so you can ask questions as you go.

The all-female team is a notable feature, especially if you are booking this kind of ride for the first time. You are not expected to navigate Ho Chi Minh City traffic yourself. Your driver supplies the scooter, gasoline, an extra helmet, and a rain poncho if the weather turns wet.

The 5:30 pm start sets up a full evening

The standard start time is 5:30 pm, with a return around 9:30 pm. That gives you four hours for food, riding, and conversation. You can request an 8:30 am or noon start instead, but the evening departure makes the most sense if you want to see the city by night.

Pickup is included from hotels and accommodations in Districts 1, 3, and 4. The company confirms your exact pickup address after booking, which is useful since hotel names and entrances can be confusing in central Ho Chi Minh City.

If you stay outside those districts, pickup and drop-off remain possible for an added charge of 100,000 VND, about 4 US dollars, per driver for the round trip. That fee is payable in cash after the tour. Check this before booking, since the extra cost applies to the driver rather than being absorbed into the advertised price.

Once your driver arrives, she provides a helmet and gets you settled on the scooter. Children aged 4 to 6 can share a scooter with a parent. From age 6 upward, the company says children are generally confident enough to have their own private drivers.

First plates: vegan pho and cha gio

The food begins with vegan or vegetarian pho, Vietnam’s famous noodle soup. You eat it with mint, lime, and chili, adjusting the balance to your taste. The herbs bring freshness, the lime adds sharpness, and chili gives the bowl more heat if you want it.

This is a smart opening dish. Pho is familiar to many people, but a meat-free version shows how much of the pleasure comes from broth, herbs, noodles, and seasoning. If you normally associate Vietnamese food with meat, this first bowl gives you a useful new reference point.

You also try cha gio, the Vietnamese spring roll. Here it is made with vegetables and local herbs rather than meat. The contrast with the soup gives the first stop a good rhythm: one warm and soupy dish, followed by a crisp snack with fresh flavors.

The tour is designed around tasting several items rather than eating one large meal at a single address. You should arrive hungry, but not so hungry that you rush through the first dishes. There is a lot of food ahead.

A Buddhist-inspired restaurant and Southern hu tieu

The next stop is a Buddhist-inspired vegan eatery known for plant-based Vietnamese cooking. The main dish here is hu tieu, a Southern noodle preparation served with stir-fried rice vermicelli and a flavorful sauce.

Hu tieu is useful for understanding regional differences within Vietnam. The dish has a different character from pho, and the sauce becomes especially important. Instead of relying on broth alone, this course gives you noodles with a stronger, more concentrated flavor.

I like that the itinerary does not stop with the country’s best-known dishes. Pho is an obvious choice, but hu tieu adds something less familiar. You get to compare textures and seasonings while learning how Vietnamese food changes from one region to another.

The Buddhist setting also gives the stop a different mood from a quick street snack. The tour description does not promise a formal lesson in Buddhism, but the restaurant’s style adds context to the vegetarian tradition. For many people, this will be one of the more interesting parts of the food route.

Freshly fried pandan cake at the doorway

The next bite is banh tieu la dua, a small fried pandan cake. This snack is cooked right in front of you as you enter the restaurant, so you see it prepared rather than receiving something that has been sitting out.

Pandan gives the cake its distinct fragrance and color, while frying supplies the crisp outside. It is described as small but full of flavor, which is exactly the kind of food that works well on a moving tasting tour. You can try it without becoming too full before the next course.

This stop also adds a bit of theater. Watching a snack being made at the door makes the food feel connected to the place, not simply selected from a fixed menu. You may need to pace yourself, though. The portions may be snack-sized, but the number of stops adds up quickly.

Grilled banana with sticky rice and coconut

The most unusual sweet course is chuoi nep nuong, grilled banana wrapped in sticky rice and served with coconut milk and fruit. The leaf wrapping can look burnt on the outside, but the inside becomes golden, soft, and juicy.

This dish changes the way you think about bananas. The fruit is not served plain. It is combined with chewy rice, creamy coconut, and the smoky effect of grilling. The result is a dessert with several textures in one serving.

For me, this is the kind of dish that justifies taking a food tour instead of ordering familiar items from a menu. You might recognize the ingredients, but the combination is less obvious. It also shows the creativity of Vietnamese snack cooking, where rice, fruit, leaves, and coconut can become a complete dessert.

You finish with a Vietnamese dessert before riding back to your hotel. The exact dessert is not specified, so you should expect a final sweet course without assuming a particular dish.

What the ride feels like between stops

The scooter sections connect the food into one larger Ho Chi Minh City experience. You move through different districts rather than staying in one restaurant area. That gives you a chance to see local streets and historic parts of the city while your guide explains what you are seeing.

The ride also keeps the tour from feeling like a sequence of unrelated meals. Your driver becomes the link between the dishes and the city. One small-group outing included three people, each with a private driver, which suggests the experience can feel more personal than a large bus-based food tour.

Still, you should be realistic about the transport. You are a passenger on a scooter, not in an enclosed car. Traffic, weather, and road noise are part of the setting. Helmets are supplied, and rain ponchos are available, but you should wear clothing suitable for riding and arrive ready for a little exposure to the elements.

If you have never ridden as a scooter passenger, tell the company when you book or confirm pickup. The supplied information does not promise a particular motorcycle model or a choice of driving speed, so this is worth discussing if you have concerns.

Is the $59 price good value?

At $59 per person, the tour is priced above the cost of simply buying several bowls and snacks on your own. You are paying for more than food. The price includes a four-hour route, an English-speaking scooter driver, hotel pickup and drop-off in the main service districts, gasoline, a helmet, and a rain poncho if needed.

The value is strongest if you want three things at once: a broad tasting menu, a moving view of Ho Chi Minh City, and help navigating the streets. Hiring separate transport and finding the same dishes yourself would take time and planning, especially if you do not speak Vietnamese.

The value is weaker if you only want a cheap meal or prefer to choose every dish yourself. This is a set route, and the food is served at several planned stops. Personal expenses are not included, so bring some cash for anything extra and for the pickup surcharge if you stay outside Districts 1, 3, or 4.

The food quantity also matters. The tour says you will be fed, and the itinerary includes many courses. It is best treated as dinner, not an appetizer before another full meal.

Who will enjoy this tour most?

I would choose this tour for a vegan or vegetarian who wants local dishes rather than a generic plant-based menu. It also suits anyone who wants to see more of Ho Chi Minh City without arranging several separate rides.

It is a good first-night activity if you have just arrived. You get an introduction to Vietnamese food, a basic sense of the city’s districts, and a guide you can question along the way. You may also pick up ideas for restaurants and dishes to try later.

Small groups and private driver pairings are another reason to consider it. The reported three-person group made it possible for each person to have a separate driver, and Hani was praised for making the outing especially enjoyable. The company does not state that every departure will have exactly three people, so group size can vary.

I would skip it if you use a wheelchair, since the tour is specifically not suitable for wheelchair users. I would also think twice if riding on a scooter makes you uncomfortable. The city views and food are appealing, but the scooter is not a minor detail. It is the structure of the whole evening.

Practical booking advice before you go

The usual suggested start window runs from 5:30 am to 7:00 pm, although the itinerary specifically presents 5:30 pm as the normal evening start and says morning or midday departures can be arranged. Confirm your preferred time rather than assuming every slot is automatic.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the tour for a full refund. You can also reserve now and pay later, which helps if your Ho Chi Minh City plans are still changing.

The provider will contact you before the tour to confirm your pickup address. Give a complete hotel or accommodation address, especially if your property has several entrances. If you are outside Districts 1, 3, or 4, budget the additional 100,000 VND per person and plan to pay the driver in cash after the tour.

Should you book the KissTour vegan motorbike experience?

Book it if you want a proper dinner, a scooter ride through several Ho Chi Minh City districts, and a friendly guide who can connect the food to the streets outside. The menu has enough range to keep the evening interesting, from pho and cha gio to pandan cake and grilled banana.

The strongest reasons to go are the all-female driver team, the chance to ride with a private guide, and the mix of familiar and less familiar Vietnamese dishes. Hani’s warm, funny style also shows the kind of personal contact you may get, though guide assignments can vary.

Do not book it solely because it is the cheapest way to eat vegan food. It is a guided city experience with food included, and the scooter ride is essential to the format. If that sounds like your kind of evening, the $59 price is reasonable. If you want a quiet restaurant meal or need step-free access, choose something else.

FAQ

How much does the vegan motorbike food tour cost?

The tour costs $59 per person.

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts four hours. The usual evening schedule starts at about 5:30 pm and returns to your hotel around 9:30 pm.

What time can the tour start?

The suggested evening start is 5:30 pm. You can request an 8:30 am or noon departure, and the company says it can adjust the schedule to suit your preference.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes. Free hotel or accommodation pickup and drop-off are included for addresses in Districts 1, 3, and 4 of Ho Chi Minh City.

What if my accommodation is outside Districts 1, 3, and 4?

Pickup and drop-off can still be arranged for an additional 100,000 VND, about $4, per person. This surcharge is paid in cash to the driver after the tour.

What food is included?

The route includes vegan or vegetarian pho, cha gio spring rolls, stir-fried rice vermicelli hu tieu, fried pandan cake, grilled banana with sticky rice and coconut milk, and Vietnamese dessert.

What does the driver provide?

You receive an English-speaking scooter driver, a helmet, gasoline, and a rain poncho in case of rain.

Can children join the tour?

Children aged 4 to 6 can share a scooter with their parents. The company says children aged 6 and above are generally confident enough to have their own private drivers.

Can I cancel the booking?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. The tour also offers a reserve-now, pay-later option.