← Eat

Chè — Sweet Soups

Rating: 4.2

Iced sweet soup after a seafood dinner — 15,000₫ a glass

City centre

Illustrative photo · Zxcvasdfqwer888 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Address
Chè shops across the central district, open evenings
Opening hours
Mostly evenings, roughly 17:00 – 22:00
Price range
15,000 – 30,000₫/dish
Best time to go
After dinner
Open in Google Maps

Overview

Chè is how a Vietnamese meal ends: a glass of crushed ice with beans, tubers, jellies and coconut milk — sweet and cold. After a salty grilled-seafood dinner and a day in the sun, it's exactly what the body is asking for.

Chè shops open in the evening and cluster in the central district. There's no need to hunt a famous one — most cook fresh daily. Order chè thập cẩm if you don't know what to pick; it puts a bit of everything in one glass.

On ordering: chè thập cẩm is the safe choice because it puts a bit of everything in one glass — beans, taro, jelly, coconut cream, crushed ice. For something lighter, ask for mung bean or taro. It costs 15,000–30,000₫, cash.

This is an evening thing, roughly 17:00–22:00, and it comes after a savoury meal — especially after grilled seafood or a plate of snails, when you have been eating salt all night. There is no need to hunt a famous shop: most cook their own each day, so any place in the centre will do.

What to order

  • Chè thập cẩm — the order to make when you don't know
  • Banana chè in coconut milk
  • 15,000–30,000₫ a glass

Practical tips

  • Say "ít ngọt" if you don't want it very sweet; the default is
  • Many shops also do hot chè on cooler evenings

Frequently asked

What is chè?

A sweet served in a glass: beans, taro, jelly, coconut cream and crushed ice. Vietnamese eat it after a savoury meal, not instead of one.

Which one should I order?

Chè thập cẩm if you are unsure — a bit of everything in one glass. For something lighter, mung bean or taro.

When is it sold?

Mostly in the evening, roughly 17:00–22:00, in the centre.

More in this category