If you’re afraid of melting in the heat of Saigon, know that the city is a lot more bearable when you treat yourself to the full-bodied sensation of ice cream.
For quick and scrumptious cool-downs on a hot day, check out our list of the best places to get ice cream in Ho Chi Minh City.
Serving showstopping coconut-flavored ice cream creations, Coco Deli is popular for its scrumptious selection of sundaes. If you’re in the mood for a creamy treat with a fragrant note of melted butter, come here for some top-notch coconut sundaes.
Image credit: Cocodeli
The store’s most recommended menu item is the special coconut sundae (VND59,000, ~USD2.60), featuring three scoops of coconut-flavored ice cream with various toppings, such as grapes, coconut shreds, corn, and jelly, served in a coconut shell.
Address: 137 Đinh Tiên Hoàng, Đa Kao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: 11AM–9PM, Daily
Telephone: 0913 234 151
Coco Deli’s website | Facebook page
Salted kumquat gelato
Image credit: Puppy & Cesar
Puppy & Cesar is a tiny but cosy space, dishing out delicious gelato at affordable prices of VND30,000 (~USD1.32) for a 70-gram scoop.
There is a wide array of flavors to choose from, including cow milk, mint choco, passion fruit, salted kumquat, and rhum raisin. Every scoop is rich, smooth, and mildly sweet with a fruity scent.
Image credit: Puppy & Cesar
Featuring a nutty flavor and rich texture, the plant-based black sesame is a great option for vegan eaters. For a buttery, bright-tasting option with a lightly bitter aftertaste, try the lip-smackingly good matcha gelato.
Address: 35 Tống Hữu Định, Thảo Điền, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: 2PM-10PM, Daily
Telephone: 0906 909 042
Puppy & Cesar’s Facebook page
Osterberg Ice Cream offers a good selection of gelato ice cream in Ho Chi Minh City made of quality ingredients featuring 10 flavors rotated daily. From VND55,000 (~USD2.43), you can get a lovely scoop of ice cream placed on top of a crunchy waffle cone.
Image credit: Osterberg Ice Cream Vietnam
The store offers mainly fruit-based flavors, such as dragonfruit, gingerbread cookie dough, hazelnut, chai, cherry sorbet, and mango sorbet.
Address: 94 Xuan Thuy, Thảo Điền, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 12PM-9PM | Sat & Sun 10AM-9PM
Telephone: 028 3620 6311
Osterberg Ice Cream’s website | Facebook page
Shredded matcha bingsu with condensed milk
Image credit: SNOW BINGS 169 Nguyễn Cư Trinh Q1
SNOW BINGS specialises in bingsu, a popular Korean shaved ice dessert boasting fruity toppings and sweet syrup. Over the past few years, this powder-like comfort food has been gaining immense popularity in Saigon.
Image credit: SNOW BINGS 169 Nguyễn Cư Trinh Q1
For a decadent treat that is refreshing and fatty, order the shredded cheese bingsu (VND130,000, ~USD5.74). Shaped like a plate of noodles, it comes with a bowl of milky syrup and fruit toppings on the side.
Address: 169 Nguyễn Cư Trinh, Nguyễn Cư Trinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: 11AM-10PM, Daily
Telephone: 0939 334 666
SNOW BINGS’ Facebook page
Image credit: I Love Kem – Đinh Tiên Hoàng Q1
Dishing up a broad array of colorful toppings to pair with its sundaes, I Love Kem is where ice cream goes beyond the territory of mundane, plain ice cream in Ho Chi Minh City.
Eaters can expect an avalanche of toppings to jazz up your ice cream, from spongy marshmallows to crushed candies to dried coconuts. There are also plenty of crowd-pleasing flavors to choose from, such as matcha, lemon, chocolate, mint, and vanilla.
Image credit: I Love Kem – Vinh Tien Hoàng Q1
Go straight to their takesumi caramel (VND32,000, ~USD1.41) for a rich caramel layer that melts in your mouth, distracted by a subtle note of fresh milk, washed by a black wave of carbonized bamboo takesumi.
Address: 355 Lê Văn Sỹ, Phường 1, Tân Bình, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 11AM-9PM | Sat & Sun 9AM-9PM
Telephone: 028 3589 2758
I Love Kem’s Facebook page
Cococado, a crossover between avocado ice-cream contained in a coconut shell, topped with shredded coconuts and peanuts.
Image credit: Dolce Vita Ice Cream
Quaint and cosy, Dolce Vita Ice Cream dishes up silky and low-fat Italian gelato ice cream in Ho Chi Minh City from VND40,000 (~USD1.77) per scoop.
Eaters can choose from a multitude of flavors, such as rocher, coconut, yogurt, vanila, and chocolate. More elusive flavors such as licorice and orange-ginger are also available.
Image credit: Dolce Vita Ice Cream
For an innovative taste, try the owner’s new addition to the menu, the profiteroles (VND65,000, ~USD2.87) served with egg yolk cream, topped with chocolate sauce and whipping cream.
Address: 46 Nguyễn Cừ, Thảo Điền Ward, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: Tue–Sun, 9.30AM-9.30PM
Telephone: 0888 980 066
Dolce Vita Ice Cream’s Facebook page
Ice cream fondue with 14 different flavours, served with fruits and waffles
Image credit: Minh Thi
Fanny Ice-cream & Sorbet (Kem Fanny) serves up a wide array of ice cream, sorbets, soft drinks and juices. Pair your ice cream here with juice, tea, and smoothies for an innovative flavor.
Try out gummery (VND79,000, ~USD3.49), where strawberry sorbet is paired with orange juice for refreshing and smooth goodness in every mouthful. If you go with a group, there’s no better choice than an ice-cream fondue (VND299,000, ~USD13.19), consisting of 14 scoops of different flavors, fruits, waffles, and chocolate sauce for dipping.
Opening hours: 8.30PM-11.30PM, Daily
Telephone: 028 3821 1633
Fanny Ice-cream & Sorbet (Kem Fanny)’s website | Facebook page
Image credit: Greenie Scoop
Featuring a fusion of classic Italian gelato and tropical fruits made from healthy and organic ingredients, Greenie Scoop is an ideal place for the health-conscious to grab tasty summer go-tos. Served alongside a fragrant piece of waffle cone, every scoop is pleasantly sweet, perfectly preserving the original flavors of the fruits.
Image credit: Greenie Scoop
The Pistachio Gelato (VND60,000, ~USD2.65) with the cool, rich and nutty flavor of pistachio, is a perfect indulgence on a hot day.
Address: Level 4 – ESTELLA PLACE, 88 Song Hành, An Phú, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City and other locations
Opening hours: 10AM–9PM, Daily
Telephone: 0916 847 336
Greenie Scoop’s website | Facebook page
Saigon is full of incredible ice cream options, from eye-catching sundaes to creamier-than-milk Italian gelato.
With a wealth of options available, you will have no trouble looking for a good frozen fix with the most flavorful and Insta-worthy toppings you can imagine.
Also check out:
Cover image adapted from: Cocodeli, I Love Kem – Đinh Tiên Hoàng Q1, and Osterberg Ice Cream Vietnam
Enjoying The Smart Local Vietnam? Follow us on Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more stories like this. If you have a story to share, email us at pressvn@thesmartlocal.com.
Now that Tết is over, Saigon is now a bustling hub of activity once again.…
If you're in Hanoi this Tết, here are some activities you can look into to…
Vietnamese Calendars for 2023 - made with love by local craftsmen Now that the new…
Mầm coffee tea beer is a perfect getaway for those who are tired of the…
With a chic decor featuring wooden floors, raw brick walls, and European-style furniture, Ante Cafe…
Saigon features some of the best of what Vietnam has to offer. If you're at…