Rory Cadman
Google
We had a great experience with Giang and the XO Tours team on the XO Foodie Tour, riding on the back of scooters across five districts of Saigon. The girls did a fantastic job making us feel safe and welcome throughout the night. My guide, Becky, was especially great — she was really engaging, shared lots of interesting information about the city, and asked insightful questions that sparked good conversation. She was also an expert scooter driver, which made the whole ride smooth and enjoyable. As a cultural experience, this was excellent — we got a great background on the city, saw parts of Saigon we’d never have visited on our own, and the attention to detail from the guides was impressive.
However, as a food tour or culinary experience, I found it quite disappointing. The restaurants and dishes felt randomly selected and not particularly exciting. In my opinion, most tourists with a bit of a sense of adventure could find better food on their own just by exploring District 1 or other tourist areas and trying food from street corner restaurants, barbecue spots and roadside stalls. Even while we were at the restaurants, the focus was mostly on explaining life in the city and activities rather than the food itself. That made it harder to enjoy the meals or feel like the food was a highlight of the tour.
I’d still highly recommend XO Tours as a company the experience was fantastic, but I think the Saigon by Night tour might offer better value overall. If you're booking the XO Foodie Tour, go in with the right expectations, it's more about the city and culture than the food.
