Street Food: (nameless) fruit cup cart

This is the fruit lady.  There are many like her, but this one is ours.

It is easy to find carts selling fresh fruit in Vietnam.  This cart is directly across from Mos coffee.  My colleagues and I frequent her because she is friendly, her fruit is fresh, and her cart is clean.  (The man who is two storefronts east of her is grumpy, has older fruit, and lets his cigarette ashes get on the fruit while he prepares it.)

She is open for most of the day, although she may run low on some fruits later on.

Papaya, my personal favorite.

She is across the street from Mos.

Street Food: Bánh Kếp Miền Tây

This street food lady sells waffles for 6,000 VND each.

They are waffles.

I am told this is an authentic example of a traditional crepe batter, or something. I'm pretty sure they're just waffles. But they're yummy.

"Bánh Kếp Miền Tây" means "Pancakes, Western Style."

I feel the urge to start naming some of these nameless businesses.

They are waffles.

She is immediately south of MQ Coffee, on the same side of the street.

Street Food: MQ Coffee "Eggos"

MQ Coffee is a chain of coffee houses.  Many of them have recently started making Hong Kong-style "egg waffles."  They're just regular waffles with little bulbs full of chocolate, matcha, cheese, or whatever.  They taste good, and they are also fun to eat or share because you can easily break them up into bite-sized chunks.

MQ itself uses about 80% correct English, which is usually a sign of a legitimate business.

This is one of the businesses that lead me to designating this street: "Waffle Street."

Vy and I share a snack.

Google knows MQ Coffee.

Tea: Gong Cha

Gong Cha is a popular high-quality Taiwanese tea shop that just opened a branch in Thu Dau Mot.  They serve a wide variety of excellent milk teas and fruit teas, plus their famous "milk foam" (which seems to be whipped cream--a rare thing in Vietnam).

Gong Cha has a nice selection and I am happy it exists in Thu Dau Mot now, but I myself don't usually visit.  Like many Taiwanese tea businesses, Gong Cha focuses on sweet products and desserts.  Tra Tien Huong remains the best business for tea itself.

Gong Cha is on the west side of the highway, across from the Becamex tower.
(It replaced the bank that Google is displaying in this screenshot.)

Tea: Trà Tiên Hưởng

Tea!

Variety, quality

Healthy tea, unhealthy tea, hangout space

This high-quality tea house is probably my favorite single business in Thu Dau Mot.

Tra Tien Huong ("Fresh Tea")

They have room to relax, enjoy the air conditioning, and use the wifi.

Tra Tien Huong is on Snack Street.

Street Food: (nameless) milk-like drinks

Singular

Efficient, exceptional

Soy milk, mung bean milk, and basic snacks

A unique drink stand that gives Thu Dau Mot part of its special charm.

a nameless bean drink cart

A cheap glass of hot, unsweetened mung bean drink is one of my favorite things in Thu Dau Mot.  A corner vendor serving fresh bean drinks is not a common sight in Vietnam, and it helps that this one is quite good (plus thoroughly healthy).  This is one of the key endearing businesses that secures Thu Dau Mot a special place in my heart.

This vendor opens around 6:00 PM and stays open relatively late.  (I have visited as late as 9:45 PM.)

They have a good view of the fountain.

The vendor is just south of the roundabout, between Highlands and the Park.
It is easy to see because it is always busy.

Bakery: Thiên Thuận Phát

I tend to avoid bakeries for health reasons--they're a bad place for nutrition and (in Vietnam) a bountiful source of food poisoning.  That said, Asian bakeries make a lot of fun treats.  Thien Thuan Phat is a bit pricier than most, but they have delicious baked goods and they are currently the only bakery I trust for hygiene.

I love their donuts, Vietnamese pastries (especially with mung beans), croissant bread, vegetarian steamed buns, egg tarts, and coconut flan.  My girlfriend particularly enjoys their "Hong Kong" flan with a hint of coffee taste.

Thien Thuan Phat has two locations in Thu Dau Mot.  I took pictures at CMT8.  The other branch is on Yersin, slightly west of the highway.

Sweet loafs.

Banana bread and cassava bread.
I prefer western banana bread, but the cassava bread is delightful.
(Cassava is the plant that tapioca is made from.)

Coconut flan in a decorative coconut shell.  Yummy.

  

They also have snazzy business cards.