Ciao Bella — a trattoria in Saigon

At 11 Dong Du, District 1, Ciao Bella IL Primo keeps the true Italian trattoria spirit: a warm brick dining room, simple well-made food, and the chalkboard of the day.

Stepping in is stepping into a brick dining room: red brick walls, terracotta tile floors, simple wooden tables and chairs. Black-and-white portraits of classic film stars hang on the walls, wine bottles line a wooden shelf, and a side table wears the red-and-white checkered cloth — every inch a small Italian trattoria.

The food follows the simple Italian way: creamy spaghetti rolled with thin prosciutto slices, cracked black pepper — and a cocoa-dusted tiramisu to end the meal. Nothing fussy, just good ingredients done right.

The Ciao Bella way is unhurried: lunch from 11AM, dinner under the warm lights of the brick room. The house sits on Dong Du street in Ben Nghe — right in the heart of District 1, an easy stop after a stroll.