"Wake up early to succeed"
The rice cart at the mouth of alley 96 Vo Thi Sau — opens at 6am and usually sells out by 8:00–8:30. Come late and all you get is the owner's wave and "hết cơm gòi" (sold out).
From 6:00 until the rice runs out
Official hours: Mon–Sat, 6:00–9:30 — but in practice the rice usually runs out about an hour early. After 8:00–8:30 it's a gamble.
One listing (Meta) says 6:00–9:00; the Saigon Dining Guide post says 6:00–9:30. Either way, before 7:30 is the safe bet.
Charcoal smoke, hot rice, the wave
Three things make the morning at alley 96 — according to those who woke up early and succeeded.
Charcoal-grilled ribs
Char-kissed and smoky — this grill smell is what pulls riders off their bikes at the Hai Ba Trung–Vo Thi Sau junction.
Steaming broken rice
Soft, steaming broken rice — with shredded pork skin, pork loaf, or egg, per the cart's 37k–57k price board.
The owner's philosophy
"Why not cook more and get rich quick?" — "Enough to live on, kid!"
No shopfront — one cart at the alley mouth
The cart parks right at the mouth of alley 96 — the front yard of the owner's three-generation family home. Tidy, shipshape, and served with care in humble dress.
Charcoal grill
Ribs grilled on the spot — smoke rising from 6am.
Plastic stools
Dozens of sets along the alley — breakfast the old-Saigon way.
Big umbrellas
Shade from the early sun for alley diners.
Before 7:30 is the safe bet
Address
96 Vo Thi Sau, Tan Dinh, District 1, HCMC — the rice cart at the mouth of alley 96
Mon–Sat · 6:00–9:30 (usually sold out by 8:00–8:30) · Sun closed