Kem Vi Bổn's Popsicles: 70 Years of Saigon Summer Memories

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is blessed with a thriving ice cream scene, an inevitable perk of living in a city that’s rarely not scorching hot. Amid a bustling landscape of inventive gelato and soft serve flavors, one frozen treat establishment has stood the test of time for nearly 70 years: Kem Vi Bổn. My first taste of Kem Vi Bổn was nearly two decades ago during my school days, and after sampling it again a few days ago for this article, I can confidently say the taste remains unchanged. While the shopfront has been renovated and the ladies running the place might look a little older, it's astonishing how the menu and recipes have stayed consistent through the decades. It truly embodies the adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." While the Vietnamese language uses "kem" as a catch-all term for all frozen desserts, Kem Vi Bổn is best known and loved for its popsicles. They also offer a selection of ice cream in tubs. Popsicle flavors can vary daily, typically ranging from mung bean, black bean, coconut, taro, durian, to kumquat. At VND4,000 per kumquat pop and VND7,000 for others, these are likely among the cheapest items you can purchase in Saigon today. Are they the best tasting? Perhaps not, but they certainly offer the most bang for your buck. Moreover, the ladies here are incredibly sweet and considerate. Noticing our ice-pops melting after being photographed in the sun, they kindly offered to exchange them for fresh ones from the freezer. Each flavor is crafted from simple local ingredients, prepared with a straightforward approach. Admittedly, for tourists or visitors unfamiliar with these popsicles, they might taste aggressively plain. However, if you wish to partake in a piece of Saigon culture, this is one of the most affordable and refreshing ways to do so. My personal favorite remains the kumquat, though it tastes and looks more like Tang orange juice than the actual fruit. Kem Vi Bổn was founded in 1958 by the family of Lý Vĩnh Đạo and Võ Thị Hai. Đạo's father, Lý Thân, learned ice cream making while living in Cambodia. Upon relocating to Saigon, he opened a shop and passed the family trade to all his children. Over the decades, several sons and grandchildren opened branches across the city, but today, only the original shop has managed to endure. According to Thân, "bổn" signifies "lifeblood," as in "bổn mạng," and "vi" means "because." He named the shop to serve as a constant reminder to every household member that it is the family's livelihood, something to be maintained and preserved. Kem Vi Bổn 19 Nguyễn Huy Tự, Tân Định Ward, HCMC