by Việt Dũng

Ramen Shinsen sits on Lê Thánh Tôn Street in Hồ Chí Minh City, amid a cluster of Japanese businesses. — VNS Photo Việt Dũng

HCM CITY — From anime to ramen, Japan has long held a firm grip on Vietnamese tastes — and when a spot gets it right, word spreads fast. That is exactly what is happening with Ramen Shinsen in Hồ Chí Minh City’s Sài Gòn Ward.

The restaurant sits on Lê Thánh Tôn Street, close to the well-known "Saigon Japan Town", the compact but densely packed neighbourhood of Japanese restaurants, bars and expat hangouts, and a popular evening destination for locals.

On Lê Thánh Tôn, the concentration of Japanese bars, supermarkets and eateries is so dense that I had to keep a close eye out while riding past on my motorbike, lest I miss it entirely.

From the outside, Ramen Shinsen makes a confident first impression, styled like a compact Japanese diner and marked by a rather charming statue of a bear in samurai armour holding a bowl of ramen.

Inside, however, the scale comes as a surprise. The space is narrow, with the cooking station placed right at the front, making the layout feel tighter than expected despite adequate space per diner.

In total, it appears to seat only around 14 customers comfortably, with tablets on the tables politely reminding guests not to linger beyond 40 minutes. It is less a place for lingering conversation than for efficient consumption.

Still, that is hardly a deterrent. If anything, small restaurants that commit to a single dish tend to signal that they intend to get it right.

The menu is focused and confident, offering a solid range of ramen built around different miso broths and toppings, alongside a short introduction to the brand’s reputation in Japan and its preparation methods.

A bowl of miso ramen topped with a large prawn and slices of pork. — VNS Photo Việt Dũng

​We ordered two bowls, though not without a brief pause when asked whether we wanted them “less salty” – an oddly difficult decision when you have no reference point for “normal”.

We opted for one standard and one lighter version.

As we sipped complimentary iced tea, the room moved to a steady rhythm: soft background music, the hiss of stir-fried vegetables, and staff cheerfully calling out greetings in Japanese. The food arrived quickly, almost briskly.

My bowl was a miso ramen (less salty), topped with a large prawn, low-temperature chashu pork slices with an appealing pink hue, and vegetables, while my friend went for spicy miso ramen with grilled pork belly and half a soft-boiled egg.

The prawn was firm and fresh-tasting, a neat contrast to the tender chashu. The miso broth was rich and full-bodied, with a subtle seafood undertone that lingered pleasantly.

My friend’s spicy broth leaned deeper and more savoury, softened by the creamy richness of the egg yolk. The grilled pork added a smoky umami note that carried through each spoonful without overwhelming it.

Each mouthful of noodles, meat and broth came together into a consistently satisfying whole.

Spicy miso ramen with grilled pork belly, a popular item on the menu. — VNS Photo Việt Dũng

I learnt later that the restaurant has attracted some complaints about the saltiness of its broth, which perhaps explains the pre-emptive offer to tone it down.

That said, I – and many other diners too, it seemed – were perfectly happy with the full-flavoured version.

The remaining broth, as it turns out, also works well with a bowl of white rice and extra meat for a more indulgent finish.

Our two bowls came to a total of around VNĐ360,000 (US$14) – slightly on the high side for the average Vietnamese diner, but not unreasonable given the quality.

A friend who recommended the place swears by a version with double meat and egg, which I will likely try next time – after all, you can’t go wrong with more meat!

In Việt Nam’s enduring love affair with Japanese food, Ramen Shinsen proves a simple point: get the bowl right, and the crowd will follow. — VNS

Ramen Shinsen

Address: 15/1 Lê Thánh Tôn, Sài Gòn Ward, HCM City

Tel: 0335 056 826

Opening hours: 11am to 2pm, 5pm to 10.30pm (12.30pm on the weekends)

Comment: Small Japanese diner with flavour-packed ramen dishes.