Hẻm Gems: At Bún Thang 50, Unexpected Hanoi Flavors in a Phú Nhuận Corner
When I was growing up in California, every couple of months, plastic containers of sliced fried egg, chicken, and chả lụa would line the kitchen counter. This medley of ingredients would usually mean bún thang for dinner — which, in turn, signaled that the dinner was a special occasion.
Paul Christiansen in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: At Vietnam's Only Palestinian Eatery, Eating Maqluba and Dreaming of Peace
“If you have a heart and you have a mind, you must support Palestine,” Saleem Hammad emphasized as we sipped sweet tea overlooking Hanoi’s Old Quarter from the balcony of his restaurant, Oliva. The dinner we had just finished was delicious, but the visit to Vietnam’s only Palestinian restaurant felt more significant than a simple meal. Learning about Saleem’s journey, his personal relationship with Vietnam, and his efforts to deepen ties between Palestine and Vietnam underscored how cuisine can foster cultural exchange and understanding towards peace.
Hẻm Gems: Atop a Beef Bowl Eatery, the Hidden Cozy World of Shochu Bar Mitsuboshi
Looking back at my days in Japan, I cherish most the moments I decided to get lost in yokochos — small and narrow alleys filled with shops, often bars — and push on a random door, not knowing what could await me behind it. It could be a wooden stall illuminated by blinding lights, its noisy customers showered with beer; or a 19th-century-style Manhattan bar, where the only movements come from trails of smoke off the customers’ cigarettes and streams of light going through bottles of whisky behind the counter.
When Rush Hour Hits, The Straits Offers a Singaporean Alternative
Saigon’s streets snarl with hot, sticky knots of traffic every evening. As people finish their workdays and look ahead to quality time with families at home, precious hours pursuing hobbies and meeting with friends around the city, they must first contend with horrific congestion. This rush hour period, when movement is slow and frustrating, coincides with peak skyline beauty.
Hẻm Gems: Tokyo Moon Cafe Introduces Homey Korean Flavors to Japan Town
Stepping into Tokyo Moon is like venturing into a world of wonders, neatly packed within a mere 35-square-meter space.
Văn Tân in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Inside a Modernist Abode, O Phương’s Bún Bò Harks Back to Huế Flavors
“O” is the affectionate way central Vietnamese call their sisters and aunties. For children of Central Vietnam like me, it has taken root in me like the most natural anchor of home. Sometimes when I’m out and about, glimpses of the accent of my hometown would pull me back home.
Hẻm Gems: Bánh Canh Hẹ Is Phú Yên's Homage to Chives and the Sea
Ever since I was a kid, I have had a general dislike towards vegetables, but green onion has always been an exception. I regard green onion as a garnish that can lighten up the whole dish, and it seems like whenever it’s absent from my cơm tấm or xôi mặn, I will instantly lose my enthusiasm to eat. But during my teenage years, my affection for scallion was challenged for the first time, when I encountered a photo of Phú Yên’s bánh canh hẹ online.
Khôi Phạm in Food Culture
Welcome to the New Age of Mass-Produced, Enshittified Plastic Bánh Giò
Do you always remember the first time you tried a new food? With common staples like hủ tiếu, bún riêu or cơm tấm, that might be difficult, but I can recall exactly the first time I had bánh giò: it was from a bike vendor with a very distinctive northern-accented street call of “chưng, gai, bánh giò.”
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Trainspotting and Nostalgia at The Railway Hanoi
The stretch of railway between Tran Phu Street and Dien Bien Phu Street is quickly becoming one of the hippest spots in Hanoi. In the last couple of years, a social enterprise named Zo Project, a fash...
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Yen Phu's Banh Xeo Spot Is Legit
Any street food restaurant you regularly pass on your commute, or that lies within the local area where you live, is likely to receive your patronage more often than most. Minh Banh Xeo is no exceptio...
Hẻm Gems: Mutahiro's Masterful Chicken Ramen
Ramen is often the preferred choice of Japanese comfort food in Southeast Asia, yet finding an impressive offering of the dish in Saigon has proven to be a challenge. The appearance of Mutahiro i...
Paul Christiansen in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Pass the Bánh Ướt on the Left-Hand Side
Thanks to Banh Uot Banh Me, you can finally put to use those rolling skills you honed back in your university days...rolling gỏi cuốn, obviously (wink).
One Saigon Restaurant’s Take on Japanese Flower Viewing Parties
“What a strange thing! / to be alive / beneath cherry blossoms.” This famous haiku by Issa, one of Japan’s most renowned poets, encapsulates the splendor of Hanami - the annual festival dedicated to p...
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Cuoi Ngo – One of Hanoi’s Most Hidden Cafés
If you’ve managed to find Cafe Cuoi Ngo, then you deserve to see it. The place feels like a well-kept secret, but it’s so hard to find that I don’t think publishing this article will overburden the sp...
Michael Tatarski in Food Culture
From Texas to Saigon: Viet-Cajun Cuisine's Journey Around the World
Given the size of the overseas Vietnamese diaspora, it comes as little surprise that the community has had a huge influence on the cuisines of countries around the world.
Thi Nguyen in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: The Unapologetic Simplicity of Ben Thanh's Bun Rieu Ganh
Working in the middle of a market that houses a plethora of food collectives can be a double-edged sword. It's convenient when you’re pressed for time, but after a while, you tend to get lazy and just...
Khoi Pham in Food Culture
A Brief History of Hanoi's Iconic Bia Hơi Glass
Hanoi’s iconic bia hơi glass is more than meets the eye.
Hanoi's Bun Cha Huong Lien Enshrines Obama's Table, Meal Set in Glass Display
A part of Obama’s visit to Vietnam is now forever enshrined – literally – in a glass display in Hanoi.
Khôi Phạm in Snack Attack
The Yin and Yang of Saigon Street Desserts: Black Sesame Soup and Bean Curd
In the back of my mind lives a chorus of street calls: the staccato pauses in a recorded advertisement "bánh mì Sài Gòn, một ngàn một ổ" (hot Saigon bánh mì, only thousand [dong] per loaf), the clink-...
[Video] Learn How to Make Bánh Chưng in Hanoi's Storied Tranh Khuc Village
It’s hard to find a Vietnamese who isn’t familiar with the a story behind the country’s sticky rice cakes: bánh chưng and bánh giày. After all, the legend of these ceremonial fares is intertwined with...
Michael Tatarski in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: A No-Name Chợ Cũ Food Collective to Satisfy All Your Snack Cravings
Some street eateries in Saigon are so good they don't need a name.
Brian Letwin in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Chu Se's 65 Years of Hủ Tiếu Mì by the Calmette Bridge
Saigon is home to a number of street food eateries that span generations, from a 100-year old vegetarian joint to a 70-year-old hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho restaurant right in the heart of District 1.
Pandan, Southeast Asia's Humble Leaf Set to Take the World by Storm
Pandan, an aromatic plant native to Southeast Asia, could soon have its moment in the international spotlight thanks to British chef and food writer Nigella Lawson, who extolled its virtues in an inte...
[Photos] Saigon's Forward-Looking Cafes on the Future of Coffee
In the first part of our two-part photo project on Saigon's coffee shops, Saigoneer paid a visit to two old-school cafes with decades of heritage. In the second part, we're shining the limel...
Khoi Pham in Food Culture
Milk Tea-Flavored Water Is Here. Is the Apocalypse Near?
The stark, clinical fluorescent lighting inside the convenient store casts an air of ominous dread all over the shop’s beverage section. With a glance, I find it. The blue package stares back at me me...
Vietnam Coffee Republic Introduces Ready-to-Drink Cold Brew Coffee
When the afternoon sun leers down and the exhaustion of another day in the hectic city bores its way into your brain, nothing is more satisfying than downing a refreshing cup of iced coffee.
Michael Tatarski in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Fine Dining at a Budget Price in Binh Thanh's Mai Sen Bistro
When it comes to dining in Binh Thanh District, most Saigoneers probably think of street food, or perhaps the strip of Japanese establishments on Pham Viet Chanh Street.
[Photos] Saigon's Old-School Cafes Hold Fast to Time-Honored Traditions
In a city of rapid change, there is no doubt that opinions on many subjects vary with passion and, sometimes, noticeable subtlety.
