Uyên Đỗ

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In the Mood for Lẩu? A Ngưu Offers Hong Kong Vibes and Tasty Bites.

I visit Tiệm Lẩu A Ngưu on a rare wintry Saturday evening in Saigon, the perfect occasion to fill one’s stomach with warm broth, noodles, and a host of other tasty accouterments.

in Eat & Drink

From Delta Winds to Highland Soil: A Plant-Based Odyssey

A restaurant where vegetables speak of home.

in Snack Attack

Nem Chả Diên Khánh, a Match Made in Khánh Hòa's Coastal Heaven

During my journey to explore the culinary specialties of Khánh Hòa, I was delighted to discover the nem chua and chả lụa from Diên Khánh, a centuries-old ancient town that’s just 10 kilometers from downtown Nha Trang.

Văn Tân

in Snack Attack

Huế's Bánh Pháp Lam Turns Backyard Fruits Into a Celebration of Ngũ Hành

“Everything must be really fresh, made-to-order, colorful, and fragrant. Everything has its place, and is arranged exquisitely!” The food in the 2008 feature film Trăng nơi đáy giếng, adapted from a short story by the same name of Trần Thùy Mai, is a vivid depiction of Huế’s culinary creations — rustic, delicate, and ever-enticing. It’s evident in the tuber that Hạnh meticulously carves and then scents using pandan; in the bowl of lotus soup that she makes by wrapping in flowers the night before.

Oliver Newman

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: In the Same Hanoi Building, a Music Fan's Essentials — Vinyls and Cocktails

Sharing a building, Montauk and LP Club might initially appear to be just another cafe and another record store, but their goals are far loftier than selling drinks and vinyl.

Tâm Lê

in Ănthology

Built on Immigrant History, France's Vietnamese Food Scene Is Onto Something Special

France’s Vietnamese population is one of the largest outside Vietnam. From colonial assignments to refugee migrations, the community has grown, shifted, and evolved since its beginnings in the 1860s. Meet the new generation of French-Vietnamese creatives — chefs, authors, cultural consultants — who are reimagining and representing Vietnamese culture in Paris in fresh and deeply personal ways.

in Eat & Drink

Integrating Spanish Culinary Traditions into Local Lifestyles

Paella’s elevation of humble countryside ingredients into an extravaganza of flavors united by fluffy rice; soft and creamy Torta del Casar sheep’s milk cheese; intense Pimentón de la Vera paprika made with smoked peppers, and nutty, earthy iberico ham sliced whisper thin: Spanish culinary treasures are becoming increasingly common in Vietnam. As more Spanish restaurants open and Spanish products occupy more space on grocery store shelves, people here are also discovering how Spaniards like to eat.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Bánh Đa Cua Hải Phòng, a Rare Northern Treat in D10

On the way to Phú Thọ Indoor Sports Stadium in District 11, make a turn off 666/74 Ba Tháng Hai, go all the way to the far corner, and you’ll discover Triển Chiêu Quán’s bright yellow sign. Park underneath the canopy, walk up the ramp, and you’ll notice something stands out, but you might not know why — bunches of caramel-colored noodles in the kitchen area waiting to be enjoyed.

Back Eat & Drink

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Saigoneer’s 5 Best Hẻm Gems of 2016

We’ve done a lot of eating this year.

in Eat & Drink

Meet the Owner of Hanoi’s Secret Cafe

Vietnam has long been a coffee-drinking country, but over the last few years a growing number of enthusiasts have started to take the brew very seriously.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Getting Your Fried Chicken and Noodle Fix in D4

“When in doubt, have chicken.” – Saigoneer proverb

in Food Culture

Bánh Khúc Cây Giáng Sinh: A French Tradition Lives on in Vietnam

With Christmas around the corner, Saigon’s demand for Yule log cakes, a holdover from the days of French colonialism, has returned.

in Food Culture

Saigon Launches New App to Track Pork's Origin

From now on, Saigoneers can get to know their pork better via a brand-new app that displays the origin of the protein along with other useful information.

in Food Culture

Bottoms Up: Alcohol Consumption Exploding in Vietnam

While this may come as no surprise to anyone who has driven past one of Saigon's many raucous beer clubs, Vietnam is home to one of the fastest-growing alcohol markets in the world.

Dana Filek-Gibson

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Cô Hong’s Killer Late-Night Cơm Tấm

In the 16 years she’s spent selling cơm tấm on the District 4 side of the Calmette Bridge, cô Hong has seen some things.

Brian Letwin

in Food Culture

[Photos] Rita Cafe, a Lush Oasis Under Saigon Bridge

Before it was added to Google Maps a few months back, Cafe Rita was nothing more, it seemed, than a green smudge along the District 2 side of the Saigon Bridge.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Phu Nhuan's Beef Inferno

It might take more than a few Hẻm Gem reviews to chronicle all the things I have gone through for good food in Saigon.

in Food Culture

[Podcast] Meet the Woman Who Introduced Denmark to Vietnamese Cuisine

Growing up in Nordjylland, Denmark’s northernmost region, chef Anh Le didn’t meet many other Vietnamese people.

Dana Filek-Gibson

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Striking a Balance With D10's Chè

If life is all about balance so, too, is food.

in Food Culture

Saigoneers to Consume 40m Liters of Beer, 45m Liters of Soda This Coming Tet

This upcoming Tet holiday, Saigoneers are projected to down some 40 million liters of beer and 45 million liters of soft drinks.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: D1's Rainy-Day Cháo Mực

“A cháo a day keeps the cold at bay.” – Saigoneer proverb

in Food Culture

[Video] Watch This Japanese Competitive Eater Wolf Down 5kg of Vietnamese Instant Noodles

Hao Hao noodles have never looked so good.

Dana Filek-Gibson

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: An Old-School Nhậu on D10's Bia Hơi Block

Any self-respecting Saigoneer has a certain reverence for the art of nhậu.

in Eat & Drink

Hanoi Launches Mobile Testing Labs to Promote Food Safety

Hanoi recently launched three mobile food testing labs in an effort to reassure consumers and promote food safety.

in Food Culture

[Video] Snoop Dogg Rolls a Mean Gỏi Cuốn

Cross this off the list of things to see before you die: Snoop Dogg trimming some, erm, cilantro and hand-rolling a perfect plate of spring rolls.

in Food Culture

How French Colonialism Brought Spring Rolls to Senegal

Thanks to a strange twist of colonial history, fried spring rolls have become a popular snack in Senegal, a West African country with no apparent connection to Southeast Asia.

Brian Letwin

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Crab Curry Fit for a King

At a glance, this week’s District 4 Hẻm Gem might appear like any typical ốc restaurant in Saigon. Quan Oc 63’s laminated menu offers up no less than 40 dishes within its sticky plastic pages. However...

in Food Culture

Ben Tre Company Eyes International Vietnamese Coconut Water Sales

A Mekong Delta-based company is aspiring to bring Vietnamese coconut water to the world stage.