Hẻm Gems: A Vietnamese Curry That Makes the Case for Coconut Milk
If you’re not usually a fan of Vietnamese curry, Cà Ri Gà 3T’s signature dish is a surprisingly well-balanced offering. And If you are indeed a fan, then you’re in luck.
Hẻm Gems: Sipping Cocktails on Plastic Stools Is a Special Saigon Street Treat
Is there anything more synonymous with Saigon than the humble street cart? With stalls citywide on every corner, it’s our version of the public house — places where people come together and connect, a...
Hẻm Gems: A Home for Live Music and Quietude Inside an Old French Villa
If Vừng Ơi Mở Ra Cafe were a person, it would be your older, more sophisticated and welcoming friend.
Hẻm Gems: Korean Comfort Food in Binh Thanh for Hungover Heads
One of the great joys of dining out is coming across the unexpected.
Hẻm Gems: Spice up Your Study Session With a Warm Ginger Coffee at An Miên
”The flower was never meant to survive the fruit's triumph.”
Hẻm Gems: The Best Fried Chicken Rice in Saigon Is in District 8
The success story of Cơm Gà 142 epitomizes the impressive marriage between technology and word of mouth in Vietnam’s golden age of food delivery startups.
Hẻm Gems: The Case of the Twin Bánh Mì Chảo Switcheroo
In the land of copycat businesses, it always pays to double-check that you're at the right one.
Hẻm Gems: The Universe of Hanoian Food Beyond Bún Đậu
I tend to be cautious of restaurants that boast authenticity.
Hẻm Gems: It Doesn't Get More Coconut Than This Streetside Ice Cream
Head to Tân Bình District if the idea of coconut ice cream served in a coconut with a crunchy coconut topping excites you.
Hẻm Gems: Head to the Airport to Relieve Your Hankering for Thai Food
Insert cliché about this strange year here.
Hẻm Gems: R House, a Haven for Rescued Dogs, Healthy Eats, and Adoption Opportunities
For dogs, dog owners and general fans of man's best friend, living in Saigon can be tough.
Hẻm Gems: Can Deep-Fried Hột Vịt Lộn Dethrone the Classic?
Has your luck taken a turn for the worse lately? Perhaps it’s high-time for a hột vịt lộn (or three) to reverse your fortune.
In Search of Charming Cafes Along Saigon's Train Alleys
Compared to Hanoi’s now-restricted Phung Hung “Train Street,” the neighborhoods bordering the railway in Saigon have neither the romanticism nor goosebumps-inducing adrenaline rush that turned the for...
Hẻm Gems: Lower Your Voice, the Hidden Elephant Is Reading
In Saigon’s indie cafe scene, there are household names and well-kept secrets; and then there are secrets that one might think are well-kept, but are actually household names.
Hẻm Gems: In Praise of D1's Cheap, Dependable Sidewalk Cơm Trưa
In these trying times, the comfort of familiarity goes a long way.
Hẻm Gems: Handmade Noodles Hidden Amid the Mayhem of Hang Xanh
The traffic-choked wastelands of Hang Xanh are one of the last places you'd expect to find an incredible meal of noodles.
Hẻm Gems: The Refreshing Simplicity of Veggies, Roots and Mushrooms
Explaining the food at Rau Củ Nấm Vegan Restaurant is simple; it’s all in the name: vegetables, tubers, and mushrooms.
Hẻm Gems: Piquant Thai Noodles in D7 for the Age of Takeout
It's the simple things in life that sometimes bring the greatest pleasure.
Hẻm Gems: At Sadec Quan, a Celebration of Mekong Delta Noodles
While bánh tằm is more often regarded as a popular street food dish in the Mekong Delta, my entrance to the world of this dish was family gatherings in Saigon.
Hẻm Gems: In Saigon's Greenest Cafe, a Rabbit, Cotton and Succulents Galore
On a windy autumn day of 2019, I did what any existentially precarious millennial would eventually do some time in their 20s: I bought a houseplant.