Saigoneer in Eat & Drink
The History Behind One of Vietnam's New Favorite Drinks
The backstory of the drink in your hand may be far richer than you imagine.
Paul Christiansen in Food Culture
When in Da Lat, All Roads Lead to Bánh Mì Xíu Mại
Which rendition of bánh mì xíu mại you prefer may say more about you than it does Da Lat’s beloved meatballs.
Paul Christiansen in Bars & Cafes
Hẻm Gems: Spice up Your Study Session With a Warm Ginger Coffee
”The flower was never meant to survive the fruit's triumph.”
Khôi Phạm in Street Food
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.
Anh Tô in Food Culture
The Good, the Fresh and the Crispy: Quy Nhon's Wondrous Cuisine in 3 Dishes
A beautiful coastline, stunning rolling mountainscapes, and multiple historic vestiges are not the only merits of Quy Nhon City.
Michael Tatarski in Street Food
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.
Khoi Pham in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: The Universe of Hanoian Food Beyond Bún Đậu
I tend to be cautious of restaurants that boast authenticity.
Govi Snell and Hoang Hanh Phuong in Food Culture
Just a Love Letter to Saigon's Tropical Fruits
How lovely to have taste buds and to have tasty things to eat.
Mervin Lee in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: A Bowl of Hanoi's Southern-Style Bún Bò in the South
Fabien from France and Trang from Hanoi led a very different life just a year ago. They were running a Vietnamese restaurant nearly 12,000 kilometers away from Saigon, in Morocco.
Mervin Lee in Food Culture
Da Lat, the Unlikely Home of El Salvador's Rare Pacamara Coffee Beans
In a previous life, Nguyen Van Son was an auto parts salesperson. As a gift of appreciation for his wife, he acquired a seemingly trivial plot of land in Da Lat and made it a place where the family co...
Paul Christiansen in Food Culture
[Photos] Into the Backyard Rice Wine Distilleries of Long An
The highway eases into sand and gravel the way history descends into myth and legend when traveling towards Long An. A mere 27 kilometers outside of Saigon, the province feels a world away: the differ...
Sagar Boers in Food Culture
In Saigon, a Quest for Sustainable, Healthy Coffee Consumption Is Brewing
The first moment I spotted the crisp blue door on Truong Dinh Street in District 3, I was drawn to it. I wanted to go in. And so I did, not knowing that I was opening the door into the world of sustai...
Paul Christiansen in Food Culture
A History of Rice Wine, Part 2: A Traditional Craft Slowed to a Trickle
Rose-tinted shades and long swept-back hair tickling the collar of a half-unbuttoned maroon shirt that revealed a dangling peace-sign pendant: at age 27, Minh was the epitome of 70s Saigon cool. More ...
Katherine Nguyen in Bars & Cafes
Hẻm Gems: Lost in the Half-Childlike, Half-Adult World of 'The Little Prince'
Remember the tale about a little boy who travels planet to planet on a quest to discover and retrieve lessons about the adult world? This cafe is yet another untold chapter of that story.
Mervin Lee in Food Culture
The Unexpected Delight of Italian Baked Tarts in Misty Da Lat
As Da Lat’s wet season comes to a close, cool weather and sunshine greet local and foreign visitors on a daily basis. People from colder cities such as Hanoi appreciate Da Lat’s comfortable average of...
Thi Nguyen in Food Culture
Packaged Identities: How Curry Powder Made Its Way From India Into Vietnamese Homes
Step inside the kitchen of any household in Saigon and chances are that you will find one or two ready-made curry powder packets in a cupboard waiting for the family's next weekend treat of cà ri gà (...
Saigoneer in Food Culture
The First Annual Saigoneer Golden Plastic Stool Awards for Best Hẻm Gems
As the planet-wide dumpster fire that was 2018 comes to a close, we’d like to take a moment to look back at the year in Hẻm Gems through our first-ever Golden Plastic Stool Awards. These will honor so...
Saigoneer in Food Culture
[Illustrations] From Street Snacks To Homecooked Meals, Vietnam's Diverse Cuisine Illustrated
While bánh mì or cơm tấm are considered quintessential Vietnamese dishes, bowls of homecooked cà ri gà (Vietnamese chicken curry) or thịt kho tàu (caramelized pork and eggs) are also central...
Saigoneer in Food Culture
Polish-Vietnamese Student Becomes Latest Winner of MasterChef Poland
Following in the footstep of the previous winner of MasterChef US Christine Ha, a Polish-Vietnamese student recently won the top prize of Poland’s version of the cooking show.
Saigoneer in Food Culture
Vietnam Officially Designates December 12 the Day of Pho
Vietnam has officially marked every December 12 the Day of Pho in celebration of the nation's most well-known dish.
Pavan Shamdasani in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: Mexican Simplicity and Zen-Like Tacos in D3
Tacos, and the many meat-and-tortilla variations we often categorize as ‘Mexican cuisine,’ are having a bit of a renaissance in Saigon.
Khoi Pham in Bars & Cafes
Hẻm Gems: At Thương Library, a Shrine to Leonard Cohen and How the Light Gets In
At the risk of appearing like a pretentious prig, I will begin this Hẻm Gem review with the introduction of a foreign word: the weirdly specific concept of smultronstället.
Khoi Pham in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: Hear Us Out, Coconut Milk and Fish Sauce Are Actually Great Together
There are few problems and little mediocrity that can’t be improved with an unctuous ladle of coconut milk.
An Dang in Street Food
Hẻm Gem: In D5, Spicy Phá Lấu Skewers Worth Suffering Traffic For
Saigon has a wonderful tropical climate with two seasons: dry and wet. As the cold weather approaches, chasing the blazing heat away, we all crave for some hot and steamy dishes to keep warm.
Saigoneer in Food Culture
What We Talk About When We Talk About Bánh Mì
Bánh mì is without a doubt a Vietnamese staple. Versatile, convenient and affordable, the sandwich has gotten so popular in recent years in Vietnam and elsewhere that phở shouldn’t be complacent, as i...
Michael Tatarski in Bars & Cafes
Hẻm Gems: Come for the Architecture, Stay for the Architecture
In an age when seemingly every building in Saigon has been knocked down for redevelopment at least once, it's rare to be able to spend time in a truly unique architectural gem.
Mervin Lee in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: In a D1 Corner, a Heated Battle Between Yellow Noodles and Red Noodles
At the northernmost end of Saigon’s bustling District 1, the end of Hai Ba Trung Street leading to Phu Nhuan District is known best for heavy rush hour traffic. But a curious textbook case of an Asian...
Paul Christiansen in Food Culture
A Saigon Pop-Up Fuses Mexican and Vietnamese Fares, One Pun at a Time
More romantic than the season's first snow dusting a trampled field of post-harvest corn husks; more inspiring than stars strewn across a cloudless night sky; more alluring than fragrant pollen drifti...
