Khoi Pham in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: D6's Hot and Sour Suan La Fen Is the Noodle Dish to Conquer
Every time I lap up a spoonful of searing broth that’s so spicy I could almost count the number of times my face pulses, I feel grateful for taste buds.
Elise Luong in Bars & Cafes
Hẻm Gems: Cù Rú, an Old Saigon Bar That Took Root in Da Lat
Editor's note: Cù Rú Bar, the artists' solace, was born in Saigon by a tightknit group of friends and lovers, fueling creative souls with delectable homemade rượu cocktails, the group relocated to Da Lat, filling their newfound home with art events and crafting a new community of cocktail swillers.
Saigoneer in Food Culture
Year in Review: Saigoneer's Picks for Favorite Hẻm Gems, Art (and More) of 2020
In 2019, when the world was not going through a global public health disaster, dining out seemed like the most natural activity in our daily routine. We drank, we relished, we munched, and we bantered.
Khôi Phạm in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: Saigon's Hakka Culture Lives in D5's Khổ Qua Cà Ớt
Stuffing food inside other food is an ingenious human invention on par with refrigeration, chopsticks, and Gmail’s “undo” button.
Mầm in Bars & Cafes
Hẻm Gems: Thời Thanh Xuân, the Special Saigon Cafe Run by Deaf Staff
Quán của Thời Thanh Xuân not only encompasses the youth of its founder, Võ Thành Luân, it’s also where hard-of-hearing Vietnamese can write their own story, learn, focus on self-development, and be a part of society.
Juliet Bao Ngoc Doling in Food Culture
When Life Gives You Flavorful Vietnamese Cashews, Make Vegan Cheese
“Firstly, I had to find my calling, but in the end, it all came down to creating something and then seeing others enjoy it."
Khôi Phạm in Street Food
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.
Pavan Shamdasani in Bars & Cafes
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, as close as possible to the beating heart of the street.
Mervin Lee in Bars & Cafes
Hẻm Gems: Authentic French Pastries in an Unexpected Part of Town
Perhaps a story not too unfamiliar to many: Tom Nguyen grew up in France as a French-Vietnamese. Any similarity in background with other Viet Kieu, however, ends rather quickly. About two years ago, N...
Saigoneer in Food Culture
Vietnamese Ranks 13th Among World's Most Favorite Cuisines, Survey Says
In a survey involving citizens from 24 countries, Vietnamese food performs above average when compared to 33 other major cuisines across the globe.
Tran Le in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: Where Chay Alter Egos of Vietnam's Everyday Soups Reign
My first-ever vegetarian dish, long before I followed a plant-based diet, was hủ tiếu chay, and since then it has been my go-to order when trying a new restaurant. Besides, you definitely cannot go wr...
Saigoneer in Food Culture
[Video] PETA Releases Cringeworthy Rap Video Attacking Bánh Mì, Phở, Adobo
"Put Some Tofu in It" is so embarrassing it may actually convince people to go out for a plate of pulled pork.
Mervin Lee in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: One Family's Unexpected Outpost at the Foot of Langbiang
Lac Duong, a township 12 kilometers north of central Da Lat, isn't exactly a place where one would expect to find some international comfort.
Saigoneer in Food Culture
MasterChef Thailand Sparks Outrage for Cooking Endangered Spotted Eagle Ray
Rare spotted eagle rays are believed to have been part of the cooking challenge and viewers took offense that the use of an alleged endangered species on mainstream media is normalized.
Paul Christiansen in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: Making Good Life Decisions With Midday Rice Wine and Hanoi Deep-Fried Food
The Subcommittee for Sustainable Fishing? The Office of Dipterocarp Record-Keeping? The Directorate of Synthetic Rubber Quality Control? Ride-Share Hygiene Board? It was difficult to assess who exactl...
Khoi Pham in Bars & Cafes
Hẻm Gems: While the Day Away Under the Green Canopy of Cỏ Cafe
Under a thick canopy of verdant vines and minuscule pink flowers, it’s easy to indulge in the cooling comfort of a glass of iced tamarind juice and while the day away.
Mervin Lee in Food Culture
The Distinctly Da Lat Comfort of Bonding Over Coffee Beans
After a two-year stint as an English teacher in Saigon, Nick Melhuish decided that it was time to call it quits. He moved to Da Lat with his partner Brianna and his dog Sausage to open a bed & breakfa...
Pavan Shamdasani in Street Food
Hẻm Gems: A Masterful Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki in Binh Thanh
An honest-to-god Japanese izakaya is a beautiful thing. Dark and smoky, often decked out in wood furnishings and yellowing travel posters, its flawless blend of bar and restaurant often involves nothi...
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...
