A Singaporean-Vietnamese Couple Refreshes Hakka Offal Soup With Trứng Cuộn
When my mother, a native of Singapore’s oft-visited Chinatown, described a pork offal soup stall with meatballs that “tasted suspiciously like that vermicelli dish we had in Huế back in 2013,” I knew I had to trek out to Chinatown Complex Food Centre to find it.
Entertainment Abounds at The Grand Ho Tram
Many of Vietnam’s resorts take advantage of the country’s stunning natural features to captivate their guests. Those that stand out not only offer plenty of interaction with their surrounding beaches and waters, but also put an emphasis on in-house entertainment.
Ngõ Nooks: The 'Tiny' Cafe That Contains Multitudes
Hidden down a quiet alley opposite the B-52 Victory Museum on Đội Cấn in Ba Đình District is the gateway to Tiny Cafe. Make sure you look carefully, as the sign is easily missed, and this isn’t somewhere you’ll want to miss out on.
Hẻm Gems: A Cafe-Snack Bar Hybrid in Bình Thạnh Offers Portals to Japanese Nostalgia
Bình Thạnh’s Ward 19 is snuggled between Xô Viết Nghệ Tĩnh and Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh, creating a surprisingly quiet area just across from District 1. As a neighborhood, it offers an eclectic mix of local and foreign.
Khôi Phạm in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: From Nghệ An, a Turmeric-Tinged Miến Lươn Feast in D7
Once upon a time, deep in the distant kingdom of District 7, there was a miến lươn place.
Paul Christiansen in Vietnam Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: In Đà Nẵng, Bánh Xèo Bà Dưỡng's Sauce Is Good Enough to Drink
The secret is the sauce. And the sauce is a secret. The owners of Đà Nẵng’s Bánh Xèo Bà Dưỡng refuse to reveal the recipe for the rich, meaty, and multi-faceted sauce that falls somewhere between hex colors #A07212 and #A0522D. It elevates a familiar bánh xèo into a meal that draws in enough guests to have essentially taken over an entire downtown hẻm.
Ngõ Nooks: Bud'mo, a Ukrainian Welcome as Warm as a Shot of Nastoyka
“O sultan, Turkish devil and damned devil’s kith and kin, secretary to Lucifer himself…You will not, you son of a bitch, make subjects of Christian sons; we've no fear of your army, by land and by sea we will battle with thee, f*** your mother.”
Hẻm Gems: Café Slow Cultivates a Natural Habitat for Creature Comforts
It's incredibly challenging to set yourself apart in Ho Chi Minh City's overcaffeinated café scene. The city's narrow streets and hẻms are brimming with beans.
Michael Tatarski in Food Culture
Tarantulas, Scorpions, Crickets Crawl Into Southeast Asia's Mass-Market Edibles
A spade strikes the bone-dry Cambodian dirt with a crunch, and the hunt is on. Chem Wai, a lanky, deeply tanned 53-year-old former soldier, has been collecting wild tarantulas and scorpions for most o...
Ngõ Nooks: Rice Dumplings With Bean Paste, Grated Coconut and Fiery Ginger Syrup
Bánh trôi tàu are elongated rice dumplings filled with mung bean paste, black sesame paste or grated coconut and served in a hot ginger syrup that warms one’s belly during cold winter months.
Thi Nguyen in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gem: Bún Cá Sứa With a Stock That Tastes Like the Ocean
A friend once told me that Saigon is a place that makes you feel like you can travel anywhere.
Year in Review: Saigoneer's Picks for Best Hẻm Gems of 2019
In 2019, Saigoneer reviewed a total of 38 Hẻm Gems, including 10 bars or cafes, 15 Vietnamese eateries and 13 places serving delicious non-Vietnamese cuisines.
Saigoneer's 7 Best Ngõ Nooks of 2019
2019 again witnessed the continued need for humans to consume food and drink to satisfy our energy requirements.
As Shortage Continues, Bánh Chưng Makers Start Hoarding Pork for Tet
Vietnam has been suffering from a pork shortage and thus, pork price hike, as the aftermath of the African swine fever outbreak continues to affect farmers.
Ngõ Nooks: Loading T Serves up Decadent Egg Coffee in a 1930s Architectural Gem
Travel back in time to a café within a charming 1930s building, only a few hundred meters away from St Joseph’s Cathedral.
Thi Nguyen in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: A Secret Back-Alley Bún Ngan, Hidden in Plain Sight
Several months ago, the Saigoneer team went to 89 Nguyen Du for a Hẻm Gem on Ngo 89’s Hanoian snacks. Little did I know, we’d be going to the same location for an entirely different eatery later on.
Hẻm Gems: Home-Cooked Taiwanese Comfort Food for a Cold Saigon Day
District 5, Saigon’s Chinatown, is full of delicious eateries serving Cantonese food. For something new, try Va Thanh, an unassuming restaurant with top-notch Taiwanese home-style cooking.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Saigon Retro Cafe Has Just the Right Amount of Sentimentality
It’s a teensy bit weird to say that my new favorite hangout is above a VinMart.
Ngõ Nooks: A Steaming Bowl of Mỳ Vằn Thắn to Ward off Winter’s Chill
The Old Quarter’s labyrinthine streets contain so many eateries that newcomers can easily feel overwhelmed.
Cơm Tấm Crisis: Price of Pork Dishes Increases as Pork Shortage Hits Saigon
Back in July, it was predicted that Vietnam's recent African swine fever outbreak might cause a pork shortage that could last until 2020.
Thi Nguyen in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Krua Thai's Raw Seafood Salad Is Not for the Faint-Hearted
The first role I ever took in my home kitchen was to prepare sweet fish sauce with chili and garlic to pour over rice and noodles. As simple as this may sound, I still can’t master the art after years...
Hẻm Gems: Bánh Đập Dập, an Indelible Reminder of Vietnam's Austere Eras
Although stories, photographs and artifacts may allow a child to visualize their parents’ childhood, these couriers of memory distinctively belong to the former generation and remain locked in the pas...
Thi Nguyen in Food Culture
Chè, Bánh, Chả, Nem: The Curious Lives of Vietnam’s Regional Food Names
Realizing the word that one is using refers to an entirely different object in another region is a situation many can relate to. The last time this happened to me, it almost cost me a bowl of Hanoi&rs...
Ngõ Nooks: In Xoan Cafe, a Sanctuary for Art, Tea and Cats
Curious cats, steaming tea and art-lined walls make Xoan Café feel like a home away from home.
Hẻm Gems: The 'Stink' of Bún Mắm Nêm Is My Childhood Aroma
Every time I depart from Vietnam to study abroad or travel, on the way to Tan Son Nhat International Airport I stop by the Bau Cat area in Tan Binh to stuff myself with at least two bowls of bún mắm n...
Not Just a Drink: As Vietnam's Coffee Scene Matures, It's Also Getting More Serious
If motorbikes are the choice mode of transportation in Saigon, coffee has got to be the choice stimulant and legal addiction.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: The Best Cao Lầu Outside of Hoi An Is in Tan Binh
Years ago, the first time I ate cao lầu, I committed a cardinal sin. As I gazed upon my freshly assembled bowl of noodles, without much thought, I asked the waitress for more sauce.
Ngõ Nooks: Silken Tofu and Velvety Dumplings at Hanoi’s Most Authentic Chinese Eatery
I’ve long searched for an authentic Chinese restaurant in Hanoi that makes good dumplings — one of the most comforting foods to come out of northern China.
