Khôi Phạm

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In Huế, Cơm Hến Bé Liêm Is Breakfast With a Side of Warm Hospitality

One of the small joys in life is having a favorite dish readily available whenever you crave it. Ever since I discovered the little hẻm in Saigon where Cơm Hến O Thu lies, my life has been ever so uplifted by the comfort that, every fortnight or so, I can hop on my motorbike, sit for 15 minutes, and have cơm hến on the table in a blink of an eye for gulping pleasures. Cơm hến is one of my favorite things, so naturally, when I got a chance to visit Huế, the dish’s hometown, there was no way I could miss out on this small joy that packs big flavors.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: In a D3 Hẻm, 40 Years of Bún Ốc and Other Northern Treats

As a resident of Saigon, I’m well-acquainted with the city's vibrant food scene, which features cuisines from various regions of Vietnam, and how these dishes blend local recipes with flavors that resonate with Saigon locals. But Bún Ốc Thanh Hải is quite the opposite. Its dishes, snacks, drinks, and even atmosphere carry a distinct northern identity, so much so that upon visiting the place, I felt as if I was on a culinary adventure within my own city.

Paul Christiansen

in Dishcovery

Huế's Palm-Sized Bánh Mì Chuột Is the Perfect Snack for Nibbling While Walking

Huế's culinary landscape is designed for snacking. From bánh khoái to bánh bèo to  chè bột lọc heo quay , many of the...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: 3 Hào, a Retro Industrial Cafe in D7 for Night Owls on Deadlines

What do you think of when imagining a cafe? For me, it's plants in every corner, small and cute paintings that adorn the walls, or a light- and neutral-colored space that brings a sense of peace to customers. What would happen if a coffee shop attempted to subvert most of these elements? This is the case of 3 Hào Cafe, a combination of vintage industrial ambiance and, of course, good drinks.

Khôi Phạm

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

5 Saigon Coffee Shops Based in Buildings With Southern Modernist Architecture

Saigon is a cafe enthusiast’s paradise. A decades-old coffee culture fostered by previous generations is still alive and well, in addition to the latest global trends brought over by the younger generation of baristas. When it comes to interior styles and vibes, there’s a little something for everyone, from gritty industrial to spartan Japandi chic to Saigon’s very own southern modernist architecture.

Paul Christiansen

in Vietnam Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: A Bún Bò in Huế That Rivals Even Saigon's Best Bún Bò Huế

Plastic stools circling low metal tables. Staff wearing pajamas and street clothes that match patrons welcomed from all walks of life. Meagre and/or mismatched decor. Views of street traffic with motorbike engines as soundtrack. Brief menus sometimes consisting of a single dish. A strict cash-only policy (until recent years, at least). Minimal concern for health-safety regulations. No artifice of chef as artist or meal as a masterpiece. While we can quibble over a specific, all-encompassing definition for streetfood restaurant, there are many qualities most will agree they share.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Chè Lâm Vinh Mậu Anchors the Last Remaining Hoa Vestiges of D1

Whenever I come back to Vietnam, it is a personal ritual of mine to visit locales of the past. As clichéd as it sounds, as I have been abroad in Singapore for six years, returning to Vietnam is almost synonymous with returning to places that once shaped my past selves, whose presence has been fading in my mind.

Back Eat & Drink

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.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

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.

in Food Culture

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 Nguyễn

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...

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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...

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

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.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

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...

in Food Culture

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. 

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

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.

in Food Culture

Vietnam Crowned Asia's Leading Culinary, Cultural Destination at World Travel Awards

Vietnam’s rising position in the global tourism arena was recently recognized by scores of accolades at the World Travel Awards.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: The Crispy Duck Noodles for When You're Feeling Fancy

Right in the middle of frenetic hospital crowds, imposing pharmacies and peak-hour traffic, Hue Ky Mi Gia stands out, its indoor dining area seemingly unaffected by the commotion that’s going on just ...

in Eat & Drink

BAEMIN Introduces Unheralded Food Flexibility

Saigon is experiencing a culinary renaissance that allows foodies to enjoy a vast array of culinary traditions not only in the same city, but in the same meal.

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: A Secret Garden Leads to a Haven for Hanoi's Young Creatives

Immediately after strolling through the gates of Café Tu Luc, a leafy new reality helps one feel at ease.

Khoi Pham

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Khoai Bistro Serves up a Mother Lode of Ribs and Breakfast Skillet

Praise be to those who bring the hearty wholesomeness of the breakfast skillet to every hour of the day.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: A Japanese-American Time-Warp on Binh Thanh’s Backstreets

Imagine a world where the 1950s never ended. Where Daddy-O’s race muscle cars all day and Peggy Sue’s dance the night away. Where it’s all one big small town of neon-lit diners and all-night gas stati...

in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks

Ngõ Nooks: Pandan Jelly and Tapioca Pearls in a Little Bowl of Chè

Chè, the mercurial Vietnamese dessert soup, is appreciated by Hanoians both young and old. Whether wheeled around narrow streets in the Old Quarter, carried on shoulder poles or served in shop fronts ...

in Eat & Drink

How Drinking & Healing Made a Name for Itself

  “No more spicy chocolate passionfruit cocktails…no more durian,” jokes a mixologist at Drinking & Healing when asked what they’ll do differently in its second year.

in Food Culture

Netizens Call for Boycott of 'Racist' Hoi An Cafe for Refusing to Serve Vietnamese

Many netizens are calling for a boycott of a coffee shop in Hoi An after anecdotes emerged online accusing the place of discriminatory service.