When Rush Hour Hits, The Straits Offers a Singaporean Alternative
Saigon’s streets snarl with hot, sticky knots of traffic every evening. As people finish their workdays and look ahead to quality time with families at home, precious hours pursuing hobbies and meeting with friends around the city, they must first contend with horrific congestion. This rush hour period, when movement is slow and frustrating, coincides with peak skyline beauty.
Hẻm Gems: Tokyo Moon Cafe Introduces Homey Korean Flavors to Japan Town
Stepping into Tokyo Moon is like venturing into a world of wonders, neatly packed within a mere 35-square-meter space.
Văn Tân in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Inside a Modernist Abode, O Phương’s Bún Bò Harks Back to Huế Flavors
“O” is the affectionate way central Vietnamese call their sisters and aunties. For children of Central Vietnam like me, it has taken root in me like the most natural anchor of home. Sometimes when I’m out and about, glimpses of the accent of my hometown would pull me back home.
Hẻm Gems: Bánh Canh Hẹ Is Phú Yên's Homage to Chives and the Sea
Ever since I was a kid, I have had a general dislike towards vegetables, but green onion has always been an exception. I regard green onion as a garnish that can lighten up the whole dish, and it seems like whenever it’s absent from my cơm tấm or xôi mặn, I will instantly lose my enthusiasm to eat. But during my teenage years, my affection for scallion was challenged for the first time, when I encountered a photo of Phú Yên’s bánh canh hẹ online.
Khôi Phạm in Food Culture
Welcome to the New Age of Mass-Produced, Enshittified Plastic Bánh Giò
Do you always remember the first time you tried a new food? With common staples like hủ tiếu, bún riêu or cơm tấm, that might be difficult, but I can recall exactly the first time I had bánh giò: it was from a bike vendor with a very distinctive northern-accented street call of “chưng, gai, bánh giò.”
Linh Phạm in Food Culture
This Tết, Learn to Wrap Bánh Chưng in One of Hanoi's Oldest Villages
Much like the peach blossom or the lucky money envelope, bánh chưng is a staple part of Tết.
Hẻm Gems: In Đà Nẵng, Góc Nhà Tụi Mình Is Where Tea Time Feels Like Home
As a Đà Nẵng native, I often get asked where and what to eat and drink by friends who are in town. The tried-and-true list of places in my mind always includes Góc Nhà Tụi Mình, which I’ve frequented nearly constantly for the past six years.
Bánh Thuẫn Anchors Central Vietnam Kids' Tết Anticipation and Childhood Joy
Bánh chưng and bánh tét are the two reigning monarchs of Tết food, representing the north and south of Vietnam. Still, no...
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 most popular and delicious dishes are served in small portions that work togeth...
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 cu...
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 gener...
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 moto...
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...
Khôi Phạm in Dishcovery
A Tale of Three Chè Bột Lọc Heo Quay, Central Vietnam's Unique Savory Dessert
Why am I so obsessed with chè bột lọc heo quay?
Xuân Phương in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Bodacious Bún Riêu Ốc Bò at Hanoi's 25-Year-Old Bún Bình Huyền
On the transient days when Hanoi’s weather morphs from winter to summer, the monsoon winds carry with them the drizzles of an in-between time. This cool climate evokes within me a yearning for some wa...
Xu Xoa, the Sweet, Gingery Dessert Soothing the Heat of Central Vietnam Summers
If Saigoneers often turn to sương sâm (leaf jelly) or sương sáo (grass jelly) as refreshments on hot days, the choice of residents of provinces along the central coast is xu xoa. Chunks of translucent...
Opinion: Anthony Bourdain Made Me Proud to Be Vietnamese-American
I landed Friday night in Saigon just in time for the news of Anthony Bourdain’s passing lighting up my phone in a jumble of tweets, texts and news alerts. As details emerged about the chef-turned-trav...
Govi Snell in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: In One of Hanoi's Tiniest Shopfronts, a Phở Chay With Big Flavors
Tree-lined Lò Đúc street is home to Phở Chay: a restaurant so small it could fit in the palm of your hand.
Bánh Ú Tro Wraps the Childhood Joy of Tết Đoan Ngọ Within Its Green Leaves
Since the beginning of our festive history, Vietnam’s special occasions have always been closely associated with traditional dishes. Lunar New Year is the time to enjoy bánh chưng and bánh tét, while ...
Khôi Phạm in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Cleopatra Restaurant Adds Egyptian Flairs to Saigon's Dynamic Food Scene
As of 2024, Saigon remains Vietnam’s most densely populated metropolis, playing host to 9.5 million residents. In the quality of life discourse, this crowdedness is often singled out as a weakness det...
These 5 Uncommon Bánh Canh Bowls Celebrate Vietnam's Regional Diversity
Bánh canh is a quintessential Vietnamese dish. Its chewy rice noodle strands and light broth full of umami thanks to simmered pork, beef, chicken and seafood have stolen the hearts of generations of V...
Nguyễn Thị Thành, Saigon's Beloved 'Lunch Lady,' Passes Away at 59
Nguyễn Thị Thành, one of Saigon’s rare internationally renowned food icons known as the “Lunch Lady,” passed away earlier this week.
Ngõ Nooks: From Praying for Good Grades to Opening an Eatery Together, the Story of Màu
In the soft morning light, three teenagers once stood before the Temple of Literature, whispering hopes for exam success into clasped hands. A decade later, that same trio — Triết Nguyễn, Tùng Nguyễn ...
Khôi Phạm in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: The Unbearable Lightness of Eating Bò Lá Lốt Alone
There are certain activities that are best not undertaken alone: karaoke, barbeque, watching football and feasting on ốc. The consensus, however, is still out on bò nướng lá lốt mỡ chài, so I decided ...
Hẻm Gems: At Mão A Chai, Masala Chai and Thái Nguyên Tea for the Soul
I used to be an international student living in Minnesota, where winter comes early and overstays its welcome. In those long months of snow and silence, I relied heavily on coffee, my go-to companion ...
Hẻm Gems: A Humble Bún Riêu That Reminds a Child of the Mekong of Home
As a little boy, there were nights when I would burst into tears upon waking up suddenly and not seeing mom around, because I missed her and needed her. One night, I even crawled under the bed and thr...
Paul Christiansen in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: From Music to Mise en Place, A Thăng Is an Eatery That Friendship Built
“We want to be artists; we want to be free. Now we are free,” says Nguyễn Hoàng Anh, co-founder of A Thăng Eatery.
Uyên Đỗ in Food Culture
No Family Trip Is Complete Without Banter, Bolero and Bánh Mì Chả Lụa
Every time my extended family took a trip, it looked more like a mass exodus than a holiday — bags teetering, arms overstuffed, and enough supplies to survive a small apocalypse.
