Neighborhood Vibes and Modern Comforts Combine at Hotel Indigo Saigon The City
Staying in a local neighborhood means surrounding yourself with the sights, styles, routines, traditions, and history of a locale. Hotel Indigo Saigon The City, a new boutique lifestyle hotel, tells the stories of the iconic Ba Son area via its details, decor, atmosphere, and experiences, so checking in feels like taking part in a celebration of the city.
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.
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...
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.
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.
Chris Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Old Hanoi Aesthetics and Durian Milk-Tea at Cafe Minh
Whether a grey-eyed morning or a long-tailed dusk, it makes little difference in Café Minh. The windows, opaque from a history of cigarettes and road dust, barely let in any light. The groan of motorb...
Khoi Pham in Food Culture
Saigon's Oldest Pre-Doi Moi Relic, Hai Con Tôm Noodles, Is a Living Fossil
You wake up in Saigon in the 1980s in your apartment overlooking the Saigon River. While yawning, you put a dollop of Da Lan toothpaste on a brush. Using a bar of Co Ba soap, you wash yourself up and ...
[Video] This Thai Duo Make the Weirdest, Most Awkward Food Review Videos. We Love Them.
Thai advertisements are in a completely different league compared to the rest of ours.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: An Authentic Hai Phong Bánh Đa Cua Right in the Heart of D1
I am a fervent champion of all things noodles.
Ngõ Nooks: Piquant Broth and Tangy Snails at Bun Oc Co Hue
There’s nothing fancy about Bun Oc Co Hue. You’ll find makeshift awnings and a leaning mahogany tree outside, and tattered walls and faded floral tiles within. The shop itself is 28 years old, the sam...
New Lunch Menu at East West Spans from Steak French Fry Burritos to Palm Heart Salads, Linking Authentic East and West Cuisines
A grin creeps across the face of East West Brewing Co.’s executive chef Matt Venzke when he recalls the first time he ever had Vietnamese food.
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Pandan and Durian Gelato for a Sizzling Summer Day in Saigon
My earliest memory of ice cream in Saigon involves savoring Kem Bach Dang’s renowned kem trái dừa: scoops of coconut ice cream in a coconut husk topped with an assortment of fresh and jammed fruits.
Shrimp Paste and Fish Sauce: A Brief Primer on Vietnam's Dipping History
It is a well-known fact among Vietnamese that their home country has a rich portfolio of fermented food, from mắm chua (pickled shrimp) to mắm tôm (shrimp paste). Here is a comprehensive look into not...
American Chef Anthony Bourdain, Who Introduced Bún Chả to Obama, Passes Away at 61
Anthony Bourdain, the chef, writer and travel show host, has passed away at 61.
Hẻm Gems: In Tan Binh, VND4,000 Is All You Need for Good Bia Hơi
Bia hơi for the people.
New Cookbook 'Vegetarian Vietnam' Boldy Reinvents Traditional Classics
In his new cookbook Vegetarian Vietnam, Canadian chef Cameron Stauch boldly reinterprets traditional Vietnamese dishes while retaining their authenticity.
Ngõ Nooks: Craft Beer and Deep Conversation in a Cargo Ship Container
From Pasteur Street to Standing Bar, the capital hides a plethora of hop spots, but its newest entrant might be the most unique.
A Street Food History: The Curious Encounters Behind How Ramen Got Its Name
The origin of the Japanese staple as well as how the dish got its name are still up for debate.
Tê Tê Electrifies Saigon with New IPA
Since its debut less than two years ago, Tê Tê Brewing’s namesake Belgian White Ale has become a Saigoneer favorite thanks to its bright, refreshing taste perfectly suited to Saigon’s perpetual summer...
Ngõ Nooks: The Bánh Cuốn That’s Worth a Year of Waiting
Mrs. An’s bánh cuốn won the heart of world-renowned chef Bobby Chinn, kept lines of die-hard fans waiting outside and left a number of hearts broken when it disappeared for almost a year.
Hẻm Gems: Cozy Autumn Flavors at Tokyo Moon, Japan Town's Korean Cafe
Tokyo Moon's presence is an odd-but-welcoming representation of South Korean hospitality in the heart of Le Thanh Ton's "Japan Town" with its mysterious herbal tonic, sweet potato pastry and pumpkin c...
After Milk Tea-Flavored Water, Japan Now Has Transparent Coffee Because Why Not
So this is why scientists have been too busy to cure cancer, send a human to Mars or successfully bring Tasmanian tigers back from extinction?
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: At Things Café, Humans, Cats and Nat King Cole Coexist in a Harmonious Ecosystem
I admit that it’s taken me great pains to write this week’s Hẻm Gem.
Khoi Pham in Food Culture
A Food Folk Tale: Vietnam’s Unexpected Watermelon Tycoon
If you’ve been around a traditional Vietnamese household during Tet, you have probably noticed the presence of gargantuan, child-sized, dark green watermelons on the altar. These behemoths are both in...
[Video] Hẻm Gems: 80 Years of Cà Phê Vợt in Saigon's Oldest Cafe
Is there anything as iconically Saigon as having a cup of joe in a hẻm while watching traffic roll by?
