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...
The Year of the Horse Gallops into The Grand Ho Tram
Inspired by the spirit of the horse, The Grand Ho Tram encourages you to have a year of success, confidence, and new horizons. Traditional Tết performances and activities alongside special feasts and opportunities for revelry will usher in a year of remarkable achievements and memorable moments.
Hẻm Gems: Beloved in Korea, Dwaeji-Gukbap Is a Hearty Soup for Saigon's Cold Days
When the owner of a popular restaurant in South Korea specializing in dwaeji-gukbap, a dish widely beloved in Korea but little known outside, visited Vietnam for vacation for the first time around a decade ago, he saw a real possibility of bringing and introducing this special Korean dish to Vietnam. Fast forward to today, his vision has materialized into the quite remarkable scene of a restaurant in Thảo Điền bustling with Vietnamese customers who come to enjoy the humble dish.
Khôi Phạm in Saigon Hẻm Gems
5 Cozy Saigon Coffee Shops With Outstanding Cat Residents to Befriend
I almost never remember the faces of the employees at cafes that I’ve been to, but I am strangely attuned to the existence of their cats. I remember the textures of their fur when I gave them pets, the little squeaks when they jumped up and down the furniture, and the subtle ways they expressed their personality during our fleeting but memorable encounters.
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?
Khoi Pham in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: The Best Bánh Căn Da Lat...in Saigon
Is there any cooking utensil that’s as magical as the bánh căn mold?
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Homemade Chilli Sauce and Aromatic Broth at Ever-Moving Spicy Pho Bay
Despite having changed locations twice in the last three years, Spicy Pho Bay remains one of Tay Ho’s most popular street food spots.
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Duy Tri - One of Hanoi’s Original Cafes
Modern-day Hanoi is a labyrinth of new developments, with some areas already feeling the effects of gentrification. That certainly wasn't the case back in 1936, when Café Duy Tri first opened its door...
Thi Nguyen in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Refreshing Đá Me and a Touch of Pre-1975 Tunes at 81 Cafe
Given the city’s hot weather, cold drinks are Saigon's very own specialty. While cà phê sữa đá and trà đá are timeless staples, in recent years we have also witnessed the rise of milk tea shops in alm...
[Video] Japanese Competitive Eater Visits Vietnam, Eats 15 Bánh Xèo in One Sitting
Yuka Kinoshita loves a good food challenge.
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Tender Strips of Garlic-Infused Beef at Pho Thin
In the midst of a Hanoian winter, all you want is warmth. The houses aren't built for the cold, and on a bike at night, the chill seeps right into you. At lunch or after work, there's nothing better t...
[Video] BuzzFeed Employees Try Vietnamese Noodles, Choke, Cry, Make Disgusting Phở Puns
Another day, another BuzzFeed-branded “Americans Try…” video.
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Refreshing Cocktails at Hanoi’s Best Hole-in-the-Wall
Bars in Hanoi don’t come much smaller than Dot. Its width is no more than the span of my arms, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in value and substance. You’d barely notice the place...
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Vegan Buffet, Nourishment That Makes You Feel Good
Anyone who’s lived in Vietnam for any reasonable length of time will have heard of cơm bình dân – rice buffets offering an abundance of meat and vegetables during lunch hours. In recent years, however...
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Trainspotting and Nostalgia at The Railway Hanoi
The stretch of railway between Tran Phu Street and Dien Bien Phu Street is quickly becoming one of the hippest spots in Hanoi. In the last couple of years, a social enterprise named Zo Project, a fash...
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Yen Phu's Banh Xeo Spot Is Legit
Any street food restaurant you regularly pass on your commute, or that lies within the local area where you live, is likely to receive your patronage more often than most. Minh Banh Xeo is no exceptio...
Hẻm Gems: Mutahiro's Masterful Chicken Ramen
Ramen is often the preferred choice of Japanese comfort food in Southeast Asia, yet finding an impressive offering of the dish in Saigon has proven to be a challenge. The appearance of Mutahiro i...
Paul Christiansen in Saigon Hẻm Gems
Hẻm Gems: Pass the Bánh Ướt on the Left-Hand Side
Thanks to Banh Uot Banh Me, you can finally put to use those rolling skills you honed back in your university days...rolling gỏi cuốn, obviously (wink).
One Saigon Restaurant’s Take on Japanese Flower Viewing Parties
“What a strange thing! / to be alive / beneath cherry blossoms.” This famous haiku by Issa, one of Japan’s most renowned poets, encapsulates the splendor of Hanami - the annual festival dedicated to p...
Kit Humphrey in Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Ngõ Nooks: Cuoi Ngo – One of Hanoi’s Most Hidden Cafés
If you’ve managed to find Cafe Cuoi Ngo, then you deserve to see it. The place feels like a well-kept secret, but it’s so hard to find that I don’t think publishing this article will overburden the sp...
