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 warm steam from boiling vats of soup stock, so on a rare chilly morning, I wandered around and stopped by Triệu Việt Vương Street for a distinctly morning treat in Hanoi.

in Snack Attack

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, lightly umami jelly swim in the sweetness of a ginger-flavored sugar syrup — a perfect snack that cools the body.

in Food Culture

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 o...

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. 

in Snack Attack

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 the arrival of Trung Thu is foretold by the appearance of moon cakes and bánh pía. In the case of Tết Đoan Ngọ, revelers eat bánh bá trạng and bánh ú tro to get a taste of festivity.

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 qua...

in Food Culture

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 Vietnamese.

in Food Culture

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.

Back Eat & Drink

in Eat & Drink

[Video] How Obama’s Bún Chả Dinner Came to Be

When Obama visited Hanoi last May, he made a number of positive developments during his trip: lifted a 50-year-old arms embargo, witnessed the signing of a US$11.3 billion business deal, heralded...

in Eat & Drink

How Farming Technology Could Improve the Quality of Vietnamese Produce

As farmers struggle to keep up with demand for fresh produce in Vietnam, safe and effective farming technologies may be the answer.

in Food Culture

Phở Furor: American Chef Blasted for Telling People How to Eat Phở

By now you have probably heard of, or even watched, the notorious Bon Appétit (BA) phở video that has spread like wildfire on social media over the last few days.

Khoi Pham

in Food Culture

Bánh Trung Thu: From Traditional Festive Fare to Asia’s Answer to Fruitcake

While Saigoneer’s previous installment in our Food History series touched on the evolution of bánh xèo, a light, airy crepe that screams summer with every bite, this week’s dish belongs to t...

Khoi Pham

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Lão Hương Thân, One of Saigon's Oldest Cơm Gà Xối Mỡ Restaurants

Is there anything quite as glorious as beautifully done fried chicken?

in Eat & Drink

McDonald's Faces Stagnant Growth in Vietnam As Local Fast Food Fad Cools Down

Back in 2014, during its first month in Vietnam, McDonald’s seemed set for success, as its first location in Saigon managed to attract some 400,000 curious patrons to sample its American dishes.

in Food Culture

Vietnamese Government to Sell All Stakes in Nation’s Biggest Brewers

The Vietnamese government announced last week that it will sell all of its shares in the country’s two biggest beer companies by the end of 2017, an unprecedented move.

Dana Filek-Gibson

in Food Culture

The Evolution of Bánh Xèo: A Street Food History

While phở, bánh mì and now, occasionally, bún chả hog the spotlight in Vietnamese cuisine, everyone in Vietnam is familiar, to some degree, with bánh xèo. On street corners and in tiny, mode...

in Food Culture

Vinacafe CEO Admits to Past Impure Coffee Products

In a surprisingly candid moment during a conference held last month, Nguyen Tan Ky, the incumbent CEO of Vinacafe, admitted to mixing soya beans into some of the company’s products in the past.

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Bún Sứa Serves Up a Jellyfish Medley Without the Sting

The menu at Bun Sua Co Hanh is geared towards diners with a hankering for seafood, and not just your regular fish and company. They serve something out of the ordinary at this slightly drab river...

in Food Culture

Famous Civet Coffee Often the Result of Animal Abuse: Study

A study in Indonesia has found that kopi luwak, the world’s most expensive coffee, is often produced using caged civets kept under inhumane conditions.

in Eat & Drink

Ice Cream Wars: Japan's Frozen Treat Makers Take on European Firms in Southeast Asia Market

Southeast Asia’s dessert market is getting some healthy competition as Japanese companies join the fray, hoping to take a piece of the pie from their European counterparts.

Dana Filek-Gibson

in Saigon Hẻm Gems

Hẻm Gems: Slurping Mì Ốc Hến in District 4 With Công 'the Enforcer'

Shuffling along in flip-flops and a pair of baggy shorts, Công the Enforcer arrives at our table.

Dana Filek-Gibson

in Food Culture

Chowing Down on Crickets: Vietnam’s First Mass-Market Edible Insect Business

Crickets look a lot different when they’re fried and doused in seasoning.

in Food Culture

High Rent, Competition Challenge Saigon's Coffee Chains

Despite being well-received in Vietnam’s metropolises, coffee chains still encounter business problems due to high rent costs and a crowded market.

in Food Culture

Vietnam Set to Become World's Top Pork Consumer

Before the next decade is through, Vietnam stands to become the world’s top consumer of pork.

in Food Culture

Foreign Brewers Hope to Tap Into Myanmar Beer Culture

After decades of being closed off to the world, Myanmar’s newfound economic boom is attracting a slew of foreign breweries hoping to cash in on the country’s nascent beer culture.

in Eat & Drink

[Photos] A Midnight Romp Through Saigon’s Wholesale Seafood Market

Around midnight, as most Saigoneers are heading off to bed, District 8’s Binh Dien is the place to be if you’re in search of seafood.

in Eat & Drink

Officials Attempt to Trademark Bún Bò Huế

Officials in Thua Thien-Hue province are causing quite a stir after attempting to enact a regulation that would place trademark restrictions on the province’s signature soup, bún bò Huế.

in Food Culture

Bia Hanoi Makers Suffer Post-Obama Marketing Fail

Three months after President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Vietnam last May, the country’s “Obama fever” seems to have subsided. However, for the folks behind Bia Hanoi, a product of the Hanoi...