
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.

[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?

Hẻm Gems: The Best Bánh Căn Da Lat...in Saigon
Is there any cooking utensil that’s as magical as the bánh căn mold?

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...

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...

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).

Hẻm Gems: The Unapologetic Simplicity of Ben Thanh's Bun Rieu Ganh
Working in the middle of a market that houses a plethora of food collectives can be a double-edged sword. It's convenient when you’re pressed for time, but after a while, you tend to get lazy and just...

Hẻm Gems: A No-Name Chợ Cũ Food Collective to Satisfy All Your Snack Cravings
Some street eateries in Saigon are so good they don't need a name.

Hẻm Gems: Chu Se's 65 Years of Hủ Tiếu Mì by the Calmette Bridge
Saigon is home to a number of street food eateries that span generations, from a 100-year old vegetarian joint to a 70-year-old hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho restaurant right in the heart of District 1.

Hẻm Gems: Fine Dining at a Budget Price in Binh Thanh's Mai Sen Bistro
When it comes to dining in Binh Thanh District, most Saigoneers probably think of street food, or perhaps the strip of Japanese establishments on Pham Viet Chanh Street.

Saigoneer’s 5 Best Hẻm Gems of 2017
In 2017, Saigon certainly saw its fair share of the good, the bad, and the controversial, but it was without a doubt a wonderful year in eating. Across the city, we delighted in finding decades-old st...

Hẻm Gems: Cocktails and Conversation at Saigon’s Classiest Sidewalk Spot
Editor's note: This review from 2017 was of City Beer Station's first location on Pham Ngoc Thach Street, which has since closed. Over the past years, the cocktail bar has moved numerous times. Recent...

From the Bottom of the Barrel to the Top of the Heap: The Rise of Cơm Tấm
Swing by chị Hien’s street cart for dinner on any given day and you’ll find a cross-section of Saigon that covers all demographics: middle-class residents from the apartment blocks up the street,...

Hẻm Gems: In Hẻm 284, O Thu Brings a Touch of Hue to Saigon With Cơm Hến
As the sun went down and Saigon’s throngs of workers ventured out of their office nests to fill local streets, I was perched on a red plastic stool in a hẻm in District 3 weeping and snorting like an ...

Hẻm Gems: Chinese-Malaysian Noodles and Saigon's New Generation of Street Food
When it comes to Saigon’s culinary landscape, the southern hub is pretty progressive. In addition to an array of Vietnamese dishes from every corner of the country, the city has also acquired a cosmop...

Hẻm Gems: The Ingenuity of 24-Way Grilled Oysters in D4
Innovation is important. With a healthy imagination and a bit of gusto, humans have the ability to create everything from DIY submarines to all-terrain wheelchairs to helmets specifically for married ...

Hẻm Gems: The Green Delight of Phu Yen's Bánh Canh Hẹ
In the age of the internet, we go back and forth about everything, including whether or not the most important meal of the day is, in fact, important. While members of the medical profession continue ...

Hẻm Gems: The Sumptuous Street Snacks of Ha Cao Ban Co
Whether we’re talking about the packaged foods aisle at Circle K or the lady whipping up bánh tráng trộn on the street corner, snack foods often meet two distinct criteria: they are both delicious and...

Hẻm Gems: An Evening of Bánh Xèo Phan Rang and People-Watching by the Canal
There are certain foods in life that take time to love. Mắm tôm, for instance, or mắm chưng. Any of the mắms, really. Durian, I’m told, is a wonderful fruit on the fourth or fifth try. And while some ...

Hẻm Gems: A Quick, Delicious, No-Nonsense Lunch at Quan Com Ga Hai Nam
Now that I'm on my fourth chicken-centric Hẻm Gem, I guess I might as well start carrying out these assignments dressed as a chicken.