Vietnam… the sound of it releases familiar smells in the air. Cilantro. Basil. Lime. Fish sauce. Coffee. Freshly-made baguette…
Before boarding my flights to Saigon and Hanoi, I had read a lot about Vietnam as a culinary destination. Friends also have gone there and come back to share with us popular Vietnamese products. Travel blogs have lauded it. Anthony Bourdain fell in love with it.
So I decided to go have a look.
First night. Hanoi. The street scene in the Old Quarter is absolute chaos. Every corner is dotted with eateries. Dozens and dozens of diners park themselves on low tables and stools, ignoring the noise of the million mopeds passing by and the rubbish beneath their feet. Why?
This is why. Street food here is phenomenal! Imagine a big bowl of the freshest beef strips, rice noodles, cucumber, cilantro, basil, garlic chips and peanuts you can find and top that off with the most flavorful, steaming broth straight from the pot next to you. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Pho — Vietnam’s national dish. I couldn’t get enough of this soup. One month after my visit, I could still (vividly) remember how it tasted like.
Pho is a humble, nourishing dish. Native to the North of Vietnam, it may have borrowed the technique from the French where onion is charred and added to the broth for a full-bodied flavor. There’s even a theory that the word pho came from the last syllable of pot-au-feu (literally “pot on the fire”), a French beef stew that is cooked in a stockpot for hours. This is a definite must-try.
The following day: tour of the city’s temples, pagodas, museums and gardens. Every so often, we take a break. And what better way to relax than sitting by the roadside, watching the locals go about their day and sipping one of the best coffees in the world!
