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Fearless food adventures in Vietnam

I loved Vietnam. WE loved Vietnam. Even though we only spent a week in the Southern part of Vietnam we just fell in love. Like a teenage girl for the latest and greatest mass managed pop band, our hearts fluttered, our eyes glazed over and we lust for a return. So much so that I’m fairly sure we’ve eaten some form of Vietnamese inspired street food every week since returning to Melbourne to help soothe our separation anxiety.

Despite the worrying looks and warnings from friends and family we survived the food of Vietnam. Just as a precaution we had packed GastroStop and a few other items as a just in case.

Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City our taxi driver could speak very little English but one thing he figured out was our typical young travelers love of food. Good food. As we clung to our seats in nervous excitement (or fearing for our lives) he pointed to a restaurant yelling NUMBER 1 NUMBER 1. Um ok. Smile, nod, wave, pay the nice man. The helpful sparkle in his eye and his smile encouraged us to take the short walk from our hotel down towards the Reunification Palace to check this place out- Ngon Restaurant. This place was so much fun with great service, good food, cold beer and air conditioning that we went back a few times. One of the joys is sipping on a coconut, eating pho bo and laughing at people trying to cross the exceptionally busy road. Highly reccomend that you try the spring rolls here. Cliche` yes but also very delicious.

Stopping for a quick beverage- Ngon Restaurant

Being on our own private fearless food adventure we knew that it we would be disappointed in ourselves if we didn’t try more pho bo and delve deep into the street food sensation. Whilst street food certainly isn’t a new phenomena in Asia, we just don’t get it in Melbourne. It is always on my top To-Do List. Next stop- Ben Tranh Night Market for a bite to eat.

Feeling a bit corny

We briefly chatted about celebrating James 31st birthday in Vietnam. It was a fabulous idea. Trek around the town, eat pho bo, drink beer and find cake. Well we found so much more then just beer and cake. It seemed like a good afternoon to figure out where our meet and greet hotel was and explore the area a bit more.

Amazing things we discovered-

The worlds best fruit smoothie place. For a mere 20 VD you got an amazing fruit smoothie. Upon arrival in the alley way you are handed a picture menu, a pen and some paper. Your write your own order, hand it over, take a seat and wait. At times there were up to 10 people just waiting. They also do home/office delivery.

Smoothie heaven

This little coffee spot. Pouring some beautiful coffee and twirling magnificent ice tea.  We did go for traditional Vietnamese coffee whenever possible. But in all honesty I couldn’t resist this little place that reminded me of home.

Street Pho Bo is pho-licous. Each individual stall and area had a distinctly different twist. One of the joys of pho is how easily it is to personalize your experience. Each bowl turns up with bean shoots, mint/basil, chilli, lemon/lime and sometimes crushed peanuts. We never tired of pho.

Street Pho Bo

The generosity of the Vietnamese people. Whether we were on the bikes stopping for a snack or during our Mekong Delta Homestay we were humbled by the warmth and generosity.

The joys of non regulated food markets. There are no counters, no windows just pure raw human emotions and food. Looks of interesting food. You will never un-smell the fresh herbs and stinky fish.

We were a little bit bummed that our dates didn’t quite match up with the lovely Jodi from Jodie Eats. We had high hope of getting in on one of her world renowned Saigon Food Walks. If you are heading to this part of the world anytime soon I’d suggest you go have a chat to Jodi and get onto a tour www.jodieats.com

One of the joys of the Vietnamese cuisine was the variety. A balance of herbs, heat, sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and the all-mighty and useful fish sauce. As with other southeast Asian cuisines, it’s all about the balance. The sweet and salty, the cooling and heating, the fresh and fermented.

You really do see the French influence around town, especially in the bread. The rolls are soft and squishy inside but beautiful crisp on the outside. Looking like squat little baguettes.

Now we didn’t just stumble around town eating and drinking. As we were walking around we even got involved in a high school project and signed up to save the environment.

James pledging his support to Go Green

Our next plans when we return to Vietnam is a full country tour up to the North, eating our way to happiness!