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The other co-founder of Saigoneer, irremediably drawn to balance, an introvert at heart who speaks through photography, filmmaking, and coding. I capture life with the same passion I live it.
613 stories
In Plain Sight
Amidst the dull, grey buildings of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, a giant dinosaur model stands out. The T-Rex was guarding the entrance to the Vietnam National Museum of Nature (Bảo tàng Thiên nhiên Việt Nam), and as I approached it I felt a sense of childlike wonder wash over me. I thought I would learn much about Vietnam’s natural history; I was wrong.
“The lotus is our national flower, and lotus tea is regarded as the national tea.”
Saigon Hẻm Gems
Much like a stereotypical meet-cute in a romantic comedy, the majority of my most memorable food experiences often involve a faux pas of varying degrees of humiliation.
Vietnam
While the past weeks have felt like living in a sauna for Saigoneers, north-central Vietnam provinces experienced even hotter temperatures this summer.
Eat & Drink Partner
Sometimes happiness is as simple as a plate of cheese and meat. At least, it's possible to believe that during a visit to Hôtel des Arts’ monthly C'est Cheese. The stunning spread of imported cheeses, meats, breads, salads, sides and desserts served in an elegant atmosphere provides a perfect dash of joy to any evening.
Dishcovery
Inspired by a Cantonese classic, Society Cafe & Dining’s char siu pork is carefully seasoned and prepared over two days, while the accompanying daikon and radish were pickled from scratch. Put together by famous food YouTuber Culinary Frank , cơm xá xíu is notable for the sous vide method used to marinate the meat more evenly. This technique brings out the char siu's full flavor while keeping the meat's original texture.
Food Culture
“Every restaurant is a miniature society,” says Phương Phạm (Frank Phạm), a Melbourne-based Vietnamese chef and famous YouTube food blogger who recently returned to Saigon to open his passion project, a cafe restaurant named Society Cafe & Dining. “In this miniature society, we welcome people from different backgrounds, yet they all share the same passion for food and the culinary experience. Whatever we have in this ‘society,’ we show all to our visitors.” Frank told me about his newest brainchild. “Our cafe is a home they can return to after a busy day at work.”
In Plain Sight
Many of the images conjured by the word leprosy (bệnh phong) can be unsettling to some. Yet, the misunderstood disease exposes the capacity for human care and empathy. Quy Nhơn’s Quy Hoà leprosy village exhibits how communities can come together to lovingly help the less fortunate.
Vietnam
About 45 kilometers from downtown Quy Nhơn stands the Quang Trung Museum (Bảo tàng Quang Trung), one of Vietnam’s finest museums.
Snack Attack
A beautiful coastline, stunning rolling mountainscapes, and multiple historic vestiges are not the only merits of Quy Nhơn City.
Vietnam Hẻm Gems
You’ve probably never had bánh khọt like this before.
In Plain Sight
Do you prefer a view of the beach or mountains?
Travel
Quy Nhơn residents mentioned Hàn Mặc Tử with great pride and reverence whenever I mentioned enjoying reading and writing poems.
Travel
What if memories were not collections of chemicals and electrical impulses stored in the fleshy recesses of a mind, but physical objects made of brick and stone?
Hanoi
With the changing gears of history, at times even the oldest layers of a thousand-year-old town must evolve to house new meanings.
Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
Of all seafood in Vietnam, ghẹ (blue crab) is among the most expensive. Even at wholesale markets, these crustaceans can fetch from VND300,000 to 400,000 a kilogram and any buffet deal that boasts their presence naturally comes with an exorbitant price tag. It was a personal surprise for me to find this highly sought-after delicacy right on the pavement at Quán Ghẹ Cô Tươi.
Hanoi Ngõ Nooks
In the Mood for Love , Wong Kar-wai’s elegantly restrained movie about married lovers resisting adultery, offers up a delicious cocktail of emotions. At least, that is the concept behind the drinks menu at Ẩn Cà phê, a coffee and cocktail bar southwest of Tây Hồ.
In Plain Sight
“The government sells it for VND100,000. Just give me VND150,000. Gate 3, right in the center.”
Eat & Drink Partner
No one thinks about the food when going to a club. But why not? Couldn’t an evening balance the extravagant and unexpected flavors associated with fine dining and the chill, carefree atmosphere created by live DJs, hip guests and trendy decor?
Saigon Hẻm Gems
An Duyên Chợ Lớn transcends Chợ Lớn quán stereotypes of rustic mom-and-pops with rickety amenities to provide a comfortable dining experience, made memorable thanks to aesthetically pleasing décor and well-crafted Hoa delicacies.
Hotels
One of Sedona Suite’s selling points is that the entrance is hard to find. No, really.
Hotels
Gingerbread houses, those delicious-looking cookie constructions are an unmistakable sign that the holiday season has arrived. While they originated in Germany hundreds of years ago independent of Christmas, they are now so associated with the season of Noel that homes, bakeries, hotels, and malls worldwide look forward to crafting one. The bakery team at Hôtel des Arts Saigon, Mgallery has taken the tradition up a notch this year and handmade a stunning recreation of the city’s famed Notre-Dame Cathedral. Completely edible, including the transparent sugar windows, it’s so impressive that it will help you forget the real version just down the road remains perpetually behind scaffolding.
Resorts
People flock to The Grand Ho Tram for its myriad of entertainment options. To satiate the appetites of guests, the resort has spent a great deal of effort to ensure that its culinary options meet guests’ high expectations and rumbling stomachs.
Tech
In this digital age, farming, especially in developing countries like Vietnam, has maintained a general perception of being an analog, hands-on practice.
