Drinking in Hanoi

It’s hard not to hit a few spots for coffee whilst in Hanoi – after all the country is famous for its coffee partly thanks to the French colonial influence, plus cafes are always a perfect sanctuary to hide away from the unbearable heat during the day for much of the summer season.

Hotel on the Lake

Whenever I am travelling alone, I usually am not particular about accommodations as long as it’s clean and safe but this time I made an exception and booked myself into the luxurious Intercontinental Hanoi, using some of the points I accrued under the hotel group’s loyalty program.

I originally hesitated in choosing this hotel because of its remote location, and I almost changed my mind at the last minute. The Westlake district, where the hotel’s located, is a bit further out from the downtown and where most of the sights (and more importantly, restaurants) are, but after reading the review from the trust-worthy The Points Guy who stayed and recommended the hotel, I stuck with the plan, and it’s only a quick taxi ride away once I got off at Hanoi International Airport late morning.

The Presidential Bun Cha

The staff at Bun Cha Huong Lien seems to be a little puzzled when I attempted to order from their a la carte menu as if no tourist has ever done that these days, but after 5 seconds of attempting to pronounce Nem Cua Be (fried crab roll), I gave up and said the magic words – “Combo Obama, please”. Yup, that’s the place in Hanoi made famous by the former US President’s visit with his foodie friend AB a few years ago.

Pho Expedition

“Customer for Pho? Please come in”

I didn’t discover this "secret" pho place by accident – though I wish I did or at least could get away by saying that (that would have been more dramatic, isn't it?) – but rather, an article at Saveur pointed me to this pho stall at an upstairs apartment inside a run-down building in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. I was able to find the place easily, thanks to the article with detailed directions and pictures of the street signs, and arrived at the right time too, between 3-7:30pm as that’s the only time the place was open for business.

HCMC Foodie Trip: The One with Banh Mi

One of my regrets of not spending more time in Ho Chi Minh City was not being able to try out all the wonderful street food in town - well, I guess there's never enough time since on every block at every corner you see people cooking and eating, day or night.

But rather than lamenting on the food that I didn't have time for, I would rather look back at the delicious stuff I was able to try during my short stay, and on top of my list would probably be Banh Mi.

HCMC Foodie Trip - The One with Huong Lai

I followed my friend C's recommendation to have lunch at Huong Lai, located just a couple blocks away from the Independence Palace and the Notre Dame Cathedral. The place is located on a main street not far away from the major tourist spots but the entrance could be a bit obscure and easy to miss, with just a small sign and a narrow door on the street level with stairs leading up to the dining area on the second floor.

HCMC Foodie Trip - The One at Cuc Gach Quan

Lunch at Cuc Gach Quan is only one of the few meals I had at a proper sit-down restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City. Many people have recommended this cozy, "countryside" restaurant on the fringe of District 1 serving traditional Vietnamese cuisine, so I came here for lunch one afternoon.

HCMC Foodie Trip - The One with The Lunch Lady

One of my favorite travel experiences in Ho Chi Minh City was to try the food prepared by Nguyen Thi Thanh - aka the Lunch Lady - at her stall at a residential neighborhood on the fringe of District 1, near to the Mekong River bank. She got her worldwide fame since Anthony Bourdain covered his visit in a TV show a few years back and couldn't sing enough praises of her, her food and the stall.

HCMC Foodie Trip: The One with Pho

I know I have come to the right town to visit when everywhere I walked by, I could see those little food stalls on the roadside serving all kinds of different food. Ho Chi Minh City is truly a foodie town, especially if you are into street food, and I was eager to explore more during my stay in this interesting city for all the wonderful food, particularly Pho, perhaps the most famous Vietnamese dishes of all.

HCMC Foodie Trip: 5 Days in Saigon

I recently returned from a trip to Saigon, by myself. CX ran a special Fanfare promotion to SGN in late September so I figure it's a good time to pay a visit to a country that I have never visited before, something I haven't done for more than 4 years.