Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is cute as a button. The Old Town is a well-preserved example of a trading port of the 15th-19th century.

 

 

 

Japanese Covered Bridge

 

 

2008 01 02

Ha Long Bay

We took a day cruise on Ha Long Bay and although it was hazy, it was still beautiful. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and islands of limestone karsts rise out of the bay. It's an easy day trip from Hanoi but you can also spend a few nights on a boat cruising around the bay.

 

2008 01 05

Ice Cream in Vietnam

After 2 weeks in Vietnam, we were ecstatic to find ice cream. Just by luck, there was an ice cream parlour that had all-you-can-eat ice cream on the first Friday of the month from 7-11 pm for $3.50.

There were lots of flavors and there were also toppings, including liquor. The scoops were small, but most of us were able to eat 10-12 scoops. My husband on the other hand had 27 scoops.

2008 01 04

Cha Ca La Vong

We had heard about Cha Ca La Vong on Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods. It's a restaurant that is over 100 years old and serves just one dish--cha ca la vong. It's a fish dish that is cooked at the table and is amazingly delicious. Four years later and I still dream about it.

 

 

Noodles, greens (including dill), shrimp paste and peanuts are delivered to your table.

 

Next came the fish in a pan that was set over a flame. It's flavored with turmeric.

 

Add noodles, greens, shrimp paste and peanuts to your bowl and spoon some fish with sauce over it. Delicious!

2008 01 03

Restaurant Bobby Chinn

We had heard a lot about Restaurant Bobby Chinn and had to try it out. It 's Asian fusion. It was good but there was so much great food to have in Vietnam for a lot less money that we were disappointed. Prices are from 2008.

 Amuse Bouche--Grape Wrapped with Goat Cheese and Pistachio Nuts

 

Non H5N1 Rice Paper Wrapped Foie Gras with Mangoes and Ginger Sauce--$15

 

Tropical Seafood Ceviche with Passion Fruit Coconut Truffle Jus--$11

 

Duck Confit with Lemongrass Scented Lentils with Chipotle Sauce--$15

 

Symphony of Flavors--$18

 

 

Braised Lamb Shank, Gnocchi, Spinach, Pinenuts and Raisin Lamb Jus--$18

 

Filet Mignon with Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Red Wine Ragout--$21

 

 

Creme Brulee

2008 01 03

Mangosteens

My favorite fruit in the whole wide world is a mangosteen. The first time I had it was in Bali and I always look for it when I'm in Asia. In Vietnam, we found it again.

 

 

When the mangosteen is ripe, simply squeeze the fruit and the shell cracks open. Inside you'll find sweet white segments that are absolutelly delicious. It's known as the "Queen of Fruit." I have yet to try the "King of Fruit"--the Durian and I doubt I ever will.

2007 12 27

Saigon

I needed to clean up some disk space on my computer and went through my pictures of Vietnam. I found a few more pictures that might interest you.

In Saigon, we had our first meal at Ngon Restaurant. It's a sit-down restaurant that has multiple stations making different types of food. You order at your table and the waitress goes to the different stations to get your dishes. The stations looked clean and it was an easy introduction to Vietnam. We had a lot of food and it came to $19 for everything.

 

Sauteed Snails in Coconut Milk

 

Banh Xeo--Vietnamese Crepe filled with bean sprouts and shrimp

 

Grilled Shrimp

 

Bun Rieu--fresh water crab noodle soup with tofu and shrimp-pork paste

 

 Grilled Squid with Chili and Salt

 

2007 12 26

Hue

In 2007, we visited Vietnam. Hue was one of our stops. We searched for the best bun bo Hue and found it in a little shack with a few wooden tables. The soup was one of the best we had and the one I had at Bum Mam in Oakland was just as good.



Hue was the imperial capital during the Nguyen dynasty between 1802 and 1945. The Citadel was the seat of the emperors and there was a forbidden city inside the Citadel.

 

Ngo Mon Gate--entrance to the forbidden city.



Truong San Residence

 

 

Outside of Hue are several tombs dedicated to the emperors. The tomb of Tu Duc was quite impressive. He reigned from 1847 to 1883.

 

Xung Khiem Pavilion at the Tu Duc Tomb complex.

 

 

Another impressive tomb was that of Khai Dinh who ruled from 1916 to 1925. He aligned himself with the French and was very unpopular with the Vietnamese.

Stone bodyguards at the tomb of Khai Dinh.

2007 12 30