Eileen Wen Mooney in Street Food
Ngõ Nooks: A Steaming Bowl of Mỳ Vằn Thắn to Ward off Winter’s Chill
The Old Quarter’s labyrinthine streets contain so many eateries that newcomers can easily feel overwhelmed.
Thi Nguyen in Food Culture
Chè, Bánh, Chả, Nem: The Curious Lives of Vietnam’s Regional Food Names
Realizing the word that one is using refers to an entirely different object in another region is a situation many can relate to. The last time this happened to me, it almost cost me a bowl of Hanoi’s bánh đa trộn.
Hoai Nguyen in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: In Xoan Cafe, a Sanctuary for Art, Tea and Cats
Curious cats, steaming tea and art-lined walls make Xoan Café feel like a home away from home.
Eileen Wen Mooney in Street Food
Ngõ Nooks: Silken Tofu and Velvety Dumplings at Hanoi’s Most Authentic Chinese Eatery
I’ve long searched for an authentic Chinese restaurant in Hanoi that makes good dumplings — one of the most comforting f...
Peter Cowan in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: A Gateway to the Past for the City's New Youth
Hanoi’s café scene is saturated with cafés selling a vision of the past.
Saigoneer in Food Culture
Vietnam Crowned Asia's Leading Culinary, Cultural Destination at World Travel Awards
Vietnam’s rising position in the global tourism arena was recently recognized by scores of accolades at the World Travel Awards.
Nick Cooke in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: A Secret Garden Leads to a Haven for Hanoi's Young Creatives
Immediately after strolling through the gates of Café Tu Luc, a leafy new reality helps one feel at ease.
Eileen Wen Mooney in Street Food
Ngõ Nooks: Pandan Jelly and Tapioca Pearls in a Little Bowl of Chè
Chè, the mercurial Vietnamese dessert soup, is appreciated by Hanoians both young and old. Whether wheeled around narrow streets in the Old Quarter, carried on shoulder poles or served in shop fronts that spill out onto streets and sidewalks, the variety of both venues and tastes is almost infinite.
Chris Humphrey in Street Food
Ngõ Nooks: Tender Strips of Garlic-Infused Beef at Pho Thin
In the midst of a Hanoian winter, all you want is warmth. The houses aren't built for the cold, and on a bike at night, the chill seeps right into you. At lunch or after work, there's nothing better t...
J in Food Culture
Meet Linh Nguyen, the Fulbright Scholar Spreading Vietnamese Culture Through Food
Linh Nguyen is a Fulbright scholar, blogger and writer whose first book, Lemongrass, Ginger and Mint Vietnamese Cookbook: Classic Vietnamese Street Food Made at Home, became an Amazon bestseller after...
Chris Humphrey in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Refreshing Cocktails at Hanoi’s Best Hole-in-the-Wall
Bars in Hanoi don’t come much smaller than Dot. Its width is no more than the span of my arms, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in value and substance. You’d barely notice the place...
Khoi Pham in Food Culture
Milk Tea-Flavored Water Is Here. Is the Apocalypse Near?
The stark, clinical fluorescent lighting inside the convenient store casts an air of ominous dread all over the shop’s beverage section. With a glance, I find it. The blue package stares back at me me...
Chris Humphrey in Street Food
Ngõ Nooks: Vegan Buffet, Nourishment That Makes You Feel Good
Anyone who’s lived in Vietnam for any reasonable length of time will have heard of cơm bình dân – rice buffets offering an abundance of meat and vegetables during lunch hours. In recent years, however...
Chris Humphrey in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Trainspotting and Nostalgia at The Railway Hanoi
The stretch of railway between Tran Phu Street and Dien Bien Phu Street is quickly becoming one of the hippest spots in Hanoi. In the last couple of years, a social enterprise named Zo Project, a fash...
Chris Humphrey in Street Food
Ngõ Nooks: Yen Phu's Banh Xeo Spot Is Legit
Any street food restaurant you regularly pass on your commute, or that lies within the local area where you live, is likely to receive your patronage more often than most. Minh Banh Xeo is no exceptio...
Aisyah Llewellyn in Food Culture
Pandan, Southeast Asia's Humble Leaf Set to Take the World by Storm
Pandan, an aromatic plant native to Southeast Asia, could soon have its moment in the international spotlight thanks to British chef and food writer Nigella Lawson, who extolled its virtues in an inte...
Chris Humphrey in Bars & Cafes
Ngõ Nooks: Cuoi Ngo – One of Hanoi’s Most Hidden Cafés
If you’ve managed to find Cafe Cuoi Ngo, then you deserve to see it. The place feels like a well-kept secret, but it’s so hard to find that I don’t think publishing this article will overburden the sp...
Thi Nguyen in Food Culture
Tet Tales: The Many Folk Stories Behind Vietnam's Sticky Rice Cakes
To me, there's nothing that screams Tet as much as sticky rice cake. However one wants to spice up the usual celebration by replacing some dishes with something new each year, sticky rice cakes remain...
