Vi-ate-nam for a taste explosion!
For when the world is back to normal
IT’S amazing how quickly you get used to eating soup for breakfast…
It was my first morning in Hanoi and I had barely wiped the sleep from my eyes before a steaming bowl of pho, Vietnam’s national dish, was placed in front of me.
One whiff of the fragrant chicken broth, packed with noodles, spices and fresh herbs – and suddenly tea and toast first thing seemed a ridiculous notion.
But I was here for new foodie experiences… and in this fantastic country, those are easy to come by.
During my two weeks travelling with a group of gluttons – from fascinating Hanoi in the north to chaotic Ho Chi Minh
City almost 1,000 miles south – the food took centre stage.
And whether I was in an intricately decorated restaurant or squatting on a tiny plastic stool on a street corner, every meal was a delight.
After that heady bowl of pho
(pronounced “fur”) and quay
(fried bread sticks), the next morning we plunged straight into
Chau Long Market, where I quickly learned why the country has some of the tastiest street food in the world.
Even rice noodles are made and sold within three hours, whizzed across the city in bamboo baskets on the back of the ubiquitous motorbikes.
Chefs rub shoulders with housewives as they arrive at the crack of dawn to get the finest ingredients to prepare food for their customers and families.
We learned how to identify good-quality fish sauce and which rice papers to use for fried or fresh spring rolls.
I watched a girl at her stall make banh cuon – steamed rice pancakes filled with ground pork and wood-ear mushrooms, and sprinkled with deep-fried shallots and handfuls of fresh herbs – before tucking in with relish.
Then it was time for us to try our hand at cooking some of these heavenly dishes. I strapped
Contact us at traveldesk@reachplc.com on an apron at the Hanoi Cooking Centre and rustled up some ginger chicken, banana flower salad, fresh prawn and omelette spring rolls with dipping sauce, and sweetcorn and coconut soup.
We then devoured our tasty attempts on the open terrace, washed down with ice-cold bottles of Hanoi lager.
Then it was off to the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site
CUT ABOVE: Karin cooking. Left, cao lau noodle dish and street food in Hoi An of Halong Bay, where we sailed around the thousands of islands (known as karsts) dotted over hundreds of square miles.
We visited caves and coves and explored inlets and islets in kayaks. There are several massive cave systems in some of the karsts – and a visit to any of these is spectacular.
Then it was back to Hanoi for the overnight train to Hue. The
trains have comfy four-berth cabins with fresh linen – 12 hours later we arrived in the former royal capital as the sun rose over the rice paddies.
After a typical breakfast of bún bò Hue, a classic soup with rice vermicelli (bún) and beef (bò), we hopped on board the most popular form of transport in Vietnam – motorbikes.
Joining millions of riders, our daring (yet careful) drivers guided our trusty little steeds through the thronging streets and gorgeous countryside, dropping us off for a walk around the Imperial Citadel and for a delicious veggie