Bun Cha Hanoi

Lady Noogs and I recently took a trip to Northern Vietnam and Hue, in quest of adventure, food and more food. We only have five more days in Saigon and I have about 78 food photos and dishes to blog about. This one is dedicated to Ness, who requested an urgent Bun Cha post.

This is Bun Cha, a popular dish in Hanoi consisting of minced pork patties and pork belly grilled over a charcoal flame.

You normally smell it before you see it. The BBQ meat is served in a bowl of diluted fish sauce, vinegar and sugar with sliced papaya. It’s like a “meat” broth. I know this might sound strong but the flavor of the grilled meat blends well with the bowl of sauce. Although it looks simple, I find this dish highly complex in terms of its balance. A “wow” umami rating. My uncle actually told me that the fish sauce is diluted in a water broth made with simmering prawns without the shell.

You eat bun cha with rice noodles and a plate of kick ass herbs and greens. There is also a bowl of chopped garlic and chillies that you add according to your liking.

Typically, one eats Bun Cha with Cha Gio (spring rolls) or as it is called in the North, Nem. The Nem at this particular place was superb and loaded with pork and crab. Look at this and tell me that you’re not salivating and licking your screen.

If you get to Hanoi, go to 1 Hang Manh Street and order a portion of Bun Cha and Nem. Lady Noogs and I ordered a Bun Cha each and shared an order of Nem. Possessed with unbridled gluttony, we finished the lot. Total cost VND110,000 ($5.80 or £3.90)… a steal.

Hello Moto: My Hog….. I mean, Piglet

Normally when there is a mention of “hog” in the title of my correspondence, it refers to the swine that I love. This, however, isn’t pink. It’s turquoise. It has flowers. It’s only 50cc. But it’s mine. Not big enough to obtain hog status, my little motorbike here in Saigon is affectionately referred to as the “piglet”. I negotiate this little baby of mine on a daily basis. Sharing the road with 3.8 million other motorbikes, buses, cars, pedestrians, dogs, food cart sellers and cyclos is a delicate process. The ebb and flow and constantly changing shape of Saigon traffic reminds me of looking at an amoeba (on uppers) under a microscope: pedestrians are swallowed and spit out and cars and motorbikes merge and separate with frantic beauty. Lady Noogs usually rides pillion with me but can now even ride sidesaddle with her evening wear and heels. I feel like a true Vietnamese now that I cruise with the shopping or clean laundry between my legs. Don’t get me wrong, I am no master yet. Most Vietnamese can ride with a family of four or five on a motorbike while carrying a case of beer, dried squid and roasted peanuts for a party they are heading too. Enough reading now, check out the piglet below…

Pho: Goodness in a Bowl

What is Pho? It is not pronounced “fo”, but phonetically “fuh”. And say it like you are asking a question. Yes, that’s right. Pho is ubiquitous to Vietnam and it is so tasty and filling. Goodness in a bowl. Damn good to be exact! Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup that is usually served with beef (Pho Bo). The word pho actually refers to the rice noodles. Every posh shop or street vendor’s pho broth recipe is a guarded secret. Typically, the key ingredients consist of beef marrow and knuckle bones, ginger, onions, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and lots of love. I tried making it once in London but let’s just say I am no pho jedi. If you haven’t had a bowl of pho, then you really haven’t eaten Vietnamese food. This is what you are missing (see below).

What we have here is a bowl of pho chin or pho with well-done beef brisket. This is how I set mine up… I grab a lime and give it a nice squeeze before adding a couple pieces of fresh chillis. Then from the plate of green herbs, I grab the rau que (viet basil) and ngo gai (culantro or saw leaf herb) and tear and throw them into the steaming bowl while my mouth is salivating. Not yet. Armed with chopsticks and a spoon, I give the pho a good mixing to release the aroma and blend in the herbs. I always have a spoonful of broth first before I tuck in. I am hungry now just writing about it.

Lady Noogs and I have eaten at many pho restaurants/stalls in Saigon. We actually have it for breakfast at least twice a week. We have our favorites and I will rank them when I post the Best Pho in Saigon.

Vietnam Easy Riders: 5 Days, 900km, Dalat to Hoi An

One crucial thing about maintaining a blog is to actually write. After careful research, we found the original Dalat Easy Riders and booked a 5-day tour from Dalat to Hoi An. These guys started off as motorbike guides in Dalat city and eventually grew to include most of the Central Highlands. They take you off the beaten path and show you a side of Vietnam that few tour groups (and guide book writers) get to see and share their own personal experiences before, during and after the war. We wanted to do this journey because it highlighted rural life, the many ethnic hill tribes of the Central Highlands and little known significant war sites and memorials. It was interactive in the sense that both guide and guest laughed and learned from each other. You got out as much as you put in. Armed with ample sunscreen, Lady Noogs and I climbed on the backs of our respective hogs for the 900km adventure.

Lady Noogs and Mr. Young

Me and Mr. Nghiep on our hog

Day 1: Dalat to Lak Lake

After a morning bowl of pho, we started our descent from the lush pines and endless views of green that is Dalat. Many compare Dalat to the French Alps in the spring. Dalat was so popular with the French, that you can still see French style villas dotted throughout the city and a radio mast shaped like the Eiffel Tower. The French introduced many things during their colonial rule: coffee, strawberry, avocado, artichoke, cabbage, cocoa, wine and yes, the guillotine. We visited the impressive Dragon Pagoda, a greenhouse full of brightly colored flowers, coffee plantation, a silk factory with spinning worms, a home of the Chill (pronounced “Chin”) ethnic group, rice wine distillery that also raised giant pigs and Elephant falls. The Central Highlands of Vietnam is known for its dense jungle and many ethnic hill tribes. The name Dalat itself means the river of the Lat ethnic group. After a day snaking down highway 27, we crossed the Krong No river into Dak Lak province and stayed at the water’s edge of Lak Lake.

Dragon Pagoda

Vietnamese Silk

Chill (pronounced Chin) hilltribe girl

Walking on drying coffee

Day 2: Lak Lake to Buon Ma Thuot

The second morning didn’t start on the back of a motorbike but on the back of a Vietnamese elephant. We had a nice stroll on our gentle giant through a M’nong village, admiring the M’nong houses built on stilts. When we actually walked through the village after dismounting from our pachyderm friend, a woman invited us in for a look. I was amazed at how cool it was inside considering the temperature outside – the M’nongs definitely got their feng shui down. Back on highway 27, we saw farmers working their rice paddies, kids running out to greet us with an enthusiastic “hello” and other scenes of rural life. We also visited Dray Sap and Gia Long falls. While Dray Sap falls was impressive, Gia Long was now only a trickle of its former self due to the new hydro-electric dam built upstream. Before we entered Buon Ma Thuot, we visited the remnants of a bombed out Catholic church near the west bank of the Krong Ana river. The Americans bombed this church because they believed a V.C. unit was taking refuge there. The hillside from which the artillery came raining down was later called Catholic Cross Hill by the locals.

Our elephant, with M'nong guide, crossing a shallow part of Lak Lake

Colorful clothes of ethnic hilltribe

Modern M'nong house on stilts

Working the rice paddy

Dray Sap Falls

Remnants of bombed Catholic church

Day 3: Buon Ma Thuot to Kon Tum

This day was killer for our arses – 240km on the back of a Honda 125cc. Similar to that Wednesday hump day during your one week of snowboarding every year. The morning started with a visit to La Han Pagoda where I stared at the biggest, fattest smiling Buddha ever. We said goodbye to highway 27 as we made our move over to highway 14. Highway 14 was a strategic supply road during both the French and American Wars. Along this highway, we stopped at a war memorial dedicated to communications officers and the ethnic minorities who assisted during the war. As women played a significant part in the American War, many memorials have both male and female soldiers. We visited an old U.S. military base called Dragon’s Jaw, where General Westmoreland started his destructive Agent Orange campaign in the Ea Drang valley or known afterward as Death valley. This was our first serious education on the war by two guides who lived through it. We were taken to the foothills of Chu Pao battlefield, an important victory for the V.C. as it allowed them to control highway 14 and more importantly, the hidden network of roads and jungle paths known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. After a long day traveling, covered in dust, we arrived in Kon Tum after sunset. Our guides took us for a well needed beer and the best banh xeo I have ever eaten in Vietnam.

Pimp or Buddha? You decide

Deadly side of Agent Orange, Death Valley: See that patch of brown in the distance, trees haven't grown here in over 40 years

War memorial dedicated to communications soldiers and officers

Chu Pao Battlefield: To control highway 14 and the Ho Chi Minh trail

Best Banh Xeo - No name but located at 132 Phan Chu Trinh St in Kon Tum

Day 4: Kon Tum to Phuoc Son via the Ho Chi Minh Trail

There is something special about the rural people and ethnic groups of Central Vietnam… a genuine friendliness. The waves and smiles felt real as they penetrated that part of your soul that believes in human kindness. People with next to nothing, but overflowing with infectious happiness. Perhaps the route we were on brought them limited contact with foreigners, unlike the well trodden established tourist routes. We hardly saw any other foreigners, except a couple other Easy Riders with guests.

Day 4 was eventful, pack full of military history, visits to ethnic minority villages (Ba Na and Sedang) and actually walking on an original footpath of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We started the day at the old wooden French Catholic church spared from all the bombing in Kon Tum. Then we were welcomed by the ex-chief of a Ba Na village, who insisted that we played his bamboo xylophone. I rocked it! We visited a site called Diem Cao 601 (which means the High Point at 601 meters). This U.S. military base was captured in 1972 and became a significant turning point in the war. After this base was captured, the town of Dak To fell and eventually Kon Tum. This led to the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973 and the beginning of the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Our guides took us behind the memorial and after a 15 minute walk, we came upon many bomb craters, foxholes, old sandbags, ammunition casings and several makeshift shrines that hovered over buried skulls. A somber reminder of the lost of lives from both sides of the conflict. We were cautious of mines but assured that all mines and other scrap metal have been cleared and now sold at a nearby shop, which they took us to next. You won’t find this place in your Lonely Planet or Rough Guide.

We next went to Phoenix airstrip. For a second, I wondered if my father ever landed his airplane here. Instead of airplanes, the airstrip is now lined with drying cassava roots. From the airstrip, we looked onto Charlie Hill in the background. Charlie Hill is famous because a group of South Vietnamese soldiers refused to retreat or surrender while surrounded and it took the V.C. over two months to kill all 150 soldiers. A song called ‘Nguoi O Lai Charlie’ (People That Stayed on Charlie) is popular and remembered here much to the chagrin of the ruling communist party. This hill was heavily mined and still unsafe, so we watched from a distance while our tour guides sang the song. Our journey then led us to the official beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We were surrounded by jungle. All we saw for the rest of the day was jungle. A highlight of Day 4 was a chance to walk on an original footpath of the Ho Chi Minh Trail now cleared of its jungle surroundings. During the war, this path would have gone unnoticed by air patrols. No wonder the Americans bombed the shit out of this area. The supply line crucial for victory laid hidden beneath a thick green jungle. We finished the day with a stop in a Sedang village with an impressive rong house. A rong house is a communal structure used by the entire village for celebrations, parties and meetings. After a long day, we arrived in Phuoc Son. Since it was our last night with our guides Mr. Nghiep and Mr. Young, we bought them beers and a nice dinner of venison and wild boar to say thank you for an amazing trip.

Wooden French church Kon Tum

Ba Na chief playing bamboo xylophone

Great expression on face of this Ba Na elder

Diem Cao 601 Memorial (High Point 601)

Sandbag from the war

Mortar shell in scrap metal shop

Lady Noogs trying to take off from the airstrip

View of Charlie Hill from the airstip

Start of Ho Chi Minh Trail

Footpath in a clearing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Ho Chi Minh Trail leading into Laos

Traffic on the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Sedang rong house

Sedang kids

Day 5: Phuoc Son to Hoi An

With an arse of steel now, we climbed onto our hogs for the last stretch to Hoi An on the coast. Continuing on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, we approached a Gie Trieng village. As traditional hunter-gatherers, the Gie Trieng collect the skulls of their kills and string them up in their homes like Christmas ornaments. Another interesting fact is that they bury their dead in the hollowed halves of a tree sandwiched with the dead body inside. At the home of an old couple, we saw their burial tree coffins underneath the thatched home. We then saw a basic stone bridge that was an important river crossing for the supply line of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. At the small junction town of Thanh My, we turned east away from the Ho Chi Minh Trail and set our coordinates for Quang Nam Province and the ancient town of Hoi An. Watching the scenery change from dense jungle and simple thatched homes to cement homes and shopfronts lining the road, we made it to Hoi An late afternoon. After 5 days and nearly 900km on the back of a motorbike, we were glad to rest in Hoi An for several days. Hoi An is a UNESCO site and was an important trading port in the 16th and 17th century. The city is old and therefore a charming change to the hustle and bustle of Saigon and other big cities. What an amazing journey through the Central Highlands and we highly recommend you do this if ever in Vietnam. Hope you enjoyed the rather detailed entry.

Skulls hanging on ceiling of a Gie Trieng home

Simple bridge along a part of Ho Chi Minh Trail

Making rice paper

Lantern shop in Hoi An

Food sellers in front of Fujian Assembly Hall Hoi An

Best Mi Quang soup in Hoi An

Sun coming down over Hoi An

Discover Vietnam with Me: Culture, Food, Family, Traditions

Xin chao.  Welcome to Noogie’s Nam.  In brief, I was born in Saigon on a blistering 32C summer day in 1974, months after the official end to the war and the reunification of North and South Vietnam.  Three years later, my mom and I left as boat refugees, leaving the pristine beaches of Danang as we drifted towards an unknown world.

Having spent most of my life in the U.S. and the past 7.5 years in London, I have now returned to Vietnam to understand what it’s like for a Vietnamese to live in Vietnam.  Some think I’m crazy and some already know that I’m crazy.  This just feels right.

As most of my friends know, I am mad about Vietnamese food.  Friends will remember “Nam Nights” in both Manhattan and London.  I can’t wait to share my food adventures and knowledge (old and new).  Join me as I discover the rich culture and traditions of Vietnam.  I will attempt to explain things as best I can, but do be patient and assume we’re learning together.  My grannie and uncle have shared some funny stories about my early years, along with some somber stories of life during and after the war, which I intend to share.

Also, LadyNoogs is a couple jumps ahead of me, better looking and more computer savvy and her blog is rich with life in Saigon already.

Let our journey begin.