Amid Hội An’s treat-filled culinary landscape, cao lầu emerges as something that’s both simple and one-of-a-kind. A bowl of cao lầu encapsulates a range of flavors including sour, hot, bitter, tannic and sweet; the savoriness of char siu; and the fragrance of Trà Quế herbs. Cao lầu strands are yellowish in color, with a bite…
Category: Miền Trung
Phan Thiết’s Vibrant Whale Worship Festival Reflects Vietnam’s Rich Animist Traditions
Whale worship started from a folk belief harbored by fishermen seeking help from the gods to endure the arduous days spent at sea, but over time, it grew to become one of the most prominent spiritual practices of Vietnam’s fishing communities, especially in Phan Thiết. This reverence of whales reflects the people’s fervent passion for…
This Trung Thu, learn how to make lion heads from Huế’s artisans
Often seen as the heart of Central Vietnam, Huế is the birthing ground for many traditional crafts. Artisan products from the ancient city often exude its inhabitants’ elegance and rustic quality. Among them, the handmade lion’s heads from Huế carry distinctive slivers of beauty within them. Continue reading the article on Saigoneer in English or…
The century-old salt-making craft in the sunlit and windy land of Ninh Thuan
Vietnam’s coastline, stretching over 3,000 kilometers, not only provides bountiful boats filled with fish and shrimp but also produces pristine, flavorful grains of white salt. Hundreds of years ago, coastal residents began utilizing seawater to produce salt. Along Vietnam’s S-shaped stretch, salt-making exists in 19 provinces across the three regions. Among them, Ninh Thuận, blessed…
“Reviving” discarded bamboo roots into works of art for 20 years
Over the past two decades, countless dry, rough bamboo stems have been resurrected into artistic sculptures under the skilled hands of the artist Huynh Phuong Do. Traveling along the coastline of Cua Dai (Hoi An, Quang Nam), I ventured into a small village in Thinh My ward, Cam An commune. The wind carried a salty…
Hoi An memories in 70-year-old Thiểu’s black sesame sweet soup vendor
For 70 years now, Thiểu’s sweet soup stand has become an enduring part of Hoi An locals’ memories. Along Nguyen Truong To Street in Hoi An, where red leaves of the banyan trees dance in the chilly breeze, the aroma of Thi’s sweet soup stand wafts through the air. Modestly situated on the sidewalk, it…
Tra Que – a 300-year-old fragrant herbs village
In Hoi An, there exists a village called Tra Que, which for centuries has infused the traditional cuisine of Hoi with fragrant aromas and vibrant greens, bestowing a unique character upon the city’s culinary delights. Green vegetables are an indispensable component of Hoi An’s traditional dishes in Quang Nam province. Lettuce, basil, fish mint, blending…
XUAN PHUONG 