Bảo Hoa & Hoàng Hồ Fried Vietnamese onions are an indispensable ingredient of xôi xéo. Xôi xéo (sticky rice with smashed green beans) has been a popular rice dish in Vietnam for generations. — VNS Photo Mai Hương There really is no better time to sleep than the final 10 minutes immediately after slapping that snooze button on your mobile phone. Sure, you know it won’t last, and before too long you’ll have to drag yourself out of bed and get ready for the day ahead, but it’s still extra special. It feels like you are doing something you shouldn’t be doing, something forbidden, something wrong. And that’s why it feels so good. Nguyễn Thị Tuyến probably doesn’t need an alarm to get up on a morning and her own personal body clock doesn’t come with a snooze button. It really doesn’t need one. For four decades Tuyến has woken up at an hour that’s … [Read more...] about Rice is twice as nice when sticky
Dry ice ice cream
Global warming’s the fight of our lives. We’re losing it
Nguyen Ngoc Huy For three years now, I’ve been following the news on heat waves and hot spells happening all over the world, including Vietnam. The pattern is pretty obvious: record-breaking high temperatures, followed by more record breakers. I am sure many of us are asking the same question. When will the heat waves and hot spells, or global warming in general, stop? Is there a maximum threshold? A breaking point? We don’t know. Here’s what we do know. Humanity won’t last long at this rate. The first time I encountered this topic up close was the heat wave in northern Vietnam in 2017. It was a heat wave unlike any other before it: 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in most northern areas including Hanoi. I remember thinking: this is it, this is the peak. There is no way it can get hotter. Boy, was I wrong. Last July, a similar heat wave struck Vietnam for about five days. Right from my balcony, I recorded a felt temperature of 50 degrees Celsius. It … [Read more...] about Global warming’s the fight of our lives. We’re losing it
Trump-Kim dinner a cordial affair – VnExpress International
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared relaxed and friendly as they sat down for dinner at the Hanoi Metropole Hotel. "Nothing like having a nice private dinner," Trump joked, asking photographers to make him and Kim "look good." Joining the leaders were U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on one side and Kim Yong-chol, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and Ri Yong-ho, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Kim said he and Trump had a "very interesting conversation" for 20 minutes before the dinner, while Trump said, "Our relationship is a very special relationship." On the menu was shrimp cocktail with Thousand Island dressing, marinated grilled sirloin with pear kimchi, hot runny-centered chocolate cake with berries and vanilla ice cream, as well as dried persimmon punch, described as a traditional beverage sweetened with dried persimmons and honey. The White House curtailed the … [Read more...] about Trump-Kim dinner a cordial affair – VnExpress International
Candied coconut ribbons, a Tet delicacy
Candied coconut ribbons become a snack favoured by many Vietnamese, especially during Tet holidays. (Photo: vnexpress.net) Hanoi (VNA) - Candied coconut ribbons, which are made from coconut meat, sugar, and milk, becomes a snack favoured by many Vietnamese, especially during Tet holidays. After more than four decades of operation, the Huu Nghi coconut workshop in Ben Tre province, which is dubbed as Vietnam’s coconut kingdom, has regularly produced delicious candied coconut ribbons to serve Tet holidays. Since the old days when food and confectionaries were less abundant, and up until the present day when living conditions have been improved, the candied coconut ribbon producers have still kept onto its traditional recipe and method. It’s not very difficult to make candied coconut ribbons as it does not require too many steps, but to produce delicious ones, all steps should be given carefully paid attention, producers shared. To make this snack, coconut flesh is … [Read more...] about Candied coconut ribbons, a Tet delicacy
Exhibition brings back childhood memories
Artist Bùi Văn Tuất. — Photo phapluatplus.vn/ Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Portraits of children in the northwestern mountainous areas of Việt Nam will be featured in Tuổi Thơ Như Thế (Childhoods), the first solo exhibition by artist Bùi Văn Tuất, which is being held at the Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum. Tuất is a young artist who is also a member of the Mường ethnic minority, born and raised in Ba Vì District on the outskirts of Hà Nội. The ethnic children in northwestern Việt Nam are the main inspiration for the 36-year-old artist’s work. He frequently spends his free time travelling to the mountainous areas, carrying his easel to recall his childhood memories. “My childhood memories consist of picking wild berries and eating them until my mouth was purple then swimming in the stream naked in order to keep my clothes dry,” … [Read more...] about Exhibition brings back childhood memories