Vietnamese traditional food

Just outside HCM City is Bình Quới Village, a rustic tourist area with a peaceful countryside vibe and a renowned buffet. Mỹ Duyên reports. The grill counter is the most visited spot at Khẩn Hoang Nam Bộ buffet where the cook in áo bà ba (black traditional costume), typical for men in the Mekong Delta, is preparing BBQ including seafood, river fish and snails in the southern manner. VNS Photos Minh Phi The Lunar New Year holiday ( Tết ) is time to gather family or friends and enjoy classic Vietnamese dishes made by moms in their hometowns. This year, however, the tradition changed because of the Covid 19 pandemic, so I decided to stay in the city with my children and have a special year-end meal at Bình Quới Village, about 5km from the city centre. It was a sunny evening when we arrived at the village. Walking on a small wooden bridge leading to the main entrance of the tourist complex, we felt as if we had returned to a country village. Set on lush garden-like grounds with lawns, coconut trees, creeks and thatched cottages, presenting a view of days gone by in Việt Nam's Mekong Delta region, Bình Quới has been a tourist destination of HCM City for decades. The long buffet table displaying different kinds of steamed rice cakes with stunning colours catches the eyes of diners as they pass the corner. Located on Thanh Đa Peninsula next to the Sài Gòn River, just outside the chaos and the bustle of the city, Bình Quới never fails to attract a large number of visitors thanks to its romantic landscapes and most importantly its unique buffet at an unbeatable price. With more than 80 traditional dishes of southern origin, the Khẩn Hoang Nam Bộ buffet never disappoints its loyal clientele who come back year after year for its fabulous flavours, especially BBQ items prepared in a southern manner. Launched in 1998 to mark the 300th anniversary of the establishment of Sài Gòn (now HCM City), the special buffet helps diners learn more …

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At the event (Photo: baoquocte.vn) Washington D.C, (VNA) - The US will bolster support for countries in the Mekong subregion through the Mekong-US partnership, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Atul Keshap said at a recent online seminar to reveal results of a report on transboundary rivers and addressing challenges in Mekong River. He said the support will focus on the management of transboundary water resources, regional economic connection, human resources development and response to non-traditional security challenges, including those in the health sector. The report was based on outcomes of a virtual Indo-Pacific conference on enhancing management of transboundary rivers hosted by the East-West Centre last October. Speakers at the event said that the Mekong subregion is facing challenges in security, development and climate change. Keshap expressed the US ’s concerns over impacts of hydropower dams in the Mekong River ’s upper reaches on food security, economic development and environmental conditions of countries in lower reaches. The US highly appreciates Vietnam’s efforts in pushing ASEAN’s cooperation to help the Mekong subregion cope with such challenges, he said. Congressman Ted Lieu also affirmed that the US Congress wants the US government to further boost cooperation with the Mekong sub-region via the US-Mekong partnership. Since the launch of the Lower Mekong Initiative in 2009, the US has earmarked 3.5 billion USD for countries in Mekong River’s lower reaches. At the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc underscored the significance of water security, especially transboundary water resources, to peace and prosperity in the region. Countries in the Mekong subregion share responsibilities for the use and management of Mekong River’s water resources in a sustainable manner in a bid to offset impacts on development and the environment, he added. …

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Located at 4 Phan Boi Chau Street, near the Le Loi - Phan Boi Chau intersection, District 1's Ben Thanh market area, the food stall was well known as the stomping ground of many foreign visitors, overseas Vietnamese and artists prior to the pandemic. Unlike other versions of crab noodle soup, or bun rieu , the dish here consists of a big chunk of fried tofu, congealed duck blood, a slice of tomato and its huge, signature crab meatball instead of the typically lumpy crab meat with small bite-size pieces on top. It would seem the cook aims to preserve all original flavors pertaining to this dish, allowing guests to enjoy the rich and soft tofu, chewy blood jelly and firm, tasty crab meatball and thin rice vermicelli. The dish is served with a plate of special fish sauce, chili, shrimp paste and tamarind dipping and a plate of fresh split morning glory, mung bean sprouts, thin strips of banana blossom, cilantro and basil leaves. A bowl of noodle soup at "Bun Rieu Ganh" in Saigon. Photo by VnExpress/Huynh Nhi. Mai Thi Lien, 60-year-old owner of "Bun Rieu Ganh", has always been loyal to the traditional soup taste for over 40 years with her mother’s recipe. "The noodle soup is well seasoned. To add sourness, we do not use lime or kumquat juice but tamarind instead," Lien said. Even though the price per serving is VND55,000 ($2.4), considered higher than at other stalls in the city, Lien claims she is not thrifty when spending money on ingredients since when it came to good food, it was quality that counted. Besides, inner-city rent further explains the higher price. "In the past, it used to be a street vending business, my customers had to borrow seats from nearby stalls. So seven years ago, I started to rent a fully equipped place with seats and air conditioners and needless to say, the fee is exorbitant," she said. Special crab meatballs in a bun rieu pot at the shop. Photo by VnExpress/Huynh Nhi. Nguyen Nhat Huy from …

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