Dining Out Sweet smile: A customer enjoys a glass of che. Tasteful colours: A couple of glasses of hoa qua tuoi and the che stall. — VNS Photos Marianne Brown Che Add: 144 Lo Duc St, Ha Noi Tel: 04. 3936 3069 Price: from VND6,000 Hours: 10am-11.30pm Comment: A good sugar boost (12-07-2009) Where to chill out with a glass of che Marianne Brown makes a bid to escape the relentless summer heat by refuelling at her favourite che spot. Blistering sunshine that threatens to strip paint off your motorbike is the type of weather that I tend to find not so conducive to building up an appetite. At this time of year I crave a blast of something sweet and easy to digest. Fruit, ice cream, yoghurt are the most obvious satiators but what if you need something a bit more satisfying? That's when I go off in search of che, that sidewalk snack that is as ubiquitous on Ha Noi streets as pho or bun cha. Che is everywhere. But that's just the problem. With so many venues, … [Read more...] about Where to chill out with a glass of che
What dry ice is made of
Enjoy the refreshing aroma of Joma
After trudging around the city the whole morning, I needed to take a rest and hit a coffee shop or a restaurant for lunch. Accidentally, I stumbled upon the Joma bakery cafe. I was surprised because of its prime location next to the Danish Embassy on Dien Bien Phu Street. Joma resembles a huge chocolate cake with its brown walls. The mental imagery totally stimulated my taste buds. So, I decided to go inside to discover this new bakery cafe without hesitation. I had to say "wow" when I opened the door. In comparison to the brooding dark chocolate exterior, golden lights and warm-coloured walls seemed to comfort my mind and alleviate my tiredness. The aroma of freshly baked cakes and coffee blended together and infused the air. Joma offers various kinds of cakes and coffee. I was presented with an array of choices to not only fill my empty stomach, but to savour. On a daily basis, there are dozens of Western-style cakes and cookies in two show-cases. There is a bewildering choice of … [Read more...] about Enjoy the refreshing aroma of Joma
Various flavors of Saigon ice cream
Even though often considered a dessert for a hot day, ice cream is actually delicious and pleasant to eat during any kind of weather. As it has been raining almost every day in Saigon, why not shelter from the heavy downpours in an ice cream parlor, savoring a chilly scoop and feeling the cold from both outside and inside? A favorite of young people's favorite is Uncle Tam's ice cream shop at No.2 Truong Han Sieu street in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1. Each glass includes a big scoop of ice cream, some salted peanuts and fresh longans for the relatively low price of VND10,000 (US 50 cents). The ice cream flavors range from longan to coffee and mangosteen. Making ice cream with the family's special recipe, Uncle Tam has run his business for 20 years, catering generations of high school and college students. Thanks to the popularity of the shop, several copycats have sprung up in the area, so look out for the right shop for an unbeatable taste. Another interesting combination … [Read more...] about Various flavors of Saigon ice cream
Drink Of Nature
Drink Of Nature By Quynh Thu Available and affordable, coconut juice in Saigon offers not only a valuable natural drink but also an exciting lifestyle Your question of which the most valuable and affordable drink Saigon has to offer is may lead to multiple-choice answers. To cut a long story short, therefore, Saigon Stories suggests its own favorite: coconut juice which is available along the streets across the city. In order to know more about academic studies of coconut juice’s health value, one should surf the Internet. That the juice is rich in vitamins and minerals goes beyond dispute, though. What should be added may be the fact that coconut juice is arguably one of the best refreshing natural drinks in this tropical city. Coconut juice is close at hand to thirsty people in terms of both availability and affordability. Drop by any drink shops and you’ll find it on the menu. For the backpacker, however, just walk along the streets in the downtown and he or she may pump … [Read more...] about Drink Of Nature
Ha Long Bay, an ancient cradle of mankind
VietNamNet Bridge - Next year, Vietnam will celebrate National Tourism Year in Quang Ninh. John Ball traces the origin of the province’s world famous Ha Long Bay to a vast plain that embraced Vietnam and Cambodia and spread all the way, like a giant tongue, down to the tip of Java. This land mass was known as Sundaland.Until five or six thousand years ago, the Red River flowed through Ha Long Bay, which was then dry land, and down through a vast fertile plain that ended near the tip of what is now Hainan Island. Most of this plain is now buried under the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.In those ancient times, the river flowed into a sea that was about 120 metres below its present level, like most seas and oceans around the world.However, as the earth began warming 27,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age, seas around the world began rising gradually until they reached their present levels about 5,000 years ago. The inundation, part of a world event referred to in ancient … [Read more...] about Ha Long Bay, an ancient cradle of mankind