A green garden sanctuary in busy Nha Trang, Vietnam: simple guesthouse room for VND200k (AUD13) a night.
It makes a nice change from the “sameness” of hotel rooms …
Nha Trang
Braised Beef Twice as Nice with Spice
Bò kho is Vietnamese braised beef.
Packed with potato and carrot, just like Grandma made it, but also with plenty of Asian Five Spice and chilli.
Toss in a handful of fresh coriander and Vietnamese mint, add a slightly toasted, crispy baguette and you have a delicious but not over-filling lunch.
VND40k/AUD2.30
Lucky little egg rice cakes
I’m double double lucky, the old girl seemed to say.
What were the odds of scoring double yolks not once but twice in 10 quail eggs?
“Banh can” are steamed rice-batter cakes, often cooked roadside, in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
The price was VND30,000 so I haggled for 20,000. Nope, you might be lucky but you’re still paying full price, Mister!
Haha
So I gave her 50,000 ($3) anyway. Now she’s happy, I’m happy, Buddha happy.
Isn’t life good when you’re not a selfish pr*ck?
Vietnam Grows on You
Vietnam devotes much effort into beautifying the beachside parks and gardens.
This is the “Back Beach”, in Vung Tau; the same for Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hoi An – at destinations up and down the Vietnam coast.
Crispy Rice ‘Puff’ is Good Stuff
Vietnam Lunch: the young bloke next to me was eating a plateful of these, with rice.
Being of daring spirit and with a yearn to learn, I had to try one too. Delicious!
Similar to a Cantonese ham sui gok, it is a light, hollow, doughy “puff” coated in baked rice “bubbles” (a la crispy rice crackers) and, I presume, pan fried.
These being hollow, you could have a lot of fun experimenting with various fillings such as paté or mince, or do vegetarian with diced tomatoes and onions; maybe a sweet version with raisins and citrus peel, and serve hot with vanilla bean ice-cream.
(I’ve impressed myself with these ideas. What am I doing, pretending to write? I should be pretending to “chef” …)
Vietnam Lunch is ‘One With The Lot’
Vietnam lunch is a “one with the lot”.
A big queue was happening at this Nha Trang street food stall – building labourers, office workers, they were pulling up on their motor scooters; the family running the stall were working like clockwork, filling take-away containers and ladening plates.
They all seemed to be ordering rice with a bit of everything. So I did, too! Smart move.
The meal was pork done various ways, chicken, boiled/stewed pigeon eggs, vegetable, crunchy fried shrimp (yes, I crunched them – shell, head and all), and other bits and pieces.
Generously spoon on some SE Asian home-made sweet chilli syrup, and tuck in …
Traditional Vietnamese Wedding is a Feast of Fun
Traditional Vietnamese wedding near nha Trang: what an honour to be invited, by Dung to the wedding of one of her work staff.
They are so courteous and friendly.
Two fun & friendly hours of eating, speeches, eating, singing, eating, hand-shaking, eating, pics, eating …
(videos to come)
A Quiet Time in Nha Trang’s Riverside
Simply a nice pic of the quiet, shady, placid streets in Nha Trang’s Riverside residential area.
Only a half-hour walk – but a far cry – from the hectic Beachside, constantly buzzing with a billion motorbikes, delivery vehicles and tourists.
It would be fair to think the Riverside area now is where the “smart money” is being invested …
Coffee is Gold, in Vietnam
Nha Trang Riverside: Beautiful new mansions.
I’m guessing the owners might be coffee merchants?
In Vietnam today, coffee is “gold”; in the 19th Century Gold Rush, merchants selling supplies to the prospectors became the millionaires.
Here, start the day with a tin phin drip coffee, with ice and “sweet milk” …
Smooothe Your Way into the Day
Travel’s eternal question: what to have for breakfast?
Mango/passionfruit/strawberry “smoothie” nails it. Natural, nutrional, fibre. 25k dong (AUD$1.50)
Now all set for the day, in Nha Trang, Vietnam …
Haxtrax 