Vietnam Today

Today Vietnam is a thrilling place to be. Resplendent with colour, exotic  smells, and delicious tastes,  it has risen from the  ruins with  its spirit intact.  From the border with China in the north to the rice mills of the Mekong Delta in the south, this land of rivers and  lush, emerald­ green paddy  fields  hums with activity. There are unspoiled beaches,  peaceful lagoons, dense jungles and rugged mountains with roaring waterfalls.
Visitors are graciously accepted and the Vietnamese people, in spite of their history of hardship and suffering, are always smiling and friendly.

Since the opening of Vietnam to tourism, there has been a new wave of excitement in all aspects of its culture, with a growing emphasis on the cuisine. And, with the spread of Vietnamese refugees to different corners of the world, authentic restaurants have mushroomed in Sydney, Paris and California, all presenting an intriguing fusion of flavours and history.

The floating market at the village of Phung Hiep, in the Mekong Delta.

The Vietnamese are keen snackers. Life is generally lived in the streets so wherever you go there are markets, small restaurants , cafes and makeshift stalls made out of bamboo, selling or cooking every type of snack. T he southern city of Ho Chi Minh City is abuzz with the sounds and sights of culinary activity. The streets are so enticingly thick with the smell of cooking you could almost bite the air. From the minute the city awakens just before dawn, the rabies and stools are ready for early workers who come to slurp their bowls of the classic noodles soup pho. Other people sit waiting for the slow drip of coffee filtering into cups. Pungent spices like cinnam0n, ginger and star anise tickle your nose as.you walk about among the chaos of sputtering motorbikes, pedestrians dodging traffic, tinkling bicycles with ducks a nd hens spill ing out of baskets and fruit sellers weaving their way through the crowds, pushing car ts of pineapple, mango or papaya, freshly peeled and kept cool on a bed of ice. You don't have to look for food in Vietnam;  it finds you !

MARKET

Along the Mekong Delta, some markets. are on boats. The best known is the floating market Cai Ran, where the boats converge at dawn. It is a colourful sight as boats laden with bright green bitter melons, long, white radishes, scarlet tomatoes, yellow fruits and freshly cut herbs, bob peacefully in the water.

The countryside village markets are more reminiscent of a busy barnyard.

The squawking and cackling of hens and ducks, and other forms of livestock, remind you that one striking fact about the Vietnamese is that the re is little they don't eat. Roasted dog's head, stir-fr ied ducks' tongues, grilled field rats, monkey roasted on a spit or the heart of a venomous snake are all part of the daily fare. In these live markets, you will also find fish bladders, cockerels' testicles, crunchy insects, bats, toads, sparrows and turtle doves, crocodiles, armadillos, bears and sea horses.

GEOGRAPHICAL INFLUENCES

Vietnam has often been described as a "pearl necklace" perched on the edge of Indochina. The Mekong branches out into the South China Sea below Ho Chi Minh City and serves as a highway for boat traffic and trade. Its source is a stream in the Tibetan Himalayas, from where it tumbles down through steep gorges in south-western China, through the 1ungles of Laos and Cambodia until t flows at a leisurely pace through the lush pastures of southern Vietnam.
As the Vietnamese will point out, their country is shaped like a don ganh, the traditional  bamboo pole that is slung over the shoulder with a basket of rice hanging from each end. These  baskets represent the rice bowls of Vietnam, the Red River Delta in the north and the Mekong Delta in the south, joined by a mountainous spine. A  long coastline and the numerous flowing rivers and streams that carve up the land, provide Viet nam with such a volume of water that 1t has a steady supply of its two most important  ingredients:  nee and nuoc mam, the fermented fish sauce.

THE NORTH
In the mountainous region of northern Vietnam there is still a large Chinese population, and the emphasis  of the cuisine 1s on contrasting flavours and textures within the meal. The food  is milder than the spicy dishes of the south, relying on mild black pepper and the indigenous herbs, which include basil, mint and coriander (cilantro).

Hanoi, the principal city in the north, is reputed for its rice rolls, sweet snacks made with mung beans, and its snail dishes . T he communal disn 1/au, w hich is often translated as "hotpot" but is in fact more akin to the French meit fondue, is attributed to the north, as is the favourite noodle soup, pho.

HUE
Of all the cities in Vietnam', there is none so representa tive of culture and learning as the historic, garden city of Hue. Once the imperial city, Hue was considered the centre of haute cuisine.

The emperor Tu Duc, who reigned from 1848 to 1883, demanded ingenuity from his kitchens to create a refined cuisine. To achieve this, he expected 50 dishes to be prepared by 50 cooks and served by 50 servants at each meal. In Hue today, service remains formal and food is still presented in many small bowls as if feeding the emperor. Here you might find crab claws stuffed with pork , beef wrapped in wild betel leaves, and minced prawns wrapped around sugar cane (chao tom). A variety of crops are grown in this part of Vietnam, such as aubergines (eggplants), bitter melons, pumpkins, mangoes, pineapples and artichokes. Game birds, river fish and seafood are in abundant supply.

HO CHI MINH CITY
The southern region of Vietnam is characterized  by Ho Chi  Minh City, formerly Saigon. At one time the languid Paris of the Orient, it 1s the centre of commerce and trade . The  food  relies heavily on the rice  bowl and growing pastures of the Mekong Delta, and most produce comes from around Dalat. Just about anything grows here, including avocados, white strawberries, peaches, caulif lowers, tomatoes, tropical fruits and salad vegetables, all of which are incorporated in the region's dishes, which are served with French bread almost as often as. with rice or noodles . Coconuts and sugar  cane  provide the base ingredients  for  many dishes.
(Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – The Pearl Of The Far East)