The street food in Vietnam was amazing. If I had skipped it, I would of missed out on a huge part of the culture. My favorite things were the fried hard boiled quail eggs on a skewer.
This was my favorite street vendor in Da Nang. He had the quail eggs and this delicious, sautéed corn. The kernels are larger and chewier then what we have in the US. It is served with a chili type sauce and it is delicious!
This vendor is making a traditional Vietnamese sandwich called Bun Mi.
This adorable little lady was making a flat bread of sorts along with flattened banana snack. I never got hungry walking the streets. There was something new to sample around every corner!
Shellfish anyone?
Bun Mi in Ha Long Bay. I love Van’s t-shirt and smile!
More delicious corn!
Anything your heart desired could be found on a stick at a street vendor!
This was a typical “street restaurant”.
Every city had it’s own signature noodle dish. This was in Hue. It was like a spring roll but it was wrapped in a thicker noodle. It was pretty yummy.
Hey, do you think I liked the corn???
We drank a lot of fresh coconut water. Half the fun was watching someone hack it open.
A typical night scene along the streets of Saigon. I love the woman’s face in the polka dots on the right. Two piece, same patterned outfits were very popular with the women.
Stay tuned, there are still more adventures from Vietnam to come!
The crazy power lines and scooters were the first things I noticed when we got to Saigon.
Look at all the stuff she is carrying on that scooter!!! Amazing!
A typical afternoon near our hotel in District 1 in Saigon. Note the child on the scooter without a helmet. That is just the norm.
(My apologies for the “vertical videoing”! I know Carrie is cringing! What can I say? I was caught up in the moment!)
Wade, at the rooftop bar of our hotel, The Duc Vuong. It was very scenic, a great place to have a cold beer, and the staff was super friendly!
Good Morning Vietnam!
Our first Pho of the trip at the morning market. It was delish! This noodle dish is served morning, noon and night there!
It was very common to see people preparing food along the sides of the streets. They don’t have the health department “A, B, C” ratings we have in LA. “When in Rome” was a theme on this trip!
Ice delivery!
The little kids were the cutest!
Saigon also had a lot of modern, high end boutiques. I loved this ad from a shop window.
I got these fun sunnies from a shop in Saigon!
This temple is at the top of a hill in Van’s hometown of Tay Ninh, about 3 hours outside of Saigon. Now you can take a sky tram up to the temple, but when Van was little he had to climb the mountain to get there.
This was another beautiful, ornate temple in Tay Ninh.
We spent a day with Van’s family for the End of Mourning Ceremony for his father who passed away 3 years ago. White is the color they traditionally wear for funerals. Here, the family was praying with Buddhist Monks. There were 19 of them present.
All of the white gowns worn for the ceremonies were burned for The End of Mourning. It was so special to experience this with Van and his family. A day I will forever cherish.
Stephanie and I got to participate in a prayer and offering to the monks.
These boxes were made up for the monks and included toiletries, a new robe, and cash. There were 19 of us who held the boxes on our heads and walked around the monks in a line 3 times before placing the boxes in front of them.
After the ceremony Van’s family had a delicious, catered, vegetarian meal for everyone. It was a very emotional and beautiful day.
Saturday night in Saigon. Look at how cute the girls are on the scooters in their date night dresses.
Party scene in the streets of Saigon where the tourists and locals intermix.
I loved this couple. They were a little apprehensive to have their picture taken as they didn’t understand English very well.
Van, Wade and I taking it all in. Saturday night in Saigon.
We have so many photos and I had such an amazing trip that it is hard to narrow it down. In this case, I feel the pictures speak louder then words. I couldn’t even begin to describe some of the things we saw, experienced, and ate. So, I will continue to share my trip through photos city by city. Stay tuned for more from Vietnam!
This weekend, my husband and I will be taking off on a whirlwind tour through Vietnam and Cambodia and I couldn’t be more excited! I can’t wait to see the ancient temples of Angkor Wat, meet my friend Van’s family and visit his hometown Tay Ninh, have custom clothes made and shop in Hoi An, relax on the beaches of Ha Long Bay, EAT all the delicious street food I can stuff in my face and see everything else in between!!! So, needless to say, I won’t be updating the blog until I return in April but you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to keep up with my adventures along the way!
People are always asking my on advice on places to go or eat and I love telling them about my favorite spots. I think I was a travel agent in a past life! They often ask how I find out about all of these interesting things and basically I just read a lot of magazines and blogs! Here are some cool things to check out in LA and San Francisco now!
Citizens of Hummanity Pop Up Shop This is the 10th anniversary of Citizens of Hummanity and they are celebrating with a pop up shop in West Hollywood. It is full of locally made goods, inspiration boards and cool black and white photography. It’s at 8747 Beverly Blvd. until the summer!
Nars Boutique I am a huge fan of Nars Cosmetics and can’t wait to checkout their new shop at 8412 Melrose Ave. West Hollywood
The End of the Night If you are a fan of French film and French art check out this exhibit at Lace Gallery at 6522 Hollywood Blvd Los Angeles through April 28th.
TOMS Flagship Store
This boutique, along with a cafe and coffee shop is just a stones throw from where the company began. 1344 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice
Thomas Lavin If you love interior design and high end furniture check out the Thomas Lavin showroom and in store events. It’s the perfect place to get inspired! 8687 Melrose Ave. West Hollywood
Garry Winogrand This photography exhibit is one not to miss if you are going to be in The Bay Area before June 2nd! SFMOMA 151 Third St. San Francisco
The Bay Lights Artist Leo Villareal has transformed the Bay Bridge with 25,000 LED lights and it will be on display for the next 2 years!
SF Jazz Center This new jazz center is open for business and includes a mural by my friends and neighbors Sandow Birk and Elyse Pignolet last mentioned here!
Last year, I finally came around to liking salmon, and now I can’t get enough of it. One afternoon, Wade made this delicious salad and now it’s one my favorite meals! It is a little time consuming to make, but all the ingredients can be made ahead of time, and they store really well. Here is Wade’s awesome recipe!
Poached Salmon Nicoise Salad with Citrus Tarragon Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
salmon fillets
butter lettuce
cucumber
capers
tarragon
hard boiled egg
red onion
lemon zest
grape tomatoes
green beans
asparagus
In a large pot of salty water boil asparagus, green beans and potatoes until tender. Cool in an ice bath then drain on a paper towel.
Poaching Liquid:
1 lemon grass stalk roughly chopped
1 lemon sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
3 cloves garlic smashed
1/2 onion roughly chopped
1 tablespoon pepper corns
1 tablespoon dill
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1 cup rose wine
2 cups water
1 carrot roughly chopped
Place all ingredients into a pot large enough for all of the salmon to fit on one level. Bring poaching liquid to a boil for a couple of minutes, submerge salmon in liquid and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Remove and chill in refrigerator or place in and ice bath. The trick here is to not over poach the salmon because it can get real dry real fast.
If storing, place cooled salmon in plastic bag with a little of the braising liquid. The salmon can be made a day ahead! Joel Brown thought this would make a great picnic salad!
Citrus Tarragon Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
pinch of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed oj or other citrus
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon (and more to garnish)
Top the salmon with more fresh chopped tarragon and lemon zest and enjoy!
