Hương River & Me

Especially for em Khỏe, Being able to swim, dive, twist and float in water is one of my dreams-come-true while swimming across Hương River is the most beautiful thing I’ve done. Hương, who runs through my hometown, is a tender, calm and fresh river. She cools down the volcano in me which is ready to […]

Photo Essay: Bịp Bịp Fruit Beeps for Childhood Memory

Especially for Bụi, For many Huế people, bịp bịp fruit (pronounced “beep beep”) is a simple and nostalgic gift from the old days when we ate more locally-grown and wild fruits and vegetables. Although it shares the same family with rambutan (known to the Vietnamese as chôm chôm), bịp bịp fruit’s flesh is yellow instead […]

Mrs. Đàm’s Cooking

I’ve been associated with my Pako* friends in A Lưới for a few years but I wasn’t impressed with their food until I met Mrs. Đàm. Her real name is Biên but according to Pako tradition it’s more polite to call a married woman after her first child. Mrs. Đàm does not read or write […]