Vietnamese people, old and young, call him “Tây” (Westerner) or “Ông Tây” (Mr. Westerner). At first, he had felt funny when a kid sang merrily “Ah, Ông Tây! Ông Tây!” or when the elder people talked to each other and a “Tây” was heard in their conversations whenever he passed by. But after a while, […]
Visiting the Lagoons of Tam Giang and Cầu Hai Lagoons with Ari
Especially for Ari, I showed Ari around Tam Giang – Cầu Hai, the largest lagoon system in South East Asia. We had a great time riding more than 60 km on the first day to reach Cầu Hai Lagoon, visiting the three-hundred-year old Thánh Duyên Pagoda on Mount Túy Vân, swimming in the blue sea, […]
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A rice harvest in Huế
It was a rice harvest in June 2010. Hard-work and happiness blended. The farming families all gathered on the paddy fields, making a really fun and chaotic working scene.
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A Lotus Season in Huế, Việt Nam
Especially for my mama, It’s a lotus season in Huế. If you could not be here now but happen to find this blog entry, feel free to linger a little bit longer to admire the pure beauty of lotus and to breathe some fragrance of life.
A Hidden White Horse
Welcoming you to a paradise of clouds, wind and sunshine; birds are singing and leaves together with flowers are greeting you merrily. Walking on a leaf-canopied lane leading to the top, you cannot help but think that you are on the way to heaven.
Steamed Rice with Honey Yellow Drops
Cơm nước mắm (steamed rice with fish sauce) is my forever favorite dish. It is a dish of the old poor time when my mother could not afford meat, or fish, or eggs for every of our meal.
When chef Mama is not at home.
She is a big fan of homemade meals but ironically cooking is not her favorite. One Saturday night, she flew home very late after a business trip so she had to miss her dinner. A few things that she misses when she is away from home are Huế specialties and homemade meals. She went to bed with the hope that her mother whom she nicknamed chef Mama would cook her a big lunch on Sunday instead. She woke up the next morning to find out that chef Mama would be away from home for the whole day. She sighed. Thinking about eating alone at a quán cơm bụi (a kind of local food stall serving cheap rice meals) or a restaurant made her stomach rumbled.
A sunny afternoon at the Modest Tomb
Behind her, the mossy stele pavilion, on which a writing of Emperor Tự Đức was carved, looks more magnificent than ever before. After a lengthy cold and rainy month, it is now happy to sunbathe in such a nice sunny day. Emperor Tự Đức named his tomb Khiêm Lăng (Modest Tomb) but there are 50 architectures in this complex including palaces, tombs, pavilions, lakes, and a theatre, etc.
Bánh mì Trường Tiền – a loaf of East-meets-West
In rainy and cold days, I love sitting close to her hot charcoal pot, nibbling bánh mì in the dim light and looking toward the well-lighted Saigon Morin Hotel, where Charlie Chaplin used to honeymoon, on the other side of Lê Lợi Str.
Unwanted Huế Specialties
Many local people will shake their head without hesitation if you ask: “Would you like some mưa Huế?” For me, I’d love some. Mưa Huế always arouses my appetite.