I was lying down on the top of a black rock which was believed to be formed by a volcano perched high from the calm sea one breezy morning. No one to be seen around there so I had the sky, the rocky platform, the sea for myself. I tried to think a thousand things […]
The 5 Best Memories from My Second Visit to Hà Giang
Especially for the beautiful people I met in Ha Giang, I love traveling to new places and try not to repeat visiting a destination but Ha Giang is an exception. I visited it once in 2011 and last October I decided to come back to the land of mountains and clouds, the heaven on earth […]
6 Things Introverts Will Love about Hue City
As a solo traveler and introvert, I know how hard it is to find a destination where you can experience local life, get knowledge on its history and culture, appreciate its natural landscape beauty while staying unrushed and content. This is why I’m writing this list which is especially for the introverts like me. This […]
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 […]
What Makes Huế Food Different
Many people ask me what makes Huế cuisine different from the food in other areas of Vietnam whenever I tell them I love Huế food. Well, it isn’t easy to give them a correct answer, is it? However, in my opinion, apart from its elegant presentation and fresh ingredients, Huế food is amplified by the […]
Wrestling at Sình Village’s Temple
Sình Village’s Wrestling Festival (in Thừa Thiên Huế Province, Việt Nam) takes place in this village every 10th day of Tết – Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The wrestling festival used to be organized in the front yard of Sình Village’s temple but since the last few years the official wrestling ring has been relocated at […]
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A Serene Evening at Lương Quán Village
At the end of Bùi Thị Xuân Street, there is a piece of cropland patched with a few ponds nestled by Hương River. The ponds look like fragments of a broken mirror which are surrounded with bushes and grasses. Heard from a local man that the water in the ponds is from the close-by Hương River. […]
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Another Rice Harvest Season in Huế, Việt Nam
I still love going to the countryside during rice harvest seasons. It’s when the paddy fields are crowded with farmers and their family. Each person takes care of their own job and works in harmony with each other. I’m especially addicted to the fresh fragrance and the vibrant color of the cut rice stalks with […]
Happy Pancakes from Chuồn Lagoon
Bánh khoái is one of the signature dishes of Thừa Thiên Huế Province. Bánh is a kind of cake or food made of rice powder or paste; and khoái means “smoke”, some say, or “enjoyable”, the others explain. I guess both of the explanations make sense to me but I prefer the latter so now […]
Lăng Cô – A Town of Water
Lăng Cô is truly a town of water. You can see waters everywhere you go in this small town. Water runs through it; water surrounds it; water reflects it. I was pampering myself in Suối Mơ (Dreaming Spring)’s fresh water in the nearby mountains, wading in the Lập An Lagoon‘s brackish water with the fisherpeople, and swimming and […]