VietExplorer

Whenever I’m asked what my favorite Vietnamese food is (a question that I’m unsurprisingly asked frequently as an English teacher) I respond with no hesitation – Bun Cha. The less common follow-up question, however, “Where is your favorite Bun Cha restaurant?” is always much harder to answer. Bun Cha is one of the most well-known traditional dishes in Vietnam , but its roots are grounded firmly in Hanoi. In its most basic form, it consists of pork meatballs or patties, pork belly slices, rice noodles, fresh vegetables, and herbs, all served in a vinegary, fish sauce type broth, though you’ll find slightly different variations depending on where you decide to dine. A simple Bun Cha at Mai Anh Bun Cha, 47 Xuan Dieu (Photo: Jason Law) Having lived here for years, I have eaten countless bowls of Bun Cha, but admittedly never ventured outside of Tay Ho in search of variety. Since trying the dish for the first time three years ago, at Mai Anh Bun Cha 47 Xuan Dieu, I’d been la

Hanoi’s tourism industry is expected to execute a busy cultural and artistic agenda in the last months of 2022 to attract international visitors, thereby contributing to realizing the target of welcoming five million foreign visitors to Vietnam this year.  Hanoi has been listed among the 12 best places worldwide to travel this fall by the US’s CNN Travel. Photos: Ngoc Tu Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Dang Huong Giang said that in the coming time, the city will hold the Ao Dai (traditional long dress) festival together with some South Korean events to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and South Korea this month.   “ Through organizing many cultural and artistic events, the capital’s tourism industry expects to help travel businesses to lure more international visitors,” said Giang. According to the Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association. Vu The Binh, the recent reduction in airfares by local airlines will