Fullboy - Vietnam - Saigon - Banh Xeo and Beat Boxin!

We arrived in Saigon, jumped in a taxi and found the lovely Miss Loi’s guesthouse hidden down a quiet alley away from the noise of the main roads. The room had much needed aircon and we were treated to a fresh baguette with cheese and a banana every morning for breakfast in the spotlessly clean reception area. We only had to step out of the door into the pleasant, shady alley and we were greeted by small food stalls cooking up steaming bowls of wonton soup and fruit juice vendors selling refreshing tropical iced drinks. The roads around the district came alive from 5pm onwards when scores of motorcyclists would drive up to the many vendors and pick up their freshly cooked food to take home without even getting off their bikes. On one such evening, we were feeling very tired after a night out partying with a Vietnam veteran music band so I joined the hordes of people picking up their dinner and took home some delicious chicken liver rice and BBQ skewered pork to eat in our room. With takeaway service this good on your doorstep, and so cheap, it would be tempting to do it every night!

































The next evening, we took a short walk down our alley and sampled a local seafood restaurant called Nhat Phuong. There were a dozen or so fish tanks at the front of the restaurant where you could just point to what you wanted. We had scallops, mussels, clams, a variety of vegetables and some wonderful lime, chilli, salt and pepper dipping sauce, all washed down with some ice cold Saigon beer. The pick of the selection were the scallops dressed with peanuts and spring onions, delicious!





















































Before even setting foot in Saigon, I’d read of the Bahn Xeo, a Vietnamese savoury pancake stuffed with pork, shrimp and beansprouts. I’d also read of a legendary establishment to try the delicacy, aptly named Banh Xeo 46A. We set off determined to find the place and, after taking several wrong turnings and walking round in a few circles, we finally found it tucked down an alley off another alley. We sat down outside and ordered a Banh Xeo each. After a short wait the pancakes arrived and were huge yet airy and light. The filling of raw beansprouts, juicy prawns and crispy pork was wonderfully fresh and the pancake tasted delicious with or without the great selection of dipping sauces provided. There were salad leaves you could wrap the pancake in but I preferred to just eat it as it was. The hunt for great food is always worth it!!









































We ended Saigon as we began it, with lots of eating, drinking and fun. We were lucky enough to be around when Kila Kela, a UK beatbox artist was performing at a small club and we had a great night that lasted well into the early hours. The roads were quiet when we left the club and we decided to say ‘yes’ to two motorcyclists who offered to give us a lift back to our guesthouse. We whizzed through the deserted streets , security guards asleep at their stations and the dawn light peeking through the darkness. We'll miss Saigon.

Good Morning Vietnam!

It was a peaceful journey into Vietnam on an old wooden barge. There were only around six passengers on a boat that could probably hold over 100!! We had the freedom of both the lower and upper decks and enjoyed our first taste of Vietnamese beer as we sat on the barge roof taking in the wonderful scenery of the Mekong river and being waved at by the many people, particularly children, who lived in tiny little houses on its banks.

On arrival we were met by a gang of men on motorbikes and we agreed for two of them to take us to a hotel. This was our first experience of Vietnamese roads and traffic, my driver could barely see over my big backpack that was between his legs and bicycles and motorbikes were whizzing all around us. There were a distinct lack of traffic lights and approaching crossroads with traffic weaving all around you from four directions was absolutely crazy. I swear my driver must have had bruise marks in his shoulders from where my fingers were digging in for dear life! We thankfully arrived at the hotel in one piece and then Melissa goes and burns the bottom of her leg on the exhaust when she gets off the bike. OUCH!!

We went for a walk around the town and had a delicious pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) whilst sitting at the side of the road on little baby stools, taking in the motorized mayhem. There was something refreshingly different about Vietnam compared to the other countries we'd been to, it seemed a lot busier and it was great to see everyday local life unfolding before our eyes and having that first time visitor feeling. Tourism is still fairly low key in this part of the country and it was pleasant finding our own feet without the hassle of feisty entrepreneurs always after a quick tourist dollar. Back at the hotel and Melissa's burn had gone from bad to worse. I went to get a snack to eat in our room, a fat steamed pork bun with quails eggs, sausage and pork meat inside. The sausage and the pork had different tastes, sweet, salty and very meaty. They were really really good and I went back for quite a few more because the stand was just outside our hotel. We went out again later and found a nice little night market where we sat down and had some lovely dried squid and cold Saigon beer and just watched the world go by.



























The next morning and it was time to hunt down some coffee which wasn't difficult in the coffee obsessed country that is Vietnam. I went downstairs and the kind lady at the reception desk understood my request as fortunately coffee in Vietnamese is pronounced 'Ca-fe'. The coffee arrived some ten minutes later along with a pot of jasmine tea which we later learnt is used to freshen the mouth after you've drunk the strong brew. We thought that Laos coffee would take some beating but Vietnamese coffee has to be the finest I've ever tasted. The coffee tastes so good, it's strong like rocket fuel, sweet enough to rot your teeth and just an amazingly pleasurable experience to drink. If I have to be honest, the Vietnamese and Laos people put way too much condensed milk in the bottom of the cup and I would make a point in the future of asking for slightly less.


















Our next stop was not too far down the road in Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta. We arrived just after lunch time and we were starving and decided to sit down at the first restaurant we laid our eyes on which was our simple looking hotel restaurant. We ordered fish fried rice and prawn noodle soup and enjoyed every mouthful. The food was wonderfully presented and amazingly fresh, the fish fillet meaty and boneless and the prawns juicy and sweet. The clear stock was delicately flavoured with shrimp and soy and the crunchy vegetables and soft egg noodles were slurped up with delight. Our first tastes of Vietnamese food were going down very well!





























We mooched around the city that day and found a wonderful Chinese temple with hundreds of hanging incense coils burning. Afterwards we drank coffee, wandered around markets and had a few bites along the way. Evening time was upon us and we sat at an incredible streetside BBQ restaurant that was just yards from our hotel. The smells were absolutely divine and we sat at a table outside, just next to the man in action on his bbq. The Vietnamese menu arrived and after spending a few minutes trying to decipher it I decided it would be better to just go up to the BBQ and point to the meats we wanted to eat. The first thing to catch my eye was a circular, rotating metal grill with lots of stuffed leaves on top. They looked very similar to Greek stuffed vine leaves so we decided to give them a try. The plate had about fifteen fat, juicy stuffed leaves and we bit into them to reveal some seriously juicy minced beef. They were delicious and after we had finished them we had to make room for the mouthwatering ribs that were to follow. If I could have fit more meat into my belly I would have and if ever I go back to Can Tho, I sincerely hope this BBQ restaurant is still there because I still dream about it to this day!! I had to go back during daylight hours to take a few photos of the glorious hanging meat.




































Vinh Long was our final stop in the Mekong Delta so we decided to relax and unwind in a beautiful homestay located on an island in the middle of the vast river. The islands are connected by a series of narrow paths flanked by fruit trees, only accessible by boat and bike. We had a little walk, found a little house selling pho noodle soup and sat down. Melissa opted for the tried and tested chicken soup and I went for the chunky ironman offal soup. I don't know what the different offal bits were or from which animal they came from but it was a very strong tasting, robust soup and was polished off with glee!
















We had a wonderful relaxing time at the homestay, walking around the fruit tree gardens and swaying in our hammocks to the sounds of tropical birds. Our lunch banquet was a feast for the eyes and mouth, meticulously crafted, the food looked so good it almost felt a shame to eat it. The highlight was definitely the crisp skinned, flaky fleshed mekong river fish which we wrapped in thin sheets of rice paper, added cucumber, sweet basil and Vietnamese mint and dipped in a sweet soy sauce.


































































































Thoroughly revitalised we returned to the mainland and enjoyed some more tasty treats for lunch at a restaurant close to our hotel with a very convenient point and eat system. The top pick was a tofu dish that was stuffed with minced pork and stewed with various vegetables, a fantastic way of using tofu which I'm going to try at home. I've loved these point and eat restaurants on our travels because even if you can't speak the language, everybody knows the finger language! Our evening meal was great, a lau (Vietnamese hot-pot) where a big, steaming pot of stock is placed in a hole in the middle of your table on top of hot coals. The raw ingredients are brought to you and you cook them as and when you want. We were presented with beef, prawns, chicken, squid, fish balls, mushrooms, leafy vegetables, bunches of fresh herbs and spring onions. The stock already contained various leafs and a juicy fillet of fish. We had some dried noodles to add for our carb fix, now all I needed was some of their special whisky. The funny thing was they wouldn't let Melissa have any because we think it was for the man's 'stamina'!













































Alas, it was time to say goodbye to the bustling yet peaceful Mekong Delta, a place that will stay in our memories for a long time. Our next stop would show us a completely different side to Vietnam, roll on Saigon!!