Meghan and Prem have moved on. You can now find Meghan writing at Small Bag Big Appetite, and Prem at Disquiet. Thank you for being with us on our journeys!
Phở Bò on the streets of Hà Nội, Vietnam
This year saw a lot of travel as we kicked off the year traveling around Southeast Asia for six weeks, visiting India, Singapore, southern Thailand and Vietnam. We ate a lot of incredible food on our inaugural visit to Vietnam, many of which made it here. There was always fish sauce on the table and, on occasion, a “grand cru” from Phu Quoc.
Read MoreStreet scene in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is a bustling metropolis with millions of people and, probably even more, motorbikes. It’s a sprawling city with much more of a Western influence than Hanoi. Nestled among this modern culture are alleys full of local food vendors serving up traditional and inexpensive food.
Read MoreMarou Chocolate features heavily in my daily rotation of chocolates, so when we found ourselves in Saigon earlier this year, I immediately wrote to Samuel asking him if we could come see their factory.
Read MoreVietnam Railways employee standing proud
We hadn't planned transportation between any Vietnam cities in advance of our 3-week stay since we didn't know if our rough itinerary might change as we learned more about the country. In the end we visited five different cities and took a train or bus to get between most.
Read MoreSaigon: streets are a natural extension to everybody's home
This is Part 1 of a 5-part series on eating our way through Vietnam. We spent three weeks in Vietnam, starting with Hanoi in the north, making our way down over 1,000 miles to Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
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