Viet Nam today

Today Viet Nam is a thrilling place to be. Resplendent with colour, exotic smells, and delicious tastes, it has risen from the ruins with its spirit intact. From the border with China in the north to the rice mills of the Mekong Delta in the south, this land of rivers and lush, emerald green paddy fields hums with activity. There are unspoiled beaches, peaceful lagoons, dense jungles and rugged mountains with roaring waterfalls. Visitors are graciously accepted and the Vietnamese people, in spite of their history of hardship, are always smiling and friendly.

Since the opening of Viet Nam to tourism, there has been a new wave of excitement in all aspects of its culture, with a growing emphasis on the cuisine. And, with the spread of Vietnamese refugees to different corner of the world, authentic restaurants have mushroomed in Sydney, Paris and California, all presenting an intrigue of flavours and history.

The Vietnamese are keen snackers. Their daily life is generally lived  on the streets so wherever you go there are markets, small restaurants, cafes and makeshift stalls made out of bamboo, selling or cooking every type of snack. The southern city Ho Chi Minh city is abuzz with the sounds and sights of culinary activity. The streets are so enticingly thick with the smell of cooking you could almost bite the air. From the minute the city awakens just before dawn, the tables and stools are ready for early workers who come queueing for bowls of the classic noodles soup pho. Others sit patiently waiting for the slow drip of coffee filtering into cups. Pungent spices like cinnamon, ginger and star anise tickle your nose as you navigate your way around the morning coming alive:sputtering motorbikes, pedestrians dodging traffic, tinkling bicycles (sometimes carrying fascinating livestocks such as ducks and hens spilling out of baskets), and fruit sellers weaving their way through the crowds, pushing carts of pineapple, mango or papaya, freshly peeled and kept cool on a bed of ice. You don’t have to look for food in Viet Nam; it finds you!

Markets

Along the Mekong Delta, some markets are on boats. The best known is the floating market Cai Rang, where the boats converge at dawn. It is a colourful sight as boats laden with bright green bitter melon, long, white radishes, scarlet tomatoes, yellow fruits and freshly cut herbs, bob peacefully in the water.

The Southern countryside village markets are more reminiscent of a busy barnyard. The squawking and cackling of hens and ducks, and other forms of livestock, remind you of one striking fact about the Vietnamese: most living form can be culinary art. The adventurous souls will be able to sample exotic offerings such as roasted dog’s head, stir-fried duck’s tongues, grilled field rats, monkey roasted on the spit or the heart of a venomous snake, all of which are part of the daily fare in these countryside regions. More colourful flavours will also include fish bladders, cockerels’s, testicles, crunchy insects, bats, toads, sparrows and turtle doves, crocodiles, armadillos, bears and sea horses.

Geography characteristics

Viet Nam has often been described as a ‘‘pearl necklace’’ perched on the edge of Indochina. The Mekong branches out into the South China Sea below Ho Chi Minh City and serves as a highway for boat traffic and trade. Its wataer source is a stream in the Tibetan Himalayas, from where it tumbles down through steep gorges in south-western China, through the jungles of Laos and Cambodia until it flows at a leisurely pace through the lush pastures of Southern Viet Nam.

TheSouth

As the Vietnamese will point out, their country is shaped like a don ganh - the traditional bamboo pole that is slung over the shoulder with baskets of food hanging from each end. These baskets represent the rice bowls of Viet Nam, the Red River Delta in the South, joined by mountainous spines. A long coastline and numerous flowing rivers and streams that carve up the land, provide Viet Nam with such a volume of water that it has a steady supply of its two most important ingredients: rice and nuoc mam, the fermented fish sauce.

The North

In the mountainous region of Northern Viet Nam there is still a large Chinese population, and the emphasis of the cuisine is on contrasting flavours and textures within the meal. The food is milder  in terms of spicy flavours compared to the South, relying on black pepper and indigenous herbs such as basil, mint and coriander (cilantro). Ha Noi, the country's capital city and the principal city in the North, is reputed for spring rolls, sweet mung beans dessert and its snail snack. The communal dish lau - which is often translated as ‘‘hot pot’’ but is in fact more akin to the French meat fondue - is attributed to the North, as is everyone's favourite noodle soup, pho.

Hue

Of all the cities in Viet Nam, there is none so representative of historical culture and academic learning as the ancient, garden city of Hue. Once the imperial city of Vietnam, Hue was considered the centre of haute cuisine. The emperor Tu Duc, who reigned from 1848 to 1883, demanded ingenuity from his kitchens to create refined cuisine. To achieve this, he expected and demanded 50 dishes to be prepared by 50 cooks and served by 50 servants for each meal. In Hue today, service remains formal and food is still presented in large amount of small bowls as if feeding the emperor. Here you might find crab claws stuffed with pork, beef wrapped in wild betel leaves, and mince prawns wrapped around sugar cane (chao tom). A variety of crops are grown in this part of Viet Nam, such as aubergine (eggplants), bitter melons, pumpkins, mangoes, pineapples and artichokes. Game birds, river fish and seafood are also in abundant supply.

Ho Chi Minh city

The Southern region of Viet Nam is characterized by Ho Chi Minh city, formerly Saigon. Once Paris of the Orient, it is the country's centre of commerce and trade. Southern food relies heavily on the rice and growing pastures of the Mekong Delta, and most produce comes from around the town Da Lat. Just about anything grows here, including avocados, white strawberries, peaches, cauliflowers, tomatoes, tropical fruits and salad vegetables, all of which are incorporated in the region’s dishes, which are served with French bread almost as often as with rice or noodles. Coconuts and sugar also provide the base ingredients for many dishes.