Rainy Day Retreats: Cosy cafes in Saigon to snuggle up with a coffee
Your guide to the cosiest cafes in Saigon to snuggle up to a hot cup of coffee and a good book.
15 Romantic Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City
Reserve a table for two at these romantic restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City for an intimate dinner and drinks with your bae.
15 Unique Dining Experiences in Ho Chi Minh City
While delicious street food stalls and fine dining eateries seem to be the norm in Ho Chi Minh City, sometimes it’s worth venturing off the beaten path for that one-of-a-kind culinary experience. Here’s a list of 15 unique dining experiences in Saigon to satisfy even the most adventurous eater.
Review: C’s Steakhouse
There is a new king of steaks in town. Nestled in the centre of District 1, this is the place to go for the finest in steak, service and downright sexy ambience.
Review: Umenomoto
An Umeshu-focused Japanese tapas bar with over 100 varieties of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic plum wine opens in Saigon’s “Little Japan”.
2022 Wrapped: Top ten food and drink stories in Vietnam
The ten most significant food and drink events that shaped Vietnam’s food and drink scene in 2022.
Review: Sóno Grill & Bar - the sweet sound of success?
Sono Grill & Bar, another recent addition to Saigon’s increasingly crowded District 2 restaurant scene, self-identifies as a lifestyle concept where “flavour meets sound.”
New food and drink spots in Ho Chi Minh City to check out this month
Monthly round-up: New restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City to check out this December.
Review: Elgin - what keeps me coming back?
Since its opening in August 2022, Elgin has fast become a favourite of mine (and many others around me). In a city no short of new restaurant openings on the regular - what keeps me coming back to Elgin? I can’t quite put my finger on it but it’s the vibe, food, atmosphere - a certain je ne sais quoi.
Review: TRE Dining, tres bien or no?
TRE Dining, recently opened in Saigon’s famous Thao Dien neighbourhood and named after the ubiquitous bamboo trees of Vietnam, is quietly making its presence felt in the local dining scene. Although, I don’t expect this to be the case for much longer.
Review: Aalto, another ubiquitous woodfired concept in Ho Chi Minh?
No, woodfire cuisine and cooking are not new in Vietnam but Executive Chef of the newly-opened Aalto by Hylo (ex-HypeAsia) Jimmy Garside, a native of Manchester, United Kingdom, is.
Review: Okra Foodbar, where vegetables give meat a run for its money
Your next date night sorted. Say hello to Okra Foodbar, a dimly-lit, sleek and sexy 15-seater hotspot with an open kitchen and chef counter helmed by Chef Jamie Celaya (ex-Chef de Cuisine at Park Hyatt Saigon and ex-Head Chef at Quan Ut Ut).
LUA - Taking all the food favourites you know and love and adding a twist to it
Tucked away in a quiet street is one of the most talked-about restaurants at the moment, LỬA. While it aims to be an unassuming casual establishment, its food and wine output are anything but.
Vietnam launches first circular F&B Accelerator program focused on reducing single-use plastics in the F&B industry
Schoolab, in conjunction with The Incubation Network and CL2B with funding supported by Prevent Waste Alliance and GIZ, launches ‘The SUP Challenge Program’ - an accelerator program to support and pilot local initiatives focused on reducing and eliminating single-use plastics (SUP) in Vietnam’s F&B industry.
VietHarvest launches in Vietnam to tackle food waste and hunger
On the 20th of June in Hanoi, Vietnam, Action on Poverty (AOP) and VietHarvest signed a partnership in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to tackle the problem of food waste and hunger in marginalised communities in Vietnam. Through the partnership and a sustainable social enterprise model, AOP will help VietHarvest set up operations in Vietnam.
Anan x Le Du x Kyo Bar Six Hands Dinner
A first-of-its-kind six hand dinner at Anan Saigon featuring not one but two award-winning chefs from Thailand - Chef Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn from the award-winning Le Du (#4 on Asia’s 50 Best) and Nusara (#10 on Asia’s 50 Best) as well as founder and pastry chef Dej Kewkacha from Kyo Bar.
How this wine distributor is getting Vietnam to sip more by dancing
This week, I chat with VIVA House of Wine’s Co-founder / CMO Edge Pamute about his playful and ingenious marketing strategy for VIVA House of Wine that involves secret speakeasy wine tasting events, courtyard disco parties and most recently, Vietnam’s International Fashion Week 2022.
Penfolds hosts a week-long immersive wine pop-up inviting wine lovers in Vietnam to “Venture Beyond”
If you’re looking for something exciting to do this June, why not check out famous Australian wine producer Penfolds’s immersive week-long (25th June - 1st July) space-themed pop-up which explores the unknown and invites wine lovers to “Venture Beyond”.
A Vietnamese Spirit Uncorked: A Deep Dive with Daniel Nguyen of Song Cai Distillery
To celebrate World Gin Day, I pay tribute to Song Cai Distillery, Vietnam’s first-ever gin founded by Daniel Nguyen in late 2018. This is not your typical ‘rags-to-riches’ story but rather one of grit, tenacity and a diehard daringness to create a first-of-its-kind Vietnamese spirit that bottles the spirit and quintessence of what it means to be Vietnamese.
Exploring Saigon’s Cafe Scene and Trends with Tri from @coffee.saigon
I deep dive with Tri from @coffee.saigon about all things cafe culture and trends in Ho Chi Minh City, gathered from his two years of combing through more than 100 cafes and interacting with over 65,000 cafe lovers and coffee aficionados in the city.