Vietnam – Coffee and others curiosites

Not everyone knows that Vietnam is one of the largest coffee producers in the world, but once you arrive there you will immediately realize why. When I arrived in Vietnam, I noticed that everyone spend a lot of time in cafeterias including other teachers; I have never been a lover of this drink and I never imagined that I would become so dependent on it. Coffee in Vietnam is, in fact, the thing that I liked the most and that I miss most. If you are lucky enough to make a trip around here, try the Cà phê sua dá, a cold coffee, with condensed milk, filtered with a filter of the French heritage. The Cà phê trong is instead an egg coffee, and in Hanoi, there is a very nice place, with beautiful interior design and with a panoramic view, the Café Pho Co. But another coffee I was crazy about, is the coconut coffee, sublime but not easy to find compared to the more traditional cold coffee.

At Hai Phong, we used to go to the Secret Garden, which is exactly how you would imagine by its name but if you are just in Hanoi or in Ho Chi Min City do not miss a stop at Cong Caphe. The coffee culture in Vietnam is quite different from the one we are used to in Italy/Europe. Here, in the cafes, you meet for study, for appointments, for business meetings, for talks, or simply to spend time with peace of mind. For example, we went there to prepare our lessons, or to converse informally with our students. Or, to dedicate each one to our passions, the vision of television series, the writing, the playing of a musical instrument. This is one of those habits that I miss a lot and I wish there were also from us, and of course, I’m not talking about Starbucks, I’m talking in an authentic local place.

Coffee aside, for those who love sweets, there is a lot of choices because due to the French domination, there are many patisseries, boulangerie, but also the local bakery is very good.

Vietnam’s most famous food, also somewhat retouched from the French era, is the Bahn Mih, a baguette with inside, meat, eggs and vegetables that you can often ask for in the vegetarian version. The Vietnamese cuisine, personally not good like the Thai one, it still reserves some nice surprises even for those like me who do not eat meat. In Hanoi, just go to the Bo Nam Bo Cửa Đông Bun, famous for its beef noodles, where you can also enjoy an excellent vegetarian version.

Perhaps not everyone knows that Vietnam is the country with the highest number of scooters per capita in the world. Imagine the streets full of motorcycles drive without an apparent logic, at least for us. Even if you are an expert biker it is good to pay a lot of attention, because accidents (however less than expected) are always around the corner.

In my opinion, the Vietnamese inherited the typical French style of those who do not understand or pretend not to do so if the words are not pronounced correctly. One of the first things I did when I set foot in Vietnamese land was to try and learn some words, but in spite of my efforts I found myself on more than one occasion to repeat the same words over and over again and only using the correct pronunciation, they understood what they were asking. I state that I had also shown them that word in writing!

It is said that the Vietnamese eat everything that moves… it’s true! Being a vegetarian, I did a little effort to make my way through the Vietnamese cuisine and discover dishes that did not contain meat, but at the same time, this has prevented me from having unpleasant surprises.

As for the dogs, which the Vietnamese people consume, it is curious to see how this animal is both eaten and considered as a pet. I have often seen people take nice dogs for a walk, as I have also seen dogs being transported in cages behind motorcycles… So based on what a dog is chosen to be eaten? I asked this question to a Vietnamese friend and he jokingly told me that ugly dogs will be eaten, while the beautiful ones, no… sigh!

In my opinion, Vietnam is the Country of bedbugs. These little insects that suck your blood at night, have been my real nightmare for several months! These minuscule insects are hard to kill and they creep themselves in almost anywhere because they are very flat and therefore hide where it is difficult to see them. They are also nicknamed as the insects of the traveler because it is easy to find them in their backpack and travel together without realizing it immediately. I had to treat all my clothes, backpacks, shoes, sheets, mattresses, etc. For several times, I washed it with boiling water, poison, and I froze them. It is, in fact, difficult to get rid of these little creatures because the eggs can last for a long time and it is, therefore, necessary to disinfect the rooms more than once. Ninh Binh, in particular, has been nicknamed by us the town of bedbugs because every time someone came back from there these insects reappeared.