Gastronomic delights in Vietnam

Pho is the bread and butter of Vietnam. A steamy beef broth with vermicelli noodles, slices of tender beef, green onions and an assortment of do-it-yourself extras like bean sprouts, mint and basil leaves, chili peppers and fresh lime juice. Delicious.


Salad rolls are a fresh tasting mix of either shrimp or pork with rice vermicelli and other vegetables wrapped up in rice paper and dipped in sweet or spicy sauces. These ones came roll-your-own.


Spring rolls are deep fried flour rolls filled with anything from shrimp to pork and veggies. These shrimp rolls were the best I sampled (found these ones in Ho Chi Mihn City).


Woman making rice noodles. First they pour the rice mixture in a large pan over heat until it resembles a thin crepe, then lay them flat on straw racks. The racks are taken to a field and dried in the sun, later to be sliced into thin noodles.


Vietnam has a fabulous coffee culture. The French introduced coffee during their colonial rule in the 1800's. The coffee beans are often soaked in honey which lend the brew a sweet taste. Brewed individually in these tin contraptions, you can drink it black or with sweet condensed milk. Iced coffee is a favorite in the hot south and locals drink it all day long. Cafes in Vietnam are more numerous than restaurants.


Vietnam perhaps has the greatest assortment of native, tropical fruit in the world - most of which grows in the Mekong Delta. Pictured here in a market in Ho Chi Mihn City are durian, mangos, lychees, dragon fruit, guavas and many more that I don't know the names for.