The Food of Vientiane

On January 29, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Laos8 Comments

Although we were only in Vientiane for a few days, we wanted to make sure that we tried as many local Laotian dishes as we could. The food of Laos is influenced greatly by its neighboring countries as well as the French who occupied it. With that said, there are a few dishes that are unique to Laos. With Vientiane sitting on the Mekong River, fish from the river can be found on most of the local menus.

Mekong Fish in Coconut Sauce Served with Sticky Rice

One of the first meals that we ate in Vientiane was Laab, which is considered to be national dish of Laos. We had the choice of chicken, pork, duck, or fried fish, but chose to have it with pork. Laab, which means “good fortune” in the Lao language, is a mix of meat, banana flowers, fish sauce, lime juice, chili, and herbs. We also ate fish from the Mekong River that was in a coconut sauce. Another common item that we ate several times was sticky rice. We had a couple of different versions of sticky rice, some more flavorful than others. Fried noodles with beef, chicken, or pork is a local favorite throughout the region and we enjoyed having it as well.

We also ate a local chicken soup that was cooked and served with the bones in for even more flavor. Spicy noodles is common throughout the region and we chose to have it with seafood. The wide noodles were different than most of the other noodles that we ate during our time in Southeast Asia. We also had some crab dim sum that was light and refreshing. There are plenty of options for street food and coffee and beer are definitely popular as well. On our last day, we stopped in at an Indian/Pakistani restaurant where we had vegetable and chicken samosas.

No matter where you travel, it is important to taste the local cuisine as it is a window into the culture. The food in Vientiane, Laos was certainly true of that as well. The food was very flavorful and had just the right amount of spice for our tastes. We would certainly recommend trying the Laab, Mekong Fish, and Sticky Rice if you have the opportunity to visit Laos.

Ninh Binh Province Tour in Vietnam

On January 21, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Vietnam2 Comments

Known as the “Inland Halong Bay”, visiting Ninh Binh Province makes for a perfect day trip from Hanoi, Vietnam. There are several potential locations to visit when doing a tour of Ninh Binh Province and, unless you are planning to spend more than one day, you are going to have to choose which sights you want to see. One of the tours included the Bai Dinh Pagoda, which is the largest pagoda in Vietnam, as well as the caves of Trang An where the movie Kong: Skull Island was filmed. We chose to do what seemed to be the more popular tour that included the ancient capital of Vietnam, the caves of Tam Coc, and the incredible views from the mountains above Mua Cave. It was a full day tour that include lunch with a meal that is representative of the Ninh Binh Province.

Hoa Lu – Our tour started with a visit to the temples of Hoa Lu, which is the ancient capital of Vietnam. The temple of Đinh Tiên Hoàn is dedicated to the first emperor of Vietnam, Ninh Bo Linh. Sitting next to it is the temple of Lê Đại Hành is dedicated to Lê Hoàn who is the second emperor of Vietnam.
Boats Going One After Another Through the Caves
Tam Coc Caves – A highlight of the tour is taking a row boat along Ngo Dong River and going through the three caves that make up Tam Coc. Seeing the oarsman rowing the boat with their feet is certainly very interesting. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and is definitely clear why Ninh Binh Province is compared to Halong Bay.
Amazing Views of the Ninh Binh Province
Mua Cave – The main reason for going to Mua Cave is to climb the over 540 steps to the summit of the mountain to see the incredible views of Ninh Binh Province. The observation deck provides 360 degree views of the region and also overlooks Ngo Dong River where you can see the boats touring the Tam Coc caves. It is a very steep climb, but well worth the effort as you see the mountains in one direction and the rice paddies and fields in the other.
Goat Stew
Traditional Lunch – In addition to the restaurants, you could see women on the side of the roads selling cooked goat meat as we drove throughout Ninh Binh Province. We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant after visiting Hoa Lu and before doing our tour of the Tam Coc caves. We enjoyed a goat stew as well as some typical fried spring rolls.
Beautiful Scenery

When visiting Hanoi, going to Halong Bay is certainly a must, but if you have the time, we’d highly recommend doing a day tour of Ninh Binh Province. Most of the tours include a traditional hat to help protect you from the sun, which is helpful when on the river. Our Ninh Binh Province tour was one of our favorite memories of our time in Vietnam. The tour is typically 11 to 12 hours long and the tour company will pick you up and drop you off from your hotel in Hanoi’s old quarter.

The Food of Hanoi, Vietnam

On January 8, 2020January 9, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Food, Vietnam16 Comments

During our trip to Vietnam, we enjoyed a variety of wonderful meals with different types of food. There were plenty of seafood, pork, and beef dishes, including Bún Chả and Phở. We also had the opportunity to take a local cooking class, which was one of our favorite memories of our time in Hanoi. In addition to eating at several restaurants in Hanoi, we also took several day trips that allowed us to taste food from the countryside as well.

Bún Chả is a traditional Vietnamese dish that originated in Hanoi and is made with grilled pork and noodles with a dipping sauce. It is usually served with condiment bowls of minced garlic and sliced hot peppers that can be added to your individual taste. Fried spring rolls are also commonly served with Bún chả. We definitely enjoyed eating Bún Chả and even visited the Bun Cha Ta restaurant twice during our stay in Hanoi. Bún Chả was also one of the items that we learned to make during our cooking class and we’ll definitely be making it for ourselves at home.

Phở is a Vietnamese soup that is usually made of beef, broth, herbs and noodles, but it can be made with chicken or pork as well. Unlike Bún Chả where you don’t drink the broth, Phở is a soup and you eat the meat and noodles with chopsticks and use a spoon to eat the broth. Once again you can add hot peppers to your Phở in order to make it spicier, but add them slowly as they are very spicy. Our hotel recommended that Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su, which is in the old quarter near way were staying and based on the lines, it is extremely popular with locals and tourists alike.

Egg Coffee is another traditional Vietnamese item and something that we had a couple of times and also made during our cooking class. It is coffee that is made with egg yokes and condensed milk, which makes it rich and sweet. We also ate seafood at a restaurant on the shore of Hoan Kiem Lake as well as during our overnight cruise on Halong Bay. During our tour to Ninh Binh, we were treated to a meal with fried spring rolls and a stew made with goat, potatoes, and carrots. Goat was a traditional dish for the Ninh Binh Province. During our tour of Perfume Pagoda, we were treated to an overwhelming array of local dishes that included beef, pork, chicken, and vegetables.

Cooked Banana with Chocolate and Coconut

Obviously there are plenty of restaurants featuring western food, but we only ate at restaurants featuring local cuisine. Our chopstick skills definitely improved during our time in Vietnam as well since they were often the only utensils offered. We certainly enjoyed trying as much of the famous street food of Hanoi and the surrounding area as possible. We are definitely looking forward to recreating as many of the meals as we can in the upcoming months.