Saigon Saigon

Tauranga, NZ

Every time I come back to Vietnam, there's always an agenda. This time, it was 2 concerts, celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Australia. I was honored and humbled to be asked to represent in this iconic and historical moment, especially being the child of a refugee! The concert went swimmingly well and the performance as well as the behind the scenes footage will be up soon on my YouTube channel HERE.

Of course in the moments I had in between rehearsals, dress fittings, interviews and photoshoots, I love to suss out the new hangouts and eateries as well as Vietnamese designers so here are my recommendations and findings:

1. Lunch Lady

Where: google map it. Just type in lunch lady and it actually comes up - it's District 1 :)

What: made famous by Anthony Bourdain, it's a street vendor. Don't expect fancy. You're on low plastic seats, in the heat and she cooks a different soup everyday sitting at about 35,000 VND ($1.50USD) They also have rice paper rolls at 5,000VND (25 cents a pop) so winning all round! 

Recommend: trying whatever is on offer on the day. 

2. Quan Bui 

Where: there are 2. The one i went to was 17A Ngô Văn Năm – District 1.

What: Vietnamese home style cooking, great for lunch or dinner but in a very pretty old-school setting, not quite as lavish as Cuc Gach but similar vintagesque feel. I went on a Tuesday and booked and would highly recommend it because it does fill out. There are 3 floors, ground floor doesn't have A/C and the other 2 do.

Recommend: all the traditional stuff - caramelised pork in clay pot, lotus salad, kankong or morning glory in garlic sauce, lemongrass beef. 

Pricing: very reasonable. You'll see higher end Vietnamese or ex pats here. 

3. Fê Cafe

Where: 26 Ly Tu Trong, District 1 (literally across from Vincom)

What: cafe newly opened by the founding director and designer for Valenciani, Adrian Anh Tuan. Super cute, small but full of character and befittingly designed. It also houses the Devon London line of clothing. What more could a girl want? Coffee and clothes :)

Recommend: coffee ... Duh! And their iced teas are fab too! 

4. M2C Cafe

Where: 44 Ly Tu Trong St, District 1(just around the corner of Quan Ngon, corner of Ly Tu Trong and Pasteur, and right next to Fenetre de Soleil)

What: cafe and restaurant. This place literally had its soft opening the day I arrive in Saigon this time (Sunday 8th dec) and 2 days later I was in there with the Elle Magazine girls tasting the menu. Opened by the same owners of the I.D Cafe, Art Director Dzung Yoko and ex model and entrepreneur Minh Anh so finely curated this beautiful cafe. Spread across 3 levels, the lounges through to the light fixtures, plants, resurfaced walls and who could forget the Unicorn are so carefully positioned to create a beautiful setting to have coffee or a meal. The food is fantastic! 

Recommend: Bun Cha (it's a vermicelli fish soup), honey banana smoothie as well as the M2C rice paper rolls! Tastes a bit like Brodard rice paper rolls in California! 

5. L'usine

Where: I know I've posted L'usine before but that's their flagship cafe on 151/1 Dong Khoi St. Their second one is 76B Le Loi St, 

What: cafe, kitschy hipster clothing and accessories, perfect gifting ideas and stocks Australian designers like Finders Keepers along with Herschel Bags etc they sell all their outfittings from lights to tables to decor. Just think Alexandria/Surry hills feel for you Aussies. 

Recommend: caramelised pork salad, a latte (real tasting coffee, not the Vietnamese coffee because sometimes you just don't need that speed hit!), olives and then of ochre some vino during their daily happy hour from 4-8pm! 

6. Dong Pho

Where: 57 Ho Xuan Huong, P. 6 District 3
What: a central-Vietnam cuisine restaurant! Seriously delicious and so many different dishes. Nice and quiet setting too with great decor. Seemed to have a lot of Japanese and French tourists.
Recommend: all the different 'savoury cakes' like 'banh bot loc', 'banh cuon', 'banh it' etc. There's also a French cakes section to the restaurant so go nuts, all you non-gluten intolerant people :)

I will need to do a post on clothing separately I think! 

That's all from me for now folks! Go nuts!

Love and grace,

Van-Anh

And for the Right Nows:

Wearing: lime green Dawn Lu Shoes, J Brand waxed denims, Tommy Hilfiger belt, LF peplum, Carrera sunglasses.

Favorite food: rice paper rolls ... Gets me every time. Oh and green mangoes. Major salivation happening right about now!

Current city: Tauranga

Next city: Bay Of Islands
Listening to: Pharell Williams 'Happy'

Reading: Shantaram ... Never got to finish it

Wish list: a GoPro Hero 3

Missing: the same amounts of food I devoured over the Christmas period. Plane food sucks! Oh and missing a hell of a lot of sleep too! :)

Fashion worlds collide

Talk about serendipity. So. Arrived in saigon yesterday morning and in true Van-Anh style, went straight to my place, freshened up and was out and about, roaring to seize the day!
First stop, the Park Hyatt for some Sunday brunching with a great group of people.

Second, the cigar club to tinkle the ivories for some friends, be a human Shazam for a bit.

Third stop, Fê Cafe (26 LY Tu Trong St) for some fashionising with Devon, a fabulous designer for label Devon London. She had just launched her A/W13 collection the night before which I was bummed out I missed on but now I got one on one time with her. I had already perused the look book so knew exactly what I wanted.

This is like one of my all time favorite hobbies. Playing designer dress ups with the designers themselves. Adrian from Valenciani was also there too  (being his cafe of course) so that was awesome.

There was another girl sitting there of which I thought was a journalist or Publicist for Devon or Adrian. She was about to leave and we said goodbye and Devon mentioned she was also a fashion designer from Australia. Wait a minute! Just wait on a minute! What? Who? Where? Which part? There's only 1 designer I love who is Vietnamese who is in australia. It was on the tip of my tongue.

She said Betty Tran. Oh my frickin god! I had been following her stuff for forever! And she was standing right there in front of me!

I was like 'omg I love your stuff, particularly your green dress that Jess Hart has worn'.

How cool was that? Sitting right there in saigon was someone who I had admired the designs and successes of for quite some time!

We chatted and rattled on about fashion and music! So cool!

Serendipity! It seems to happen more and more to me! Full of positivities and wonderful networks!

Love and grace,

Van-Anh

And for the right nows:
Current city: Saigon
Next city: Sydney (finally!!)
Wearing: LF daisy crop top, vintage gold poof skirt.
Reading: thinking, fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman
Favorite food: craving a Mekong Merchant coffee and also L'usine olives (random I know)
Missing: the US ... Weird I know but I do! Always wanting what you can't have!
Missing:

Saigon Hotspots

Good morning Vietnam!

Actually good morning to you all wherever you are in the world!

I've been so incredibly slack on the blogging, mind you i do keep a travel journal so many stories to be told. I guess it will be a bit of a new year's resolution to do a post once a week at least :)

I'm currently in Saigon and just finished the Love Heart 2012 concert last night at the New World Hotel of which was a raving success so thank you to all those who came out . Of course, i've had fabulous friends take me around the past week i've been in town - a lot has changed in terms of hotspots and places to hang out but more importantly, places to EAT!

So here goes!

1. Blanchy's Tash

Address: 95 Hai Ba Trung, Q1 (the old Sandals)

Word: The saigon version of The Ivy minus the 'bros' and fights :) Spread over 3 levels, there's the Bar, restaurant and terrace. They have Hendricks so i'm pretty happy there ... however consistency of the cocktails/drinks is a bit touch and go. Music is tres loud and sometimes a little too loud for a muso like myself but overall, Thursday is way better than Friday or Saturday. Pricing is above average, more aimed at the ex-pats. Overall, i do like it though.

Pricing: Mid-High

2. Chill Skybar

Address: AB Tower, 76A Le Lai St, District 1, HCMC (rooftop)

Word: think Hangover 2 - that rooftop bar with the awesome 360 views, circular bar. Well you wouldn’t be surprised because the owners of that bar in Bang ,m kok are the ones who built Chill Skybar. Nice vibe, a fair few high-end locals hang out here more than ex-pats but go up there for the views. The DJs are pretty good, cranking the house music. Cocktails are priced fairly high (Western pricing) and pretty inconsistent unfortunately unless you get the Westerner bartender to make it for you J

Pricing: High

3. ID Café

Address: 34D Thu Khoa Huan St, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, HCMC

Word: walking up the stairs, you’ll see chalk drawings along the black walls and enter the hole in the wall on Level 1. You’ll find a quaint little bar, infused with retro décor, old-school vinyls and vintage cameras displayed. Just a really cool hangout, food and drinks sitting in the mid-range price bracket.

Pricing: Average.

4. La Fenetre Soleil

Address: Level 1, 44 Ly Tu Trong St, District 1, HCMC (corner of Pasteur St around the corner from Quan An Ngon Restaurant)

Word: another hole in the wall but once you walk in, you won’t think you’re in Saigon. Cocktails, café style food and fruit smoothies are a must! Chilled out and surrounded by the mismatched mirrors and sandstone walls, this place also gets striped bare for private parties. Tres cool! Reminds me of Melbourne a lot with its loungey couches and mismatched furniture.

Pricing: Average.

5. Temple Club

Address: 29-31 Ton That Thiep St, District 1, HCMC

Word: This place is tres tres cool. Next to Fanny’s, you walk along a stone corridor with spirally incense burners hanging from the ceiling and stone pots lining the walls to get up to Level 1. Old French-style tiles with burgundy and brown couches, lamps and a gramophone in the corner sets the understated mood. Start with drinks and appetizers on the couches – mustard leave rolls are a must. Dinner has typical Vietnamese dishes, great quality and a nice quiet setting where you can hear yourself. It offers all sorts of wines from Australian, NZ through to Chilean and French reds. One of the coolest places I’ve eaten at in Saigon for sure!

Pricing: Mid

6. Le Bouchon de Saigon

Address: 40 Thai Van Lung, DIstrict 1, HCMC

Word: A French restaurant with much of a trattoria-feel: wooden seats, low ceilings, cellar-style walls and red and white striped tablecloths. French waiters and chef greet you and bubbly upon arrival sets the tone just right. French onion soup is divine however their escargot can be given a miss … a little too oily for my liking and not enough butter. To make up for it though, their beef tartare is served on a wooden board shaped in a cow … superb punch and kick in it, make sure you ask for it to be spicy J Great French reds available.

Price: High

7. Pho Ha Trieu

Address: opposite Hogs Breath Café and the Bitexco Tower. Ha Trieu St, District 1, HCMC

Word: Simply the best Pho in town and open to the wee hours of the morning. Street-style plastic chairs and tables, there is only one thing to eat here and that is Pho Ga (Chicken Noodle Soup). Their spring roll vermicelli dish is good too but you come here for the Pho. Fabulous!

Pricing: Cheap!

8. Kita

Address: Nguyen Hue St, District 1,

Word: spread over 3 levels, it’s a French-style café with the awesome typical tiles, french windows and curtains. Food and drinks are well made, more western style food oriented and you can find a good coffee here. They make the best french-fries in town!

Pricing: Mid-High for café standards.

9. L’usine

Address: 15/1 Dong Khoi St, 1^st floor, District 1, HCMC

Word: One of my favourite places. They make the red velvet cupcakes, a fab coffee, a very fashionable and hip place run by 2 Australians actually! French doors and floors once again but the place is attached to the L’usine Boutique as well making it a fabulous fusion of food, fashion and homeware style. You can find boutique clothing by local designers as well as quirky furniture, lamps, jewellery, handbags, sunglasses and novelty items like stylish toothbrushes.

Pricing: mid for the café. High for the boutique, but truly worthwhile especially with the one-off garments.

10. Ala Mezon

Address: 10 Chu Manh Trinh, District 1, HCMC

Word: a cool Japanese-inspired cocktail bar/lounge where you can have a quiet drink in a corner and hear yourself talk. Talk to Philippe Lucas, one of the owners and french bartender and he’ll make a bartender’s special. Spot on! With drinks called Very Ngot priced at $95,000VND, you’re rocking! Food is apparently great too (never got to that but my friends highly recommend it).

Pricing: cheap!

11. SquareOne, Park Hyatt Hotel

Address: Hai Ba Trung St, District 1, HCMC

Word: I was here for Saturday brunch and it has got to be one of the best brunches I’ve had. Free flowing food for $1,000,000VND and throw in another $500,000VND and you’ll have free flowing Moet & Chandon, reds and whites.

Pricing: High but so so worth it.

12. Cuc Gach Café

Address: 79 Phan Ke Binh, DaKao, District 1, HCMC

Word: Their original restaurant is nearby and recently, Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie ate there so there’s a lot of hype but this place is seriously the best Vietnamese food ever at a really good price too. Home style cooking, presentation is next to none, old-school Vietnamese bowls and chopsticks in tin cans. Fresh juices are served with a morning glory stem as a straw. You will feel like you’ve stepped into an old Vietnamese home. My favourite by far!

Pricing: Cheap – Mid.

13. Au Parc

Address: 23 Han Thuyen, District 1, HCMC

Great French style café/restaurant – I came here for breakfast and it had the whole works with fabulous energy juices, fresh smoothies, fresh juices, a relatively good coffee and nice ambience.

There are a few other favourite hotspots which I’ve failed to list here because I’m now in Hoi An and loving it, so til next time!

Adios and much love and grace,

Van-Anh

goodbye 2010, bring on 2011

The new year creeps up on you doesn't it! Before you know it, it's another set of New Year resolutions you want to write. I usually want to write about 10, but this year, I think 5-7 would be more reasonable.
It's been a real year of setting up new things, getting rid of the garbage that was part of my life and really preparing for 2011. There were definitely a lot of firsts this year - going on and performing on a cruise, performing in stadiums as part of The Artisans, the formation of the Artisans, performing my crossover songs ...
All i can say is it's been a good year but 2011, BRING IT ON!!! I haven't been as happy as I have been this year ever, but i know 2011 will bring me even more joy! I can just feel it!
Spending NYE this year in Saigon and this will be beautiful!
Good luck to you all for 2011! May it be filled with happiness, joy, success, amazing friends and above all, good health! without health, you will be able to do nothing.
LOVE and GRACE,
Van-Anh xx