Vietnam Books - Something to Read Before You Go

If you're anything like me, reading books about a place is one of the most pleasurable parts of preparing for a holiday abroad. Here is my reading list for Vietnam:


Walter Mason's Destination Saigon - Ok, ok, so I wrote it. But honestly, if you want an intimate view of contemporary Vietnamese religion, culture and sexual mores, and a bit of a giggle, then this is where you should start. So many books about Vietnam are about the war or about colonial history. I set about writing a book that was telling stories of Vietnam now, and I really think I succeeded!











Andrew X Pham's Catfish and Mandala - Quite a superbly written book that is about so much more than Vietnam, this is a unique and compulsive read that offers a great deal of insight into what it's like to be an overseas Vietnamese returning home as a stranger. Books about Vietnam are normally told from the perspective of a foreigner, or are translated works by people living in Vietnam.








Gontran de Poncins' From a Chinese City - A French Count goes to spend a few months in Cholon, Saigon's Chinatown, in the 1950s. This is such a gorgeous book, and absolutely fascinating. There are very few books on Vietnam that deal with the Chinese community in any detail, so this is a real rarity.






Norman Lewis' A Dragon Apparent - More Indochina in the 50s, Lewis' quiet British fortitude makes him an excellent observer, and his love of the Vietnamese comes seeping through. Vietnam travel books are surprisingly rare, and really good ones rarer still. Lewis' is the best.









Graham Greene's The Quiet American - Yeah, yeah, I know it's on every list, but really it is quite perfect, and you can still visit most of the places he mentions in the book. If you're going to Vietnam, do make sure you read this book first.











Marguerite Duras' The Lover - Especially if you are planning on having an affair with a Vietnamese guy (though the lover is actually Chinese). Sensuous, historically fascinating and quite dazzlingly accurate. Not really full of Vietnam tips, but it creates the most wonderful mood and evokes an incredible era that is only now beginning to be romanticised and even celebrated in Vietnam.









Thich Nhat Hanh's Zen Keys - A unique insight into Vietnamese Buddhist monasticism. As well as information about the philosophy of Buddhism, it provides a great story to read about the life of a young monk, and how they were once expected to behave inside the Chua (Pagoda).











Kien Nguyen's The Unwanted - Absolutely the best account of what Vietnam was like in the years immediately following the end of the war. This book is a masterpiece and deserves to be better known. Don't wait to buy this one - it is one of the really good Vietnam books, and one of the most unique perspectives.











Duy Long Nguyen's The Dragon's Journey - A memoir about a Vietnamese refugee's journey to Australia, where he becomes a famous healer. A book about Vietnam and about the journey of the Vietnamese dispora.










Stanley Karnow's Vietnam: A History - Pretty solid going, but once you've finished it you will be entirely informed about the complex and long-lasting Vietnam war.











Ma Van Khang's Against the Flood - A little-known but fascinating fictional peek into the ghastly bureaucracy and stifling conservatism of Vietnamese life in the 80s and 90s.

Thang Ngo: Banh Mi Expert

One of the more interesting and unexpected culinary phenomena I have observed over the past couple of years has been the growth of popularity in the West of the humble Vietnamese sandwich, now referred to almost universally as banh mi or, in the States, the banh mi sandwich.

It has been quietly popular for a decade or more in the humble South-Western suburbs of Sydney where it was given the terrifically prosaic name of "pork roll." I think that hipster foodies are gradually shifting to the banh mi appellation, though where I live it will probably always remain a "pork roll."

My other half, Thang Ngo, webmaster at noodlies.com, has always been a banh mi expert, and introduced me to the joys of Vietnam's favourite processed-meat sandwich soon after we met, 20+ years ago.

He also conducted the great, and controversial, search for Sydney's best banh mi earlier this year, thereby cementing his reputation as the go-to man for all matters banh mi. And, being a purist, he still rankles at the usage of "banh mi." In Vietnamese, you see, "Banh mi" simply means bread, and the object everyone is currently enjoying is in fact called a "banh mi thit" - a meat sandwich.
Anyway, I knew that banh mi had well and truly entered the lexicon when This American Life did a story on it.
And it is still one of the cheapest, most delicious snacks you could hope for.

Two Days In Hanoi

Vietnam blues in an East-West fusion

Dom Turner is a legendary Australian blues guitarist most famous for his work with the Backsliders.
In one of those wonderfully fortuitous accidents of history, he made the acquaintance of a master blind Vietnamese guitarist called Kim Sinh, and together they have produced Two Days in Hanoi, a wonderfully quirky and utterly original amalgamation of what can truly be called Delta Blues, with a heavy emphasis on the Mekong Delta, in this case.

For me it is probably Kim Sinh's sound that is the most immediately familiar. I have never been much of a follower of the Blues, but I have spent much of my life listening to the delicate, sliding and mournful guitar sounds of traditional Vietnamese music, and sometimes from the very first pluck the listener can be transported to a state of wistful nostalgia and sadness about the bad times. And that, I suppose, is what the Blues is about, no matter where it might come from.
The songs and sounds on this amazing CD alternate between Turner's solid folksy blues, traditional Vietnamese sounds and Kim Sinh's own fusions between traditional cai luong and the more Western forms that have influenced Vietnamese music for more than a century. It makes for wonderful listening, and has been on high rotation here ever since I received my copy. Interestingly, while it had played almost all  he way through, including the songs with English lyrics, my Vietnamese partner, who had only been half-listening, said: "Where did you get this nice Viet CD from?" A true vote for the authenticity of the sounds, but, if you are listening more closely, there is plenty of innovation here as well, and it is an album that will intrigue afficionados from both sides of the musicological fence.
I was won over most by Dom Turner's song, Vietnam People, on the album, a real love-letter that I recognised almost instantly, a folk song from someone who has been seduced by Vietnam and its people.


You can get Two Days in Hanoi on iTunes, or purchase a copy of the CD here.
Two Days in Hnaoi is produced by the Fuse Group.

Once upon a time in Cabramatta, SBS, Starts 8th January 2012

It's not every day that one's partner is featured in a major documentary series on national television!

Thang Ngo and Joey - both featured in the upcoming documentary

We know Cabramatta now as the exciting, vibrant foodie destination. It wasn’t always like that. Once upon a time, it was more well known for the ‘junkie express’ and as the heroin capital of Australia. SBS explores the amazing transformation in this landmark, 3 part documentary on SBS One, from 8th January 2012.

The Vietnamese Goddess Thanh Mau outside the temple dedicated to her in Cabramatta

“Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta is the untold story of how the Vietnamese community overcame the odds and found their place in multicultural Australia. From Prime Minister Fraser’s landmark decision to open Australia’s doors to thousands of refugees at the end of the Vietnam War, this three part series follows the Vietnamese people of Cabramatta as they struggle to find their place in a foreign land. The 80s and 90s see the arrival of street gangs, a heroin epidemic and the first political assassination in Australia’s history. The Vietnamese people are vilified and demonised and it seems Cabramatta represents all that is wrong with Asian immigration. But as the century draws to a close there is a remarkable turnaround and the Vietnamese people finally find their voice – speaking up to claim their rightful place in their adopted home. Cabramatta becomes a community transformed. Australia, a continent changed forever.” SBS publicity.

See the video sneak peek for a taste of what’s to come.

Sydney's Top 5 Best Vietnamese Restaurants

It's a big call, I know, but I am about to name Sydney's 5 best Vietnamese restaurants.
I realise that as soon as I do this I will be inundated with people saying "But what about..."
I concede that I have left some fantastic restaurants out, but I had to make a decision, and this is the outcome.
One of the unifying themes across all of these restaurants is that none of them are really very fancy places. I can normally tell how bad a restaurant is going to be by quickly assessing its decor. The more stylish and designed a restaurant, the worse its food. No exceptions.
My qualifications to make these judgements? I love food, and my partner and I eat out almost every night of the week - at least 3 or 4 of those nights being Vietnamese (as you'd expect).
So here goes: Sydney's 5 best Vietnamese restaurants (in no particular order). Get out there and start trying some of them:



Phuoc Loc Tho - Situated upstairs on a side street in Canley Heights, Phuoc Loc Tho is easy to miss. But it prepares Sydney's best 7 Delights of Beef, a traditional Vietnamese banquet-style meal that presents 7 quite different dishes based on - you guessed it - beef. The charming proprietor has had a couple of very good restaurants all over Sydney over the years, and we have been fans of them all. Perfectly prepared, fresh, Southern cuisine at its absolute best - you can't go wrong here. If you don't feel like indulging with the 7 Delights, try some of the fry-and-roll-yourself dishes, and the Vietnamese salads and fresh rolls here are really top notch. Oh, and they do excellent sinh to, the sweet fruit shakes made with custard apple or avocado - a perfect dessert.

Phuoc Loc Tho
1st Floor/233 Canley Vale Rd
Canley Heights NSW 2166
(02) 9723 0701



Pho Pasteur - Right in the sleaziest part of Chinatown (they have a sister restaurant in Bankstown), Pho Pasteur is one of the City's greatest treasures. It's never going to win any awards for service, but the pho here is among the best in Sydney, and the other fast and simple one-bowl dishes are all outstanding. It is incredibly crowded at lunch, but there is a quick turnaround of tables, so you won't have to wait for long. They stay open ytill 9, so it's a great (and cheap) after-work option. Apart from the pho, they also do a great bun cha gio (fried spring rolls served over noodles and salad) and a yummy bun nem nuong (barbecued meats served over noodles and salad).

Pho Pasteur
709 George St
Haymarket NSW 2000



Nhat Tan - probably the humblest looking restaurant on the list, Nhat Tan is a Marrickville institution, though mostly frequented by Vietnamese. Primarily a noodle place, Nhat Tan has excellent pho, but also serves up a range of noodle dishes, and does really good cha gio (fried spring rolls) and goi cuon (fresh spring rolls). A small menu, but everything perfectly done. Trendy inner-city types normally head to other restaurants in Marrickville, but those in the know rate Nhat Tan as the most authentic and original.

Nhat Tan
310 Illawarra Rd
Marrickville NSW 2204
(02) 9558 9106



Hai Au - situated in Canley Vale, Hai Au started life as a tiny noodle shop close to the station. It got so that you could never get in, so delicious was the food, and so good its reputation. They moved onto much bigger premises down the road a few years ago, but on some nights you still can't get in. I have never had a bad meal at this place, and it is even starting to make a name for itself among the food reviewing elites. It charges a little more than other places nearby, but it can afford to, because the food is so consistently good. The staff are always happy and charming, though casual, and the food is served incredibly quickly. The canh chua (sour tamarind and fish soup), that staple of the Southern Vietnamese diet, is outstanding here - easily the best in the country. We also love the bo tiet bang - a delicous beef dish stir-fried with capsicum and pineapple and a wonderful sauce, and the suon rang muoi (salt and pepper pork ribs - very sinful, but irresistable!). The menu is full of amazing dishes, so get adventurous - try the bitter-melon salad if you're feeling really brave.

Hai Au Restaurant
48a Canley Vale Rd
Canley Vale NSW 2166


Bau Truong - right in the heart of downtown Cabramatta, Bau Truong is easily the best general (i.e. not specialising in a particular dish) Vietnamese restauant on the strip. The staff always speak English, and can be helpful if you don't know what to order. Consistently good, I like the way they serve the 7 Delights of beef - all on one platter to be shared by two people. Their bun dac biet (cold noodles served with everything) is absolutely delicious as well.

Bau Truong
42 John St
Cabramatta NSW 2166
(02) 9727 4492