Selected Food Stories

Female Chefs in Vietnam Thrive in The Kitchen

8th March is International Women’s Day, and in Vietnam, it’s a big deal. Traditionally, the day has propelled children to buy flowers for their mothers and husbands to cook meals for their wives. It’s also a day for get-togethers, and it’s still common to see large groups of women dressed in colourful ao dai taking photos in parks, restaurants, and coffee shops.



But in more recent years, International Women’s Day has also become an opportunity to rethink traditional gender roles in society.

Where to Eat and Stay in Hanoi's French Quarter

The French designed the French Quarter’s street plan over a century ago, but the Vietnamese have since made it their own. Motorbikes course through the streets, coffee shops spill onto the pavements, and parasite architecture abounds, adding a textured aesthetic to the orderly European blueprint.


The French Quarter is also a culinary hub. Of the 48 restaurants listed in the MICHELIN Guide Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City 2023, around a third in Hanoi are in this part of the city. In recent years, t