10 things about Vietnam

February 16, 2026February 16, 2026 Sud-Scribeasia, Bánh mì, Cafe Giang, chè, chả cá, Coffee, Egg Coffee, food, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Ninh Binh, Old Quarter, Robusta, Temple of Literature, Trang An, Travel, VietnamLeave a comment

1. A country shaped by occupation, war, and reinvention

Vietnam’s history is layered and relentless. Centuries of Chinese domination were followed by powerful indigenous dynasties before the country fell under French colonial rule in the 19th century as part of French Indochina. After Japan’s occupation during World War II, revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh defeated the French in 1954. Decades of war followed, ending in reunification under communist rule in 1975. Early central planning brought hardship and isolation, but the 1986 Đổi Mới reforms opened the economy to markets and global trade. That long arc of occupation and resistance still feels present. Vietnamese patriotism is not subtle. Red flags with the yellow star hang from homes, storefronts, alleyways, cafés, and government buildings. It does not feel staged. It feels embedded. Whatever the politics, the collective identity is unmistakable. Today, Vietnam is one of Asia’s fastest-growing manufacturing and export economies, absorbing ideology and conflict while remaining commercially pragmatic.

2. Hanoi’s Old Quarter feels inherited, not designed

Hanoi has a chaotic energy that feels authentic rather than engineered. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Old Quarter, where narrow tube houses lean into tight streets buzzing with scooters, street food, and commerce. It is a mix of old and new. Vendors still wear traditional conical hats and sell food from pushcarts and shoulder poles, weaving through traffic as if choreography were involved. The area dates back to the Lý and Trần dynasties between the 11th and 14th centuries, when artisan guilds formed around specific trades. Many of those guild streets still exist today, though in muted form. Some even maintain small temples dedicated to their craft leaders. It feels like an economy that never fully reset, only adapted.

3. A lake, a sword, and a turtle

Hà Nội literally means “inside the rivers,” referring to its position between the Red River and the Đáy River. The Red River shaped much of the city’s geography, including Hoàn Kiếm Lake at the edge of the Old Quarter. According to legend, Emperor Lê Lợi received a magical sword inscribed with “Thuận Thiên,” meaning The Will of Heaven, to defeat the Ming Dynasty. After victory, a giant turtle emerged from the lake to reclaim it. The emperor returned the sword and renamed the lake Hoàn Kiếm, or Sword Lake. The legend lives on in Hanoi’s water puppet theatre, a performance staged entirely in water that blends agrarian life with folklore. Train Street, once a few local eateries along a railway track, has now become an Instagram spectacle. I am still unsure what the bragging rights are in sitting inches away from a slow-moving train, but it is undeniably unique.

4. Egg coffee was born out of constraint

In 1946, during milk shortages caused by war, a bartender named Nguyen Giang experimented with egg yolk as a substitute while working at what is now the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel. The result was cà phê trứng. Egg yolk whipped with sugar creates a thick, creamy foam that sits over strong coffee. What began as improvisation during scarcity became one of Hanoi’s defining drinks. The legacy lives on at Café Giang, founded by Nguyen Giang himself. We went there, but I found myself preferring Café Đinh, opened by a family member. Tucked away above a small shop with a balcony overlooking Hoàn Kiếm Lake, it felt less commercial and more intimate. The coffee tasted just as indulgent, but the setting made it linger longer.

5. Beauty at scale loses intimacy

From Hanoi, most visitors head to Ha Long Bay. We chose Ninh Binh instead, often referred to as Ha Long on land for its limestone karst formations. Trang An’s scenery was breathtaking, but the conveyor belt style boat tours diluted the experience. Efficiency came at the cost of connection. The same held true at Lying Dragon Mountain in the Mua Cave complex. The views of river and rice fields were rewarding after the steep climb, but jostling through crowds on the way up made it feel more like queue management than discovery. An overnight stay might have restored some of that charm.

6. Religion exists, but differently

Vietnam is officially about 80 percent non-religious, with Buddhism and Christianity making up most of the remainder. Yet spirituality is visible everywhere. Temples are often dedicated not to gods, but to scholars, royals, or masters of craft. The Temple of Literature, founded in 1070 and once Vietnam’s first national university, is dedicated to Confucius and scholars. It feels less like worship and more like reverence for learning and hierarchy.

7. Ho Chi Minh City runs on velocity

Ho Chi Minh City feels more intense than Hanoi, even with wider roads. The traffic is relentless and the air carries a distinct sense of ambition. Unlike Hanoi, there is less visible ancient heritage shaping everyday commerce. The city feels oriented toward modern growth rather than historical preservation. It reminded me of Mumbai in its dynamism, urgency, and willingness to embrace scale.

8. Colonial beauty and communist memory coexist

Ho Chi Minh City’s landmarks reflect both French colonialism and communist history. The Opera House, People’s Committee Building, and Central Post Office are elegant remnants of French rule. In contrast, the War Remnants Museum is heavy and confronting. At times it leans into ideological framing, but the documentation of destruction is detailed and sobering.About 90 minutes outside the city, the Cu Chi Tunnels make for a worthwhile day trip. This 250 kilometer network, built and used by the Viet Cong during guerrilla warfare, is both claustrophobic and impressive in its engineering. Crawling through sections of the tunnels gives a visceral sense of the conditions fighters endured. The adjacent shooting range allows tourists to fire high-caliber weapons. Shooting an AK-47 in that context feels surreal.

9. Coffee is infrastructure

Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee producer, primarily robusta beans. Robusta carries a harsher reputation compared to arabica, but it underpins the country’s distinct brewing styles and fuels a massive domestic café culture. The coffee scene is expansive. Chains like Highlands and Katinat are everywhere, while boutique roasters such as Lacaph and The Runner Bean add craft depth. Ho Chi Minh City even has an entire “coffee building,” stacked floor by floor with independent cafés. Egg coffee may have started as improvisation, but today coffee in Vietnam operates at industrial scale.

10. The best food sits low to the ground

Bánh mì, bánh cuốn, chè, and chả cá were highlights. The best turmeric fish we had came from a tiny place overlooking Train Street. The best chè was from a street corner in the Old Quarter. The Instagram-famous spots and polished chains were good, but they did not stand out. In Vietnam, the best meals often require a low plastic stool, a wobbly metal table, and a willingness to trust the place that looks the least curated.

10 things about Taipei, Taiwan

February 9, 2026 Sud-Scribeadventure, asia, Beitou Hot Springs, Chiang Kai-shek, Din Tai Fung, Longshan Temple, night markets, Raohe Night Marke, shaobing, Taipei, Taipei 101, Taiwan, TravelLeave a comment

1. History that still shapes the present

Taiwan entered Western awareness in the 16th century when Portuguese sailors named it Formosa, meaning “beautiful.” After brief European involvement, the island came under Chinese rule, first by Ming loyalists and later the Qing dynasty. In 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War and remained a Japanese colony for fifty years, a period that strongly shaped its modernization. After World War II, Taiwan was placed under the Republic of China, and in 1949 the losing side of the Chinese Civil War retreated there and rebuilt the state. Decades of martial law eventually gave way to a vibrant democracy. Today, there is a quiet tension tied to the relationship with China. Patriotic sentiment runs high, but politics often split by generation, with the older generation leaning toward the KMT and younger Taiwanese strongly preferring the Democratic Progressive Party and its more skeptical view of reconciliation.

2. A dense city with real neighborhood texture

Taipei is a city of about 2.5 million people, with 7.5 million in the larger metro area. It is not a global megacity, but it is very dense, which gives rise to neighborhoods with distinct identities. Xinyi is the modern business district, while adjacent Songshan has luxury hotels, shopping, and one of the largest night markets. Wanhua is one of the oldest parts of the city, named after an indigenous word meaning canoe or raft, reflecting its early role as a trading hub. Ximending, or Ximen, is foodie central, with walkable streets and a nonstop stream of local eateries. Zhongshan feels like a more polished, upscale version of Ximen, with better international food and a quieter confidence.

3. Taipei 101 is more interesting up close

Taipei 101 is Taiwan’s most recognizable landmark and was once the tallest building in the world when it opened in 2004. What makes it interesting is not the height but the engineering. Taiwan deals with frequent earthquakes and typhoons, and the building sits close to a fault line. To handle this, a 660-ton tuned mass dampener was installed near the top to absorb movement, and it is visible to visitors. The foundation is reinforced with hundreds of piles drilled deep into bedrock. Videos from past earthquakes show just how effective this system is.

4. Monumental spaces and serious culture

The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a sprawling complex of traditional architecture centered on a memorial to the state’s founder. It reminded me of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, which turns out to be intentional. The National Theater and National Concert Hall nearby are also striking examples of classical design. The National Palace Museum, about 30 minutes from the city center, is the crown jewel of Taiwan’s cultural heritage and holds some of the most important Chinese art in the world, spanning thousands of years of shared history. Visit on a non-holiday if possible, as it was packed on a long weekend.

5. Hot springs on the metro line

Beitou Hot Springs is a genuine gem. It is rare to find a major city with large hot springs within city limits, and even rarer to have them accessible by metro. The Thermal Valley with its boiling sulfuric water was larger and cleaner than I expected. There are many spa hotels nearby offering hot spring pools. It is hard to go wrong, though the experience itself felt closer to a well-executed hot tub than something dramatically different.

6. Religion without rigid boundaries

Longshan Temple in Wanhua is one of Taiwan’s oldest and most important temples, founded in 1738 and primarily dedicated to Guanyin. It also houses dozens of Buddhist, Taoist, and folk deities, reflecting how religion in Taiwan is rarely confined to a single tradition. People blend beliefs depending on the moment and the need. One practice I had not seen elsewhere involved moon blocks, which are used to ask yes or no questions by tossing them and interpreting how they land. It felt practical, conversational, and very Taiwanese.

7. Din Tai Fung still earns the hype

Din Tai Fung is one of Taiwan’s most successful culinary exports, but in Taipei it feels like a world-class institution rather than a chain. Everything from reservations to ordering runs like a well-oiled machine. The food was excellent, especially the xiao long bao, with delicate skins that held hot soup perfectly. I was surprised to find a vegetarian xiao long bao, which I have not seen elsewhere. Even the sides like greens and shrimp fried rice were executed at a high level. I went back multiple times, helped by the fact that it was far more affordable than in the US.

8. Boba as a daily staple

Taiwan is the home of world-class boba tea, and it shows. It is high quality, cheap, and everywhere. My favorite classic milk tea was from Oolong Tea Project, where the tea flavor was prominent and the sweetness restrained. Chun Shui Tang was a close second but felt slightly heavier. Traditional milk teas often use non-dairy creamers, which have great mouthfeel but can feel heavy on the stomach. Fresh milk options are common in Taipei and a better alternative. Mazu Factory’s brown sugar milk was excellent but almost felt like a meal due to their use of very thick milk.

9. Breakfast done simply

Taiwan does breakfast well, mostly through small mom and pop shops serving traditional fare. The standout for me was shaobing, a sesame flatbread stuffed with an omelet loaded with scallions. Soy milk was more inconsistent than expected and often sweeter, though still worth trying. Fuhang Soy Milk was extremely crowded and touristy. The sesame buns were very good, but adding youtiao made the sandwich greasy and too heavy.

Fu Hang Soy Milk, a Michelin-rated eatery in Taipei, specializes in traditional Taiwanese breakfast dishes.

10. Night markets did not work for me

Taiwanese night markets are supposed to be legendary, but they were a miss for me. Raohe Night Market was large, but many vendors sold similar items that were mostly deep fried and average. It reminded me of American state fairs, except those benefit from being seasonal. Night markets here operate daily, and some vendors seemed genuinely bored. One was playing a mobile game while making my oyster omelet. Stinky tofu was unique, but the smell was off-putting enough that I did not want to try it again. In contrast, the noodles at Chun Shui Tang, the dumplings at Silks Palace in the National Palace Museums, scallion pancakes from a street vendor off Shilin metro station and the tofu pudding at National Concert Hall were spectacular. The pineapple cakes, however, were excellent. SunnyHills stood out as the gold standard. They are pricier, but the quality shows.

7 things about Sri Lanka

January 16, 2024 Sud-Scribeasia, Dambulla, kandy, Polonnaruwa, Sambol, Sigirya, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Tourism, srilanka, TravelLeave a comment

1. Sri Lanka, an island off the southern coast of India, witnessed governance by 181 monarchs from the 3rd century BC until the 15th century. The Anuradhapura monarchs held sway until the 11th century AD, followed by different dynasties. The final dynasty emerged in Kandy. Colonial rule by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British lasted from the 16th to the 19th century. Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948 but remained in the Commonwealth until 1972 when it became a republic.

2. Sri Lanka boasts a tropical climate with plains, coastal areas, and numerous beaches. The south-central region, a high plateau housing several ancient cities as well as Pidurutalagala, Sri Lanka’s largest mountain. This region experiences two main seasons: rainy and dry, with most rivers originating here.

3. Buddhism significantly shaped Sri Lanka’s history, introduced by emissaries from India in the 3rd century BC, possibly including Emperor Ashoka’s children. It was embraced wholeheartedly by the Anuradhapura Kingdom and peaked under the reigns of Dutugamy and Valgamba. Several dome shaped Stupas that were unique to Sri Lanka were built during this period. Despite attempts by South Indian kingdoms to impose Hinduism, Buddhism thrived and remains the largest religion. Sri Lanka follow Theravada Buddhism much like its South Asian neighbors and even made it into the state religion. Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle (Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Polonoruwa, Sigirya) is rich in Buddhist culture and houses many world-class monuments.

4. Sigirya had its origins as a Buddhist monastery in the 3rd century BC. Kashyapa I who usurped the Sri Lankan throne moved the capital from Anuradapura fearing retribution. He built a fortress on the rock to given him a strategic advantage and ruled from there from 477 AD to 495 AD. Eventually Kashyapa was killed in war and the capital was moved back. The urban planning features were way ahead of its time. Rainwater was extensively harvested, stored and transported via aquifers to fill the moat. Since the fort also housed the royal palace, no expense was spared in building out the grandeur. The entrance to the fort was in the shape of a lion that was carved off the face of the rock. Only the claws of the the original lion shaped are preserved till date but it is easy to imagine how it could have been. Sigirya is best visited in early morning because the heat and humidity is no joke.

5. Dambulla Rock Cut Temple, initially a monastery, was converted into a temple by King Valagamba in the 1st century BC. Seeking refuge during conflict with South Indian conquerors, he later converted it as an act of gratitude. The complex, with five caves, showcases 150 Buddha statues and paintings. The Cave of the Great Kings, the largest, contains statues of Hindu gods and King Valagamba.

6. Polonnaruwa was one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka preceded by Anuradhapura and Sigiriya. Established by King Vijayabahu I who ended the Chola rule, the town really flourished under his grandson Parakramabahu I. Several monuments that stand today including the water reservoir (Parakrama Samudra) were all developed during his reign. The kings of this dynasty were to known to form marital alliances with southern Indian kingdoms to keep territory. They were tolerant of Hindu religion but were very much committed to Buddhism. The temples to house the tooth of Buddha got bigger as the dynasty thrived. The statues of Buddha (Gal Vihara) are the best preserved ones in the complex. Despite highlights, Polonnoruwa might seem underwhelming compared to Sigirya and Dambulla.

Temple of Sacred Tooth by King Vikramabahu

Temple of Sacred Tooth by King Parakramabahu

Temple of Sacred Tooth by King Vijayabahu

7. Paddy is the main crop in Sri Lanka. Hence, a lot of dishes are rice based. For breakfast, there is pittu (steamed rice flour), hoppers (rice crepes made in custom pans), string hoppers (steam rice flour noodles) and Kiribath (rice cakes cooked in coconut milk). They are all usually served with pol sambol, a relish made with grated coconut, chili, roasted onion and lime. Lunch and dinner are very similar with an array of curries and vegetables. Typically, meat or fish curry, parippu (lentils), Gotu Kola Mallum Sambola (shredded greens with coconut). There is also Kottu (minced roti in curry) which is also a kitchen sink dish. It is Sri Lanka’s equivalent of Pad Thai. The abundance of tea plantations contributes to the popularity of tea in the country.