Growing up in Sydney where there is a massive Vietnamese community; I thought that I knew real, authentic Vietnamese food. With a Vietnamese bakery on every corner, I had practically been brought up on Bahn Mi, springs rolls and pho. Not to mention the French Vietnamese bakeries where you could get your fill of custard tarts, vanilla slices and apple turnovers!
When I was in Ho Chi Minh City I was literally living off $10AU a day including accommodation, food and transport. This GIGANTIC bahn mi was 40000 dong ($2.35) and tasted absolutely delicious!

sunflower seeds
The next morning my boyfriend and I were walking down the streets of Da Lat in search of some breakfast. We stumbled down a side alley to find a bunch of locals nibbling on a very odd looking breakfast and knew we had to try it! Not long after we were sitting with our feet up and chewing on sunflower seeds after learning the technique of how to open them off a local Vietnamese man. The one thing I still don’t know to this day is what that mystery fruit was that they served us! It was green on the outside and white inside. It tasted bitter and was quite hard to bite. The woman who owned the cafe served it to us with a plate of sugar but it didn’t aid the harsh after taste of the fruit.
I was absolutely starving whilst visiting the Thanh Toan Bridge in Hue so my boyfriend and I stopped at a nearby cafe for a bite to eat. The lady that ran it had two small puppies and I couldn’t even get stuck into my food because I just had to pick them up and play with them!
This lunch absolutely made my day as my boyfriend and I sat next to the two puppies eating their food as well. The lady that owned it was so sweet as well. She kept saying that next time we came back we’d have to visit her and have lunch there again. Only the next time we’d visit apparently the puppies would be grown up and I’ll have a ring on my finger according to her haha!
-Jen.
November 3, 2017 at 5:33 pm
Heh, I’m a sucker for Asian food. I can remember having a taste of different Asian cuisine as some of my friends during middle school were Korean & Thai. During my Uni years I had a Chinese girl as one of my roommates… boy could she cook. You’ll never want any “watered-down” Chinese takeaway (for westerners) if you have tasted genuine Asian cuisine. Unfortunately, I have not been to Vietnam yet, but it has been a while on my bucket list – so I guess I’ll have “a taste of Vietnam” quite soon. (Next stop is Indonesia once again for me though π )
November 4, 2017 at 4:32 pm
This year I have been to Vietnam and I really love this beautiful country. I love the food, the people, the places, ice coffee …:) Nice post π
November 9, 2017 at 7:59 pm
I’ve heard it was cheap but 10$ AU a day is… woah! Also… I confess I’d be just like you. Take your food back and give me teh puppiez!!
November 9, 2017 at 10:15 pm
yooo I know, local food always taste “different” when tried on the spot right?! Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of Asian cuisine. I say unfortunately because I spent quite big chunks of my time there π Safe travels Jen!!
November 9, 2017 at 11:17 pm
I am hoping to make it to Vietnam next year and I can’t wait to try the food. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it and it was so cheap
November 9, 2017 at 11:43 pm
Vietnamese food is my favourite! I got a 15 c Bahn mi and it was the best thing I’ve ever tasted omg. You’re making me miss Asia sooooo much!
November 10, 2017 at 2:19 am
I canβt believe you lived off $10AU a day in Ho Chi Minh City! The breakfast with sunflower seeds looks very interesting.
November 10, 2017 at 4:51 pm
I read the first line and I’m like what? Sydney has a massive Vietnamese community? That itself took me by surprise and when I read $10 a day, I’m thinking… SOMEONE BOOK ME A TICKET RIGHT NOW!
November 10, 2017 at 10:02 pm
Those puppies are too cute! That sounds like my perfect breakfast hah!! I don’t eat that much vietnamese, but I want to visit Vietnam so I will!
November 10, 2017 at 10:29 pm
Will be visiting Vietnam too <3 also wanted to see what the place could and would have offered. Truly beautiful.
December 1, 2017 at 9:32 am
Wow! Sounds so good. I’m going to try make my way there next year. I’m from Brisbane so $10AUD a day including accommodation sounds amazing! Haha. Is this at a hostel, Airbnb? π
December 1, 2017 at 12:15 pm
Awesome π This was actually at a hotel! They’re surprisingly the same price as a hostel
December 1, 2017 at 10:49 am
Oh man, I love Asian food! And that sandwich is huge! I remember the sandwiches in Vietnam being so DELICIOUS and the coffee!
December 1, 2017 at 1:48 pm
I’m craving some right now!! I agree on the coffee too, l used to have iced coffee there all the time π
December 1, 2017 at 11:30 am
Oh man! That giant bahn mi looks amazing!
It must have been so exciting to eat authentic Vietnamese food – I know what I’ve eaten in the States probably doesn’t even compare to the tastes and smells that you encountered in Vietnam. Thanks for sharing a little bit of your experience!!
December 2, 2017 at 12:34 am
I love Bahn Mi! And for so affordable – wow! I can only imaging what the real thing tastes like! I hope I get to try someday.
December 2, 2017 at 1:22 am
Amazing π An experience that was nice too share. Talking about food is a way that gets me hungry. I believe that it got nice taste π
December 2, 2017 at 4:59 am
So beautiful those poppies! I would love to go to Vietnam and travel all Asia! It is true that is sooo cheap!
December 2, 2017 at 5:28 am
Vietnam is such a fascinating place! I would really love to go there someday in the near future! I really enjoyed reading your post! Great work! Thank you so much for sharing! <3
June 22, 2018 at 1:46 pm
I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your blog. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Superb work!