Travel + Leisure senior editor praises Vietnam's travel and cuisine

Susmita Baral, a US journalist with a decade of experience covering food, joined a Vietnam: Culture and Culinary Adventure itinerary from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay and Ho Chi Minh City. Despite having sampled Vietnamese cuisine across the United States, Susmita Baral said she was deeply impressed by how each dish in Vietnam reflected history, regional identity and family traditions passed down through generations.

In Hanoi, the journalist was immediately drawn to the aromas of simmering broths wafting from food stalls. She sampled bún chả (Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and noodle) and other northern specialties, finding that each dish offered insights into the capital’s culture and history.

She was particularly fascinated by Hanoi’s famous egg coffee, made by whipping egg yolks with sugar and condensed milk into a silky foam. Created during a period when fresh milk was scarce, the drink became, in her view, a small lesson in Hanoi’s resourcefulness and creativity.

Susmita Baral also explored the capital by cyclo, watched a traditional water puppet show and enjoyed freshly made bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls). Visits to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Stilt House, One Pillar Pagoda and Hoa Lo Prison offered further insights into Vietnam’s history.

From Hanoi, the pace changed dramatically in Ha Long Bay. A seaplane flight over the UNESCO World Heritage Site gave her a striking view of its vast turquoise waters and thousands of limestone islands rising from the sea.

Writing in Travel + Leisure, the senior editor highlighted the resourcefulness of local communities, describing women rowing small vendor boats alongside cruise ships to sell snacks, fresh fruit and daily essentials. Often likened to “Uber Eats on the water,” the boats pull up beside cruise vessels and pass goods aboard in exchange for cash.

Another highlight was a ride on a traditional Vietnamese boat through Ha Long Bay’s mist-shrouded limestone formations. As the fog gradually obscured the towering islands, the peaceful journey offered a memorable way to take in one of Vietnam’s most spectacular landscapes.

In energetic Ho Chi Minh City, Susmita Baral observed everyday life through morning dance classes and badminton games in parks. She joined a food tour of popular local eateries, sampled iconic dishes such as phở and bánh mì (Vietnamese baguette), and later explored bustling streets and narrow alleys on a vintage Vespa, stopping at roadside stalls to taste local specialties.

Reflecting on the journey, the journalist said she came to realise that every bowl of noodles, cup of coffee and meal in Vietnam offered deeper insight into the traditions that shaped them.

“Years from now, I may not remember every dish I tasted, but I’ll remember the conversations, the stories, and the people behind each one”, she wrote.

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