A Food Trip to the Edge of Madness in Vietnam's Capital

[@OTRontheroad]

Locations: Banh Mi: maps.app.goo.gl/PtdZRU61U8jiaNhs7 (one note: the actual location is an old street cart across the intersection from where we filmed; but that site was damaged in a typhoon a few days before our arrival. Please go here- it's amazing- but look for the original cart as located in the Google Map pin. If it hasn't yet been rebuilt, the place we show in the video is run by the same family.) Bun Ca: maps.app.goo.gl/ZfU5aPzoUywjPUii7 Coffee 1 (Cafe Sua): maps.app.goo.gl/R4tmL2p14RWxYR4s8 Coffee 2 (Coconut Coffee): maps.app.goo.gl/wZfMrDZQPQDtnSMMA Coffee 3 (Egg Coffee): maps.app.goo.gl/CgK6wXf8Ri9asVKw5 Bun Cha: maps.app.goo.gl/ERCGKXK7bbRmZgR78 Bia Hoi (My Personal Go-To): maps.app.goo.gl/3dDouyJMw6mVATny6 Buffalo: maps.app.goo.gl/azbLkNTZrcpHwffC6

[@kingwenceslas4225]

Omg I hate Mark Twat soooo bad!

[@KilanEatsandDrinks]

As an Indonesian, I have a deep appreciation for Vietnamese food, even though it contrasts with Indonesian cuisine in many ways. I enjoy Hanoi for its rich history and beautiful scenery, but for me, the chaotic energy of Ho Chi Minh City is where the culinary magic happens. While bún chả is undeniably delicious and I appreciate that the bún is always fresh over there, I still prefer bún thịt nướng with chả giò which I find particularly satisfying. I miss Vietnamese food so much! Although we have Vietnamese restaurants in Indonesia, they just don’t capture the same essence. I long to return to Vietnam, where even roadside stalls serve high-quality dishes. Eating while perched on a low stool, watching the world go by, makes every meal more enjoyable. Love you, Vietnam! Cheers! 🇮🇩 🍻 🇻🇳

[@thanhpham1647]

Love reading your message and opinion. It's like reading poetry

[@Mr.judele]

You must like sweetness. Based on many food Vlogs, I find Westerners and Americans prefer a lil bit of salty, sour, light and fresh taste.

[@d.b.2215]

​@@Mr.judeleSouthern Vietnamese food isn't even that sweet compared to what they eat in the USA

[@SumTingWong888]

@@Mr.judeleIndonesia palate are anything, but sweet.

[@KilanEatsandDrinks]

@@Mr.judele Ah, so you’re butthurt because I happened to enjoy Ho Chi Minh City’s food more than Hanoi’s, even though I have already mentioned earlier that I like bún chả? About sweetness-funny you’d bring up Americans, given they’re usually way ahead in the sugar game. But let’s be real: what I like doesn’t have to pass the Western taste test. I’m perfectly fine enjoying what I enjoy without needing to worry about what anyone else, American or otherwise, thinks. Sorry, unlike you I don’t need the tây’s validation. 🤷‍♂️

[@Envyapple98]

As a Vietnamese and living in US right now, I greatly appreciate you and your team working to make this amazing video. I am homesick because of your video!!

[@jonfranklin4583]

I love waking up to a new OTR video while having the first cup of coffee in the morning, another great video that spurs my travel lust, once again. Your segment on the rocket fuel they call Ca Phe Sua brought back my first encounter with it on my very first morning in HCMC. At an intersection cafe in Pham Ngu Lau I ordered coffee, my breakfast was half eaten when it arrived and when I took that first sip I was instantly addicted. Somehow, the Vietnamese had taken a basic drip system and figured out how to extract every last molecule of caffeine from very tasty beans. While I sat at that cafe overlooking the intersection jammed full of motorbikes, cyclo's, autos and pedestrian traffic in synchronized chaos while savoring that drink, heretofore unknown to me, I was forever in love with it and Vietnam. Thanks for all you do for the foodies and travelers of the world!

[@RoseRose-bk1cf]

I love the way you connect the foods, culture and history together which gives the audience a better understanding of Vietnam as a country. Especially the resilience how VN fends off the bigger and more powerful invaders throughout history.

[@EllisWR]

I bloody love Northern Vietnam! Special place.

[@Mr.judele]

Why haven’t you come back to Vietnam, there is plenty of food you haven’t tried. Any plan?

[@EllisWR]

@Mr.judele We will soon as we're back in Asia!

[@tomhelloo8594]

Thank you for the fantastic video and all your hard work. I truly believe that Vietnam deserves more recognition when people discuss travel in Southeast Asia. You made a great point in the video-Vietnam may not be known as the “Land of Smiles,” but when we do smile, it’s genuine, authentic, and heartfelt.

[@oatmeal255]

OTR coming through to give me a 40 minute upload right on time, I wish I got to make it to Hanoi on my last SEA trip it looks rad, definitely will make it there next time

[@roometraig8278]

Your Bangkok videos were my compass for an unreal food journey last year. Now, your Hanoi videos are setting me up for another epic adventure as I arrive at the end of November, 10 years after my first visit. Thanks for being the ultimate travel(?) guide!

[@sunalwaysshinesonTVs]

As a foreigner who did a 5 week motorcycle trip in Vietnam, I can say with a lot of authority, Vietnam might be the best place on earth to do a 5 week food food crawl. I love this place! And as is typical, you car people have no idea what you've missed.

[@TheHeraldOfChange]

Thanks. Hanoi is awesome. I lived there for 4 years. Its home to some of my best AND worst memories.

[@SeanSpeer]

You really captured the feel of Hanoi. Such an amazing city. I love evening at some trendy concrete brutalist cafe with Vietnamese hipsters spinning records and drinking their coffees. Great coverage of the history, too.

[@OTRontheroad]

The brutalist vinyl bars- this is one thing that didn't make it into the video but the midnight curfew on drinking was a huge part of my old Hanoi experiences- getting locked-in at some random place and then getting bombed until sunrise with the curtains closed and records playing. Good times.

[@khoatran-pc6tb]

@@OTRontheroad please please PLEASE make a video about those brutalist hipster cafes! As a younger Vietnamese I've always found it a little frustrating to have to explain to people that our foodways, for lack of better terms, is a costantly evolving thing, especially with the rollercoaster that is our recent history, the relatively young Vietnamese demographics and its clash with the traditional values.

[@mandie8477]

Great video! I apologize for being critical of your previous videos about Vietnam. I really appreciate you travelling all the way to Vietnam and doing profound research on the origins of each Hanoian dish and how it ties into the history and traditions of Vietnam. I also noticed the comments comparing the food (and everything else) between Hanoi and Saigon. Unfortunately, as a (half) Vietnamese myself, this is one of the negative traits that I dislike about some Vietnamese people. I call it the “crabs in a bucket mentality”. When a region or person from Vietnam gets recognition for something good, instead of being happy for their achievement, other regions/Viets feel the need to steer the traction in their direction. Especially given the history of the most recent Vietnam War, a lot of people in the South and Saigon specifically look at the North with disdain and potentially envy because of the long history of Hanoi/North Vietnam and its significant role in Vietnamese history. I’ve been to both Hanoi and Saigon. I like Saigon and the food there. But to me, it’s just another big city in Southeast Asia like Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. However, I love Hanoi! There’s just something about it that keeps you coming back and remembering it after you left. The food, the vibe, the many museums and the history, etc. Sure, some traditional Hanoi dishes don’t retain the same flavours due to the last generations of Hanoians moving away, but there are still a lot of other dishes that are nowhere to be found in any other places. And most of all, this is a documentary about Hanoi, its history and uniqueness. Can you people saying “food is better in Saigon” just watch it and appreciate the research and effort that goes into the making of this documentary and look at Hanoi as another cool city in the world? There is a bunch of other content on KZbin about Saigon. I’d say most videos about Vietnamese food are made about Saigon already so I’m very happy to finally see someone give Hanoi food the underrated attention that it deserves 🙂

[@crixtus]

The alleyway bun ca place is gold. Been there with the wife and this was almost 2 years ago and we still think of the place.

[@leehaseley2164]

An absolute masterpiece from the most wonderful city in the world ❤❤❤❤

[@michaellindauer6274]

What a great show! Well researched, provided good context, and ver informative. You convinced me-Hanoi is on my list. Others said it, you have to do the culinary capital Saigon next!

[@eswillie]

That is some damn good eating, but that's not what enthused me the most. This reminds me of growing up in NYC on the Lower East Side, with foods and people and energy. Tell ya what, things here in the US have been kinda stress inducing and also inspiring, but if I feel it's time ta go, I could see visiting and even living in Hanoi. Thanks for this video, made my night. And Bia Ho sounds like a good way ta go.

[@aungthanmoe379]

I really love eating Vietnamese food. During my trip to Vietnam in 2014, I was amazed by the cooking, and the country itself is beautiful❤. Missing those old days. So beautiful history and the culture ❤ . Love it 😊.

[@martyhandley4456]

Man this was great....excellent content as usual. Love this channel and it was really great seeing Chuck thriving down there.

[@TommyTovarish]

Thank you for visiting my country brother 😍 I hope you have a good time in my hometown.

[@CAVIAR-i8h]

I visited Vietnam ten years ago. For some crazy reason we did not venture out in Hanoi any of the three nights we were there. My upcoming visit at the end of January will be very different. Great vid as usual. Thank the team!.

[@Joseph-m6f]

You are better best food review dude ❤❤

[@tomekfranus8985]

Keep coming back. Please. And record it. 100% !!!

[@lamhoangg]

What an amazing video, I really appreciate the way you talk about Hanoi and how knowledgeable you are when sharing about it. The vibe of this video brings back the feeling of a documentary series from National Geography. Just a small recommendation for your video is to make the edit more professional, like the fonts, the transitions, to let people feel like a Netflix documentary, make it famous. Cheers to your great job

[@PKmuffdiver]

Your content just keeps getting better. Nice work. Oh, and please do Saigon next!

[@lebien4554]

You have great respect for the city and its people. Love from Ho Chi Minh city.

[@ucNguyen-pb8cw]

what a brilliant content, chef.

[@TheBopbopbi]

❤ best video I have watched for a long time.

[@nicklesdonofrio9439]

My favorite page on KZbin by far

[@robyn_roamz]

My friend spends part of her year out of Australia and in Vietnam volunteering at the Blue Dragon charity. They rescue children who have been grabbed for trafficking. I would love to see you show this side of the country.

[@DucDigital]

Super nice episode! We go full circle! Glad you had fun in Hanoi!

[@TheTkfreschie]

One of the best OTR vids yet. Great food, vibe, music. Man, you make me wanna go SE Asia agian

[@ClintonFerrara]

I sure like your shows. The enthusiasm you have for your subjects is catching.

[@veryvulgar1524]

My god! What took you so long to cover Hanoi! Thank you so very very much. This is the town I would like spend my final hours.

[@OTRontheroad]

I can see why you'd pick it. It's not for everyone but I'm with you.

[@misterd-lyangeleno3574]

coffee & bánh mì culture was already phenomenal in the south (saigon) during the years prior to 1975 which is the precursor of what is happening today. the original of bánh mì thịt nguội (cold cut) was with ingredients from french dish (mayo, pâté, cold cut, maggi sauce + fresh & pickled veggies) were all from the colonial french in the south. there's no other place in the world that has coffee shop culture like saigon - that's why starbucks can't compete and bánh mì holds off mcdonald's invasion ;)

[@gabbo164]

One of your best videos!! Hanoi looks amazing!!!

[@topdragon502]

Love your content and narrative... Keep it going, brother.

[@titmit6940]

Phở is great, but it's a gateway to just as good dishes, Phở is just Phở(tbf there are variations), but Bún is so much more, there are variations of variations. Bún Thang is probably the most Hanoian thing ever.

[@curiousaboutvietnam]

Very nice video.. 😍

[@vitovalpo]

Awesome historic review as well!! Vietnam is on my bucket list......

[@michaelbeavis6634]

Thank you for the video, what a wonderful country.

[@nickbangkok3365]

Great video Adam. Hanoi looks good. I might have to haul ass out of my Bangkok beanbag and get over there.

[@music3078]

Love your content :)

[@Jennyinaussie]

Hanoi food is always amazing ❤

[@starslight100]

Welcome to Vietnam 👍✌️🇻🇳😃 in vietnam .. , although the kitchen is not as nice as western kitchen but most meals are heated with fresh ingredients prepared traditionally ..., every meal is always hot and sold out within the day

[@viroraptor4725]

I love your take and deep understanding of my culture! Thank you and enjoy your time and all our foods. I'd love to see also if you can cover Saigon as it was also a melting pot of culture and cuisine!

[@Dracobear13]

Man I'm totally hooked on your videos. I love Thai and most Asian food. I've taught myself to make about 8 of my favorites (I love to cook), but I'm often sad watching cause for 2 yrs + I've only had a few bottom teeth left in my mouth and so many of those delights you eat I couldn't eat. Keep thrilling my senses. ❤

[@p5gBand]

Howdy OTR - how was your vacation (assuming you were on vacation back in the US). Welcome back to YT.

[@tadatadatube]

great narrative! Thank you OTR.

[@mmhuq3]

Thank you

[@nickbangkok3365]

Bahn mi make me hungry one na. Beautiful!

[@katerhansi]

Love your Videos. Keep on rockin! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@diggable]

thank you!!!! heading there in 3 weeks!!!!

[@sippou98]

Beautifully written my guy

[@bernardlokman5442]

I love how you still retain your Indonesian/Malaysian handshake!

[@OTRontheroad]

good catch

[@BellasBone]

I love the historical context you bring to food and cultural food Emerson and I’ll be on a mission now to c if anyone in my city offers Bun Ca! Vietnamese coffee is easy to find but I’d love to find it made with the meringue like you had! This was the perfect distraction from Election Day riff raff:-)

[@chatchaweewong1071]

Love it, next, please come to Ubon to do the ก๋วยจั๊บ (Kway Chap), it would be amazing, if you can pull it off!

[@EarthCamper]

Vietnamese noodles soup with chicken....you got to try. I can eat this every day....

[@mylesjude233]

Cool video mate, watching it right now and it's hella good. Say, if you were to make a History of video towards a Indonesian Dish, what is the first dish you'd want to discuss ❤ 🇮🇩

[@OTRontheroad]

Well, Beef Rendang is the obvious answer because it's my favorite food...but honestly I've already started work on one of those for somewhere down the road. It'll be Satay.

[@mylesjude233]

​@@OTRontheroadNothing beats a nice meat skewer. Awesome ❤

[@stewartl5109]

Thanks for the video it was very interesting… you mentioned Chuck Turners Cafe he owns?? Was that correct? Can you please share the name of his cafe and where is it situated. I’m here in Hanoi and new places is a personal interest. Omg I will try the buffalo restaurant that you ate at thx 🙏🏻

[@OTRontheroad]

Nah he is in architectural design- just has a cafe that he works out of where he hangs out.

[@shantanubharvirkar7759]

OTR NAAATIOOOON

[@joyyyy777]

Vietnamese cuisine is awesome. Have fun.

[@jim.pearsall]

Genius: multiple stacked plastic stools for the tall farang! 👏🏻👍🏻😉

[@AngkatanNamwaran]

Great video, I hope you could go to Manila next.

[@scotthammond460]

Wow Dude...so good.

[@dougsinthailand7176]

Welcome back! I wonder, Bia Ha Noi is made with barley? Probably there’s a fair bit of rice used in its production anyway?

[@chrisstubblefield5212]

Man, you're making me want to pack my bags and take a trip.

[@viewer1338]

haha u understand the sentiment of sitting w a drink looking around the city, hearing all the sounds, chatting, just letting everything sink in correctly 😂😂😂 thats why the coffee and tea culture here is so big. everyone is just waiting to sit outside w each other

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Bia Hà Nội* ! 🍾

[@rashkavar]

Every time you do one of these food crawl videos, I wish I could be there with you. But there's so many reasons I couldn't. My shellfish allergy is the big one - it's such a huge part of the cuisine (especially when you include things like fish sauce (which I'm told often but not always includes some form of shellfish) and oyster sauce, both of which are every bit as deadly to me as a pot of clam chowder or a plate of crab legs....or at least are likely enough to be that I'm not running that experiment!), and my social anxiety is another - if you find Hanoi overwhelming, I'd probably be curled up in a corner having a panic attack within a couple of hours. (And yes, I'm aware that there's probably ways to get around shellfish allergies in the region - I've looked up the prevalence of the allergy around the world and it's common enough that it seems like you'd need to have foods that won't trigger it readily available...it's just a matter of trusting my ability to communicate that need, which also ties in with the social anxiety thing.) And there's other reasons too, but those are the ones that make me feel it unlikely I'll ever manage to do this kind of travel. So...thank you for making these videos. They give folks like me a chance to peek into a fascinating part of the world that I'll probably never get to experience firsthand.

[@Dermot_G]

Egg coffee, so good!

[@jerryle379]

41:00 there isn't a famine in the 80s but shortage of rice results in import of buckweed from the Soviet to mix with rice beside potato, in the 1945 there was a huge famine up north cause the Japanese force everyone change crops from rice to something else for war production,the french and Japanese have rice but they doesn't open they rice storage to help the poor farmer,Vietminh gain so much support from this period cause they the only one raid Japanese and French rice storage to feed the poor farmer.

[@MrNguyenm3]

Digging the good cop bad cop script

[@iamafractal]

I’m going to Hanoi next month. Did you publish a list of all the places you visited?

[@OTRontheroad]

@@iamafractal check the top pinned comment!

[@iamafractal]

@ oh good! Thanks

[@AznVi3tx]

'I would be 200 kilos, but I'm starting to not care' 🤣

[@rashkavar]

You're not likely to find it in Southeast Asia, but if you're ever in North America looking for unusual foods, you'll find bison can be described in much the same way as you described water buffalo. I've never had water buffalo so I can't compare 1:1, but bison does make for an excellent, slightly more flavourful but significantly leaner version of beef. Highly recommended, though perhaps not for steaks where you need that lovely marbling to get a truly excellent steak.

[@thanhola2812]

video của bạn rất tốt, nó xứng đáng được 5 sao đánh giá

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Bia hơi Hà Nội* 🥤

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Bún cá* ! 🍜

[@tvoify]

Can you make a video on the origin of fish sauce?

[@williamwendling944]

The iconic bia hoi recycled beer glasses.

[@michaeldonnelly1037]

serious style biting tony

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Bún chả* ! 🥗🍜🍚

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Bánh mì thịt* ! 🥖

[@evasenechal8735]

(Thanks to you, I am travelling by procuration!

[@bengtianyap4689]

Good. Was wondering when you're going to cover in detail the food history of Hanoi. And next Saigon!

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Bánh cuốn* ! 🪶

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Chả cá* ! 🥗🍝

[@tktyga77]

Hanoi being a fort to fend off the Mongols thrice is no easy feat, especially given its defensible traits are a double edged sword. Have you heard anything about an upcoming hsr train link to go between Hanoi & Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City?

[@nameinvalid69]

39:30 😩😩 I'm hungry.............

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Gỏi cuốn* 🥜

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Nem ráng* ! 🥓

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Lẫu* ! 🥘

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Cà phê trứng* ! 🧋

[@SSRT_JubyDuby8742]

Like deployed 👍

[@jamesgreen5431]

In the US find a Vietnamese market and look for canned Ca Phe Sua from Highlands. Will make you forget all about that Starbox

[@lehoang3532]

28:00 The quote from Ho Chi Minh in 1960s sound strange - not because of the content, but because of the timing. In 1960s, things were... okay. Not great, not bad (at least, when we were under bombing), but there was no real starvation. Things were different in 1945 when Ha Noi suffered the greatest famine - 2 million deaths (estimated) in about 6 months. This famine ushered in the rise of Ho Chi Minh, as well as various programs to combat the hunger. This included limitation of liquor to get rice for the starving.

[@ChineseKiwi]

And it was East Germany and their coffee crisis that revived the Vietnamese coffee industry after the war!

[@tanie7615]

I mean honking in Vietnam is like warning that there is a car coming and you need to be careful, it doesn't mean anger or cursing

[@OTRontheroad]

Right but cursing means cursing.

[@DinhNguyễn-q9i]

*Chả cá* ! 🥗