Making Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I am often asked what my favorite ethnic food is.  I’d have to say

Vietnamese. It has a lot of fresh veggies and is never too spicy hot. My all-time favorite breakfast is pho, a Vietnamese soup served for breakfast and all day long.   The light broth is full of flavor. On my last trip to Vietnam I learned about some other traditional foods on Pandaw’s Red River/Halong Bay cruise. 

I really enjoyed visiting villages and learning about the local food.  In a village in Hai Duong province villagers were making Green Bean Cake, a specialty food of the area, and wrapping them up for sale. The sugar-cube size cake is made of green beans, sugar, vegetable oil, essence of coconut, and

grapefruit flower. Years ago Emperor Bao Dai visited the province and was offered the green bean cake to enjoy with his green tea. He liked the flavor so much he allowed the Golden Dragon, a symbol of royal power, to be used on the package. I should have tried the green bean cake with some green tea because I found it too dry and with very little flavor. 

In Ninh Giang I tried Banh Gai, sticky rice cakes, made from glutinous rice flower, gai leaf, sugar, mung beans, and wrapped in a banana leaf. I found this much more palatable.  Rice noodles are common part of many Vietnamese recipes. In one village I saw rows of rice noodles hung out to dry.

An onboard event included how to make Vietnamese spring rolls.

The spring rolls make an excellent summer treat that is easy and healthy.  All the guests got to try making their own spring roll. Assembling the ingredients was easy but I need a little more practice to make my spring roll look as neat and as perfect as Chef Rotha’s.  The spring rolls are healthy and a variety of ingredients can be used. Chef Rotha, the cold chef, suggested using two rice papers to prevent the ingredients from breaking through. The rolls can be dipped in a variety of sauces but Chef Rotha was Cambodian and shared the recipe for his Khmer dipping sauce.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

14 round rice paper wrappers 

Several sprigs of fresh mint leaves

7 oz chicken, cooked, cut in 4 inch long, one-half inch wide strips (cooked shrimp, peeled, and sliced in half lengthwise can also be used) 

7 lettuce leaves

1 cup cooked rice vermicelli, cold

1 carrot, julienned

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip two rice papers (or one) in water for about 1 minute, until soft. Lay the rice papers on wax paper. Start layering, making sure to keep the ingredients an inch from the sides.  Place four mint leaves on the rice paper. Add 2 or 3 pieces of chicken. Top with a lettuce leaf, a small portion of vermicelli, several pieces of carrots, and then several bean sprouts Add additional mint leaves (or cilantro). To roll, fold sides inward, the tightly roll the rice paper. 

Khmer dipping sauce

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 medium red chilies, seeded and minced

2 tbsp lime or lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

1cup water

3 tbsps fish sauce

3 tsp ground peanuts

Blend garlic, chilies, juice, sugar and water. Add the fish sauce and stir. Stir in the ground peanuts. Recipe can be adjusted to taste by adding more water and/or fish sauce or chilies.

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Cruising Halong Bay with Pandaw

The towering limestone, forest-covered karst formations in Halong Bay are the iconic image of Vietnam. They are much-loved by the Vietnamese, have been featured in various movies, and have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The 10-day cruise John and I took on Pandaw’s Red River ended in Halong Bay.  The perfect place to end an amazing trip.  

We learned there are two Halong Bays – one on land and one in the Gulf of Tonkin. Pandaw’s crew takes care of everything.  A bus took us from the boat to a place where they had small human-powered boats waiting for us. The ladies rowed using their feet.  The hour-long ride along a stream took us past towering karst formations and through two low caves.  The second cave ended in a lake-like area surrounded by the cone-like

mountains.  We stayed there for about 15 minutes – I thought to give the ladies a rest – instead our rower gave us a back massage. After the boat ride we visited a nearby temple then returned to the boat.  Every time we returned to the ship after a shore trip three of the staff members were waiting for us.  One to give us a refreshing lemongrass-scented towel, one take our shoes so they can clean them, and another staff member with a refreshing fruit drink. 

We continued on the Red River to the Gulf of Tonkin and the better-known Halong Bay. When we reached Halong Bay we sailed around some of the 1,969 formations. In Vietnamese Halong means “descending dragon.” According to the local legend the Jade Emperor, the supreme Chinese deity, sent the Mother Dragon to help the Vietnamese fight fierce invaders coming from the sea and incinerated them with their divine fire and giant emeralds. The emeralds from the dragon’s mouth were scattered and formed an invincible defensive wall. After thousands of years, the walls of emerald turned into islands.  

There are only a few fishing families left who live on floating

houses in Halong Bay. The government is moving them to the mainland where they are closer to health care and so the children can go to school. We visited one family with two small children. When asked about the danger of children falling in the water she said the

little girl could swim and the other one hadn’t fallen in yet.  I was surprised to see they had a huge speakers, a TV, and other electrical equipment that powered by battery. We arrived while she was cooking dinner.  I could hear the sizzle of frying chicken – it smelled great. 

The crew had arranged for boats to takes us through some of the

caves in the area. The best part was we got to see several langurs jumping from tree to tree. They are endangered and only found here, only about 60 remain so we were fortunate. 

Sadly the Pandaw cruise came to an end.  There were only 22 passengers – the ship was

designed for a maximum of 32 passengers.  John and I saw so many fascinating things, met great people and enjoyed tea with some of them, plus the scenery was fascinating the entire way. There are a lot of things to love about a Pandaw cruise: it is all-inclusive (including the tip), the meals are gourmet, and most beverages are included.  The staff is very friendly and attentive. The cabin was roomy and so was the bathroom. It was a value-laden trip. For more information log on to www.pandaw.com.

Hoa Lo Prison - Hanoi "Hilton"

The Hoa Lo Prison is better known to Americans as the “Hanoi Hilton” and where John McCain and other American POWs were held during the Vietnam War. It is called the “American War” in Vietnam.  Vietnam has been invaded by the Chinese, French, and Japanese.  The “American War” was the most recent and the shortest except for the five-year control by the Japanese.  

The major portion of the prison depicts the incarcerations of prisoners other than Americans.  In January I had visited a prison in the south of Vietnam that was run by the South Vietnamese and the “American Puppet Government.” I am appalled at how cruel people can be to their own people.  North or South,

they treated each other brutally. The museum tries to relate how “kind” they were to the American POWs with pictures of them playing basketball and eating Christmas dinner.  They were probably treated better (most likely due to worldwide press coverage) than they treated their own countrymen but they still suffered during their time in the “Hanoi Hilton.” 

Ho Chi Minh is the father of the present-day Vietnam and highly regarded by the Vietnamese. He is referred to fondly as “Uncle Ho.”  Every day there is a long line of people waiting to get in the mausoleum. He is laid out similar to Lenin. Some say it is really a wax stature, but who knows?  Nearby is the house

where he lived.  Ho Chi Minh is the only leader that I can recall that never surrounded himself with luxury and sycophants after gaining power.  They like to tell visitors that he was given an air conditioner and he said, “I don’t want it. Take it to a hospital. They need it more than I do.” Also on the same grounds is the famed One Pillar Pagoda regarded as one of Vietnam’s most iconic temples. 

One of the highlights of this trip was meeting up with Jim and Allison Combs who were on their way to hike in Sapa and homestay with a Hmong family.  The last time Jim was there was 20 years ago when he was a student at National University in Singapore. The Crown Plaza Hotel has a residence section that was perfect for our reunion: two bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, dining area and living room all for $150 (plus more points in our IHG loyalty program).

To maximize our time sightseeing I rented a car with a driver for 12

hours - $100 plus tip!  Besides Hoa Lo Prison and Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum we went to the Ethnological Museum which had a variety of traditional housing styles.  One ethnic group used water flowing through bamboo pipes to pound the grain while they were working in the fields. They also used waterpower to run the bellows for forging metal.  

One of my favorite activities in Hanoi is the Water Puppet Theater.  With clanging cymbals and drums the water puppets (operated by puppeteers standing in water behind a screen) relate the legends of northern Vietnam.  It is uniquely Vietnamese. 

Twenty years ago we had dinner at the Indochine Restaurant. Jim ordered soup.  It was so good I had it for dessert.  Our last meal together before Jim and Allison took the train to Sapa was at the Indochine Restaurant.  You can’t go back.  The owners had changed and so had the location.  The soup was good but the portion small – just not the same. 

New Show in Mui Ne, Thailand

Mui Ne, located in the south of Vietnam, is five hours by car from Ho Chi Minh City which I and some others still call Saigon.  They say they are going to build an airport in Mui Ne but I haven’t seen any activity so we hired a car and driver to get us there but there are also buses. The ride, while long, is fairly interesting as it goes through towns past rubber plantations and dragon fruit farms. The Mui Ne area becomes quite windy most afternoons which makes it one of the best places for kite boarding.  Watching kite boarding is like watching a campfire – mesmerizing. 

Besides enjoying the beach there are other things to do such as visiting the sand dunes but the newest attraction is the Fishermen Show. I saw an advertisement saying that the new Fishermen Show was a two million dollar, multi-media cultural presentation.  When I contacted them they said that would not open for several weeks.  Then, a couple days later they emailed saying they would be having a presentation that night.  So

we went.  I think the reason for the impromptu presentation was because several tour buses wanted to take their clients but there were only a few others.  For $20 we got VIP seats. The auditorium is huge but only about one-tenth full.  The show started with cultural dances from several countries including Russia and Vietnam. The most amazing part was the colorful water fountain show that served as the backdrop for all the stage presentations.  It made Bellagio’s look like child’s play. The

story was the legend of the fishing village and, of course, a classic love story with good guys and bad guys.  On the side of the stage were electronic storyboards translating what was being said into English and Russian. The acting and costuming were excellent but the show still needs polishing.  The acoustics were a bit harsh but the thing they need to fix first

are the steps which are an accident waiting to happen.  It is not handicap accessible.  I would like to return when it has been perfected.  I was surprised to find such an expensive production in Mui Ne. Even though the area is famed for kite boarding there are many families with young children who will enjoy the show.  

While in Mui Ne we checked out a couple of other hotels. There are accommodations for every pocketbook from backpackers to luxury-seekers. One of the hotels we visited was the high-end Victoria Phan Thiet.  The hotel is lovely but it is located away from the city which didn’t appeal to us since we like to walk the streets in the evenings, listen to the singers, and

then find a little place to eat.  (meals are usually about $3) Many places are losing their beach to erosion but Victoria is trying something new. They have put down Geotubes - long tubes made of a flexible plastic that are laid down close to the shoreline.  The theory is that the waves will bring in the sand, deposit it on the shore side of the tube and eventually build up the beach.  It is considered a better and more eco-friendly solution to beach erosion that what people have been using.  The one at the Victoria has only been in place for one year but it looked like it might be working. 

Things to do in PhuQuoc

It is very easy to get into a rut even on vacations: walk the beach, have breakfast, swim and lounge on the beach, walk the beach again, get ready to watch sunset with an adult libation, have dinner and go to bed.  We had checked on some other hotels just to see what some of the options were but had not toured the Phu Quoc. 

The scheduled tours were all-day group tours and included things we were not interested in doing, so we decided to hire a car and driver for four hours.  That’s long enough for us. I was glad when a nice young lady, Quyen, came along as a guide. First we went to the Pearl Farm, well not really a farm.  There were fishing boats out on the water but basically it was a store with high priced pearls.  The only saving grace was they had a short

demonstration on how the pearls were harvested. We made a quick stop at the market in town – Doung Dong.  We have been to many night/street markets and we don’t really shop so that was a short visit.  There is a nice museum however that covered the history of the area from prehistoric times to the present plus displays on sea creatures, traditional medicine, and spices.   

Next stop was a Pepper Farm.  The pepper plants were interesting. They look like tall slender trees. The island may be noted for pearls but pepper has been one of their biggest crops. In fact Vietnam is the world’s largest producer and exporter of pepper; however, some are now switching to grapes hoping to get a niche in the wine industry, which is more profitable. Today spices are relatively inexpensive but at one time they were a luxury item for Europeans because the most desired spices such as pepper, ginger, vanilla, and cinnamon could not be grown in Europe. At that time sugar was considered a spice. To “spice” up their foods Europeans used herbs. Wars were fought over control of the spice trade routes. The search for a faster, safer and less expensive way to get the spices led to the Age of Exploration. 

The last stop on the trip was to the Phu Quoc Prison.  Many people know about the “Hanoi Hilton” prison where Sen. John McCain and others were held during the Vietnam War (the American War to the Vietnamese) but little is said about similar camps in South Vietnam.  The prison was built by the French colonialists and called the Coconut Tree Prison but was later used as a Prisoner of War camp to incarcerate those who fought on the side of North Vietnam.  The displays using life-like

mannequins were upsetting as many show horrific tortures such as incarceration in a “Tiger Cage” and severe beatings were common. I realize that the tortures were not any different that what the North Vietnamese did to the Americans POWs. Most of the

mannequins had Asian features but no one could tell me what the initials QOC on the guards helmets stood for but since the signs referred to the prison as being used by the “American Puppet Government” I assume most of the guards were South Vietnamese who sided with the Americans. No matter how one looks at it war is not pretty and the only ones who seem to benefit are those who manufacture war materials and equipment.

Visiting Phu Quoc, Vietnam

Phu Quoc is a Vietnamese island that is off the coast of Cambodia.  I wonder if it will someday be contentious. It is the largest island in Vietnam and on the fast track for tourism development.  In fact, they would like it to, one day, rival Thailand’s Phuket Island as an island getaway.  I have known

about it for several years and finally decided to visit this year.  We flew into Saigon (AKA Ho Chi Minh City) and stayed at one of our favorite hotels – the ParkRoyal.  The prices are reasonable – even for Orchid Club Level which includes complimentary airport transportation, breakfast, cocktail hour; and, amazingly, four pieces of laundry per person per day. Along with that they have a wonderful pool and spa plus the staff is excellent.  It is an excellent base for visiting the area.

The Vietnam Airline flight from Saigon to Phu Quoc was less than

an hour. They have a new airport which is still in the expansion state in anticipation of the travel boom they are hoping for.  I find it hard to pick a hotel and have been very lucky so far.  We decided to stay at the Paris Hotel (not a name that seemed appropriate but the owners are French).

 The price was reasonable enough so we could book the best room which we were hoping had a balcony where we could enjoy adult refreshments and watch the sun set.  As it turned out there was no balcony but the room was large with a sitting area and wonderful views of the Gulf of Thailand.  One evening we watched a glorious sunset and then early in the morning the setting of the full moon. Part of the restaurant has a long narrow stretch above the beach that serves as an alfresco restaurant which was a great place to watch the sunset. The hotel had other pluses: a lovely pool, a great complimentary breakfast and the beach was perfect for walking.  

The hotel is reached by a bumpy dirt road but the grounds are well

landscaped.  Behind and to the side of the hotel two other hotels are being built.  It was actually interesting watching the workers. They used very little mechanization so there was a minimum of noise – just the tap-tap of a single hammer which made it sound like the “Little Old Shoemaker” - even so we could see the progress daily. There were no beeping trucks or other noisy equipment.

John celebrated his birthday while we were there.  We try not to let the hotels know when we have a birthday because they go overboard. While we were on the island we checked out some other hotels and loved the La Veranda McGallery Hotel.  It was out of our price range but perfect for a birthday. The grounds were amazing and so lush that each building was

surrounded by foliage accessed via a brick walkway with eachbuilding in a “secret garden.” We sat on the wide veranda of the main building which was designed to look like a colonial mansion typical of the time when Vietnam was French Indochina.  They had a live trio of Filipino singers who sang all the American favorites from our era.  The sublime ambiance was interrupted for a short time by an impressive tropical thunder and lightning storm. When it was over the moon came out and the air was cool and fresh. A great evening.

Kite Boarding in Mui Ne

Mui Ne is the kite boarding capital of Vietnam because of the

strong on-shore winds. It may not be the best place to begin learning due to the strength of the wind but there are many kite boarding schools.  John likes to kite board, which by the way is considered an extreme sport.  Typical lessons start with three hours or more on the beach learning to control a trainer kite.  Then similar lessons take place in the water until kite control is mastered.  Then, after a few more lessons, it is time for the board.  Once one gets up on the board it is a matter of practice, practice, practice. It is not like wind surfing which most people can do after one lesson.  

John and I were in Mui Ne a year ago and even though the hotel we stayed at was nice there was no beach.  You’ve heard of “shifting sands” and that’s what happens to beaches.  They can be here one year and gone after a large storm.  Moral of the story, be careful buying beach property.  We like to walk on the beach so this year we stayed at Ananda Mui Ne Resort where there was a good beach and also the home of one of the kite boarding schools.  One doesn’t have to kite board to enjoy watching others do it.  There are many professional

class kite boarders who do stunts and get “a lot of air.”  Our bungalow had a sea view and was next to the pool so we loved it. In the evening we would go to a restaurant where dinner never cost more than $5.  One restaurant had a live duo six nights a week singing all our favorites from the 50s to the 90s.  

One day we took a trip to the White Sand Dunes. On the way we passed the Red Dunes, which are smaller and not very red but where people can slide down on mats. The white dunes are bigger and more popular but while they are not extensive they are still impressive. There were Jeeps with U.S. Army on them to drive people around the dunes.  It was a quick ride and a bit pricey.  I thought there was more to see

and I think the driver thought we would spend more time at the top.  I was surprised to see a lake in the middle.  On the way back we stopped at an overlook to see the fishing village where the harbor was full of colorful boats.  We had not planned to stop at the Fairy Spring (good name for a tourist stop).  I was

told it was a half hour walk to the springs which for me would have meant one hour.  But, thankfully we stopped and it was a short, easy walk to the spring, then a few steps down into the shallow spring. John didn’t want to take his shoes off to wade in the spring; however, it is my kind of thing.  So he

waited while I walked through the cool shallow water for about 30 minutes and passed some white Braham cows, also a place advertising ostrich rides but I didn’t see any ostriches, to a place with interesting rock formations, and to a restaurant where I turned around. As so often happens the thing I least wanted to do turned out to be my favorite.