I woke up to a nice hot styrofoam box of com tam bi suon cha (broken rice with shredded pork, pork chop, and pork casserole) bought down the street from my uncle’s house. We stayed in Quan Tan Phu about 15 minutes to the west of Tan Son Nhut International Airport.
Outside, I could see my aunt picking various fruits such as “chom chom” (rambutan), “sau rieng” (durian), and purple mangosteen from a fruit cart vendor that rolled up outside the house.
This day, we made a trip out to the country side to visit the hometown of my ancestors in Kinh Nuoc Man, about a 2 hour trip outside of the City (Ho Chi Minh City).
This is where my mom’s mom’s family have lived for hundreds of years, with a initial ancestor being a member of the Teochiu people of China who came to Vietnam who knows when.
Kinh Nuoc Man. without the G.
Mangosteen sour? PLEASE, it is the tastiest fruit in the world.
I am loving reading about your trip, and the photos are amazing. The food (both prepared and the fruit) looks so delicious.
I was reluctant to read the captions / scroll down further, after you showed the photos of the dog and the cat – thinking they were going to be shown as a meal in the subsequent photo. Thank goodness you showed each in their domesticated state.
Dogs and cats are actually very beloved in Vietnam now a days lol. There are less and less people who eat them thank goodness. Alot of homes in Vietnam have statues of dogs out in front of their house kind of like how Japanese places have hello kitty statues