Life Abundant

Loading T Cafe

During our trip to Vietnam, Chris and I stopped in Hanoi for a day and a half between our cruise to Ha Long Bay and our next destination, Hoi An. During the short time we spent in Hanoi, we found ourselves impressed by this busy city of just over 7.5 million people. For being home to so many people, the city was surprisingly clean, well taken care of, and fairly easy to navigate.

Chris and I are foodies, and one of the things we were the most excited about during our trip to Vietnam was the food.  Our short stay in Hanoi was full of amazing food for unbeatable prices…I’ll share our favorite places with you here, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

We spent most of our time in the city’s old quarter.  This historic neighborhood finds it’s roots in Vietnam’s deep French history and influence in its architecture and culinary scene. The France ruled Vietnam (then part of French Indochina) from 1887 – 1954.  The result is that you can find some incredible bakeries, restaurants, and coffee shops with a French flair.  Our favorite spot for a fresh smoothie or coffee was Loading T Cafe.  We loved this cafe for it’s beautiful architecture, tiled floors, comfortable tables and chairs, and the French doors that let the breeze blow through.  Try their coconut coffee, and spend a few hours there in the morning for a relaxing start to your day.

Banh Mi 25

Banh Mi was our go to lunch during our time in Vietnam. This amazing sandwich will ignite your taste buds with its flavors of barbecued meat (our favorite was the pork), an incredible secret sauce, topped with a slaw of green papaya, cucumber, and carrots, mint, and cilantro, all wrapped up in the fluffiest/crunchiest baguette you’ve ever tasted.  To top it off, this sandwich typically costs $1 which makes it taste that much better!

Our favorite place to grab this gem was at Banh Mi 25, a simple but clean shop that actually spurred off of their street cart where this amazing little restaurant started.  They have great reviews on trip advisor and are in the heart of the downtown in the old quarter. No need to go to the fancy restaurants, do yourself a favor, and go get some Banh Mi!

Bun Bo Nam Bo

Bun Bo Nam Bo is the name of the restaurant, and also the dish that you should order there.  This is one of only a few dishes on the menu, but typically a small menu means that what you serve is really really good.  This hole-in-the-wall restaurant will deliver to your taste buds one of your favorite meals in all of Vietnam, I guarantee it! Bun Bo Nam Bo is a noodle dish made with fresh vegetables, rice noodles, thinly sliced beef, peanuts, bean sprouts, ginger, herbs, a squeeze of lime juice and just the right amount of a killer sauce/broth.

The restaurant is packed solid with locals and tourists alike, which in my opinion means it’s worth your while.  Grab one of the inexpensive local beers, a bowl of Bun Bo Nam Bo, and one of their freshly baked sweet buns, and enjoy dinner for around $3 a person.

One of our favorite things about traveling is that it doesn’t have to be expensive, and paying less doesn’t always mean a sacrifice in quality…especially when it comes to amazing Vietnamese cuisine!