British chef Kirk Westaway is like a child in a confectionery shop as he wanders through a wet market in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City. Bristling with stalls loaded with live lobsters, crabs, frogs, and fruit and vegetables, the market has it all – but it is the fresh herbs that catch his eye. Something … Read more
The week before Sam Aisbett opened Akuna in Ho Chi Minh City, in southern Vietnam, he panicked. “I said, ‘What the hell am I doing? What an idiot,’” recalled the Australian chef of the July 2023 opening. There was no way his restaurant, with a menu price of 3.9 million dong (US$155) – at least … Read more
Asia is a dining destination on par with Europe, judged by the number of international accolades its restaurants and bars have earned, a new report on food industry trends says. Luxury Group, the collective of high-end hotels within the Marriott International portfolio, recently launched its Future of Food report for the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region. The … Read more
Ditching a lucrative career in finance, Vu Dinh Tu opened a coffee shop without telling his parents and joined a wave of young Vietnamese entrepreneurs using espressos to challenge family expectations around work. Traditionally taken black, sometimes with condensed milk, or even egg, coffee has long been an integral part of Vietnamese culture. But starting … Read more
“Since introducing the extended list in 2021, we have been consistently impressed by the innovative drinking experiences Asia has to offer, and it is beyond exciting to see the large number of new entries and new destinations that have made the list this year,” said Emma Sleight, Asia’s 50 Best Bars head of content. “With … Read more
While we familiarise ourselves with the dining room and sun deck, where we will spend most of our time while on board, the staff deliver our luggage to the cabins. Our trip begins with an upriver journey towards Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, and then back down towards Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s … Read more
Four years ago, during the pandemic, she launched her YouTube channel documenting her life in Hong Kong, travels in Vietnam and the various dishes she eats along the way. Co-founders Kiki Phung (right) and Hanh Dang outside their newly opened Banh Mi Nem in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Photo: Eugene Lee In that time, Phung … Read more
Heli-skiing on virgin snow in Antarctica for a cool $2.2 million. A polar bear safari in an “off-limits” area of Norway’s Svalbard for $300,000. How about tracking snow leopards in the Himalayas with renowned explorers for $100,000? Big-ticket travel experiences like those are indicative of the “quiet luxury” trend which began in the world of … Read more
Vietnam internet start-up VNG withdraws IPO filing in US, as game publisher weighs future plans Vietnamese internet start-up VNG Ltd withdrew its registration for an initial public offering in the US, raising questions about the gaming and messaging company’s growth plans. The company determined not to conduct a registered offering at this time and plans … Read more
