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Culture & Cuisine - Regional specialties - Tu Tru banh gai from the Thanh region stands out for its glossy black skin, chewy and fragrant from ramie leaf and glutinous rice flour, wrapped around a filling of mung bean, coconut and sugar with variations from family to family. Wrapped in drie ..

Miscellany - Health & beauty - “Everyone must drink exactly two litres of water” is easy to remember but far too simple. Fluid needs change with the body, the weather, activity, food, pregnancy, illness and medication. A more sensible aim is to read the body's signals, spread yo ..

World - World food culture - Fika is usually described as Sweden's coffee break, but its meaning lies in deliberately stopping work in order to meet one another. A cup of coffee, a cinnamon bun or something simple to eat gives the conversation a pretext without turning it into ..

Culture & Cuisine - Regional culture - Bamboo-tube rice and grilled chicken are the famous pair from the Central Highlands, but they should not be made to stand for the whole diversity of the region. Placed properly within Jrai, Bahnar and other specific communities, the bamboo tube, th ..

World - World food culture - Pierogi are folded pieces of dough wrapped around a savoury or sweet filling, boiled and then sometimes pan-fried. What has made the dish last is not only how freely the filling can change, but the sight of several generations sitting around a tabl ..

Miscellany - Life around us - Thanks offered to an earlier generation becomes most convincing when it turns into a way of living. Learning a trade properly, working honestly, caring for a family, protecting what is held in common and putting effort into one's home region are qu ..

Culture & Cuisine - Regional specialties - Cao Bang cured sausage appeals through its deeply savoury meat, its measured amount of translucent fat and the smell of smoke or sun that belongs to the mountain climate. Behind each sausage lies a chain of steps — choosing the meat, seasoning, fil ..

World - World food culture - Jerk makes its impression through heat, the scent of allspice and a layer of smoke, but its value does not sit in a bottled sauce. The marinating technique, the wood, the control of the fire and the history of the Jamaican people turn jerk into a l ..

Travel & Backpacking - Tips & sharing - An independent island trip does not begin at the pier; it begins with what you will do if the boat is delayed. Weather at sea can change the schedule both out and back, so tickets, luggage and a buffer day have to be counted as part of the journey. ..

World - World food culture - Kimchi and banchan keep the Korean table in motion: sour, spicy, salty, fresh, grilled and stewed take their turns around the bowl of rice. Those small plates are not merely “free side dishes”; they hold the labour of preparation, the techniques of ..

Culture & Cuisine - Regional culture - Mi Quang is easy to recognise by its wide noodles, its rich topping, the raw herbs, the peanuts and the rice cracker, but its most important characteristic is that only just enough broth is used. The bowl reflects the way people in Quang Nam concen ..

Culture & Cuisine - Regional specialties - Bo Dau banh chung belongs to the Phu Luong area of Thai Nguyen, where these green squares are made all year round and become a gift for anyone passing through the gateway to the tea country. Glutinous rice, mung bean, pork, dong leaves and bamboo s ..

World - World food culture - In Iranian cooking, long separate grains, the scent of saffron and the crisp bottom layer called tahdig can make a pot of rice the centre of the table. Set on the sofreh beside herbs, bread, stew and pickles, the rice becomes a bridge between fine ..

Miscellany - Life around us - Gratitude towards earlier generations usually begins with very small things: a faded photograph, a carefully folded letter, a work notebook or a story told again and again over dinner. Once we ask about them, write them down and keep them safe, his ..

Miscellany - Health & beauty - The neck and shoulders usually complain when the body holds one position too long, the screen sits off to the side, the keyboard is too far away or the shoulders stay lifted. There is no “perfect posture” to hold motionless all day; the aim is a mo ..

World - World food culture - Moroccan food is recognised by the steam of a tagine, the loose grains of couscous and the stream of mint tea poured into a small glass, but its real appeal lies in a web of Amazigh, Arab-Andalusian, Jewish, African and Mediterranean influences ret ..

World - World food culture - Feijoada is a bean-and-meat stew that takes many forms across the Portuguese-speaking world; in Brazil, the black-bean version is usually tied to a lunch with a lot of people around the table. The slow-cooked pot, the rice, the greens, the orange a ..

Travel & Backpacking - Restaurant & hotel reviews - One meal that did not suit your taste is not enough to conclude that a restaurant is bad. A fair review answers seven questions about context, food, hygiene, service, timing, cost and how problems were handled. The first three questions: context an ..

Culture & Cuisine - Regional specialties - Me xung evokes Hue through the chew of its malt syrup, the nuttiness of the peanuts and the coating of fragrant toasted sesame. The piece is small, but to get the pull just right — not running, not hard and brittle — the maker has to judge the heat ..

Culture & Cuisine - Regional culture - The food of Hue is usually introduced with the word “royal”, but the flavours of the old capital also grew out of markets, riverside villages, the lagoon and small street vendors. Its refinement lies not only in a beautiful plate but in the seasoni ..

Travel & Backpacking - Tips & sharing - Pu Luong draws people with its terraced fields, valleys and villages, but a good walk has to start from your fitness, the weather and respect for local life. Choose a route by how long it actually takes A distance in kilometres does not tell you ho ..

Culture & Cuisine - Regional specialties - Hue vegetarian food is not simply a meat dish with the meat taken out. Vegetables, mushrooms, beans, seeds and the way things are seasoned are arranged so the meal has its own colour, texture and rhythm of taste. The base flavour comes from the veg ..

Miscellany - Life around us - While most of the city is still asleep, many people are already sweeping the streets, collecting rubbish, checking gates and getting spaces ready so that a new day can run normally. Seeing the work that is easy to overlook Cleaning, security and ma ..

World - World food culture - Thali is not the name of one dish but a way of arranging several portions on a single tray. Rice or bread, dal, vegetables, something sour, yoghurt and a sweet create a rhythm of changing flavours; the components vary widely by region, religion, se ..

World - World food culture - Smørrebrød begins with a slice of bread, usually rye, but what goes on top can make a lunch of many layers of flavour. The way the order is chosen, the ingredients combined and the whole thing eaten with a knife and fork shows that this open dish h ..

Travel & Backpacking - Tips & sharing - Da Lat easily tempts visitors to fill the schedule with cafes and photo spots. A slow three days should group activities by area, leaving time for the lake, the market, the pine forest and even for the rain. The first day: walk around the rhythm of ..

Culture & Cuisine - Regional specialties - Fish sauce is both a seasoning in the kitchen and a dipping bowl on the table, but the proportions, the additions and the dishes it goes with change by region, by season and by household. The dipping bowl is part of the dish's structure Some dishes ..

Miscellany - Life around us - A phone-free hour is not a war against technology. It is a small experiment to see how your hands, your attention and your conversations change when the device is out of reach. The value comes from the activity you choose to put in its place, not m ..

Culture & Cuisine - Regional specialties - Cao Bang banh cuon surprises anyone used to dipping it in fish sauce: here it is eaten with a bowl of hot bone broth, which may hold pork roll, minced pork and herbs. The thin, soft sheet meeting the clear, warm broth makes a breakfast suited to th ..

Miscellany - Life around us - A family is not kept close only by big trips. A fixed mealtime, a short call or tending a plant together can become an anchor in a busy week. A ritual is not the same as a rigid obligation A family ritual is a small meaningful thing repeated, which ..