Peeking into the
cuisine of any country
offers excellent
insight into its
broader culture but
never more so than when
food and medicine intertwine.
Visiting the charming Museum of
Traditional Vietnamese Medicine,
a tiny oasis in an hyperkenetic city,
was not only utterly fascinating for
learning the ancient origins and
contemporary use of plants in healing
but for its authentic architecture and
decor – an unexpected highlight.
Intricate wooden carvings, mother of
pearl inlay and gold-leaf depictions
of nature scenes paid special homage
to the almighty lotus – famously
depicted throughout Asian art for
its culinary and remedial versatility.
Wide necked apothecary jars
hosting coiled snakes and ginseng
portraits had necks craning before
intoxicatingly aromatic spices stirred
appetites for our next stop. We
pulled up plastic stools in the bustling
Bên Thành market where frosted
Saigon beer and snacks landed for
sampling; fresh spring rolls filled with
sweet prawns and garlic chives, lacy
omelettes, luscious Bahn mi (roast
pork and pate rolls) packed with just
picked herbs and chopped chilli left
just enough room for a delicately
perfumed wedge of dragonfruit.
Leisurely hunting handicrafts
and freshly roasted coffee beans
fortuitously freed up space to enjoy
lunch at a nearby restaurant – sublime
beef pho was followed by diamonds
of sticky, steamed banana cake with
coconut cream and a nap in the bus
on our return leg to the ship.
v i k i n g c r u i s e s . c o m 33
