There are few Asian foods with identities as closely tied to their home country than Pho, the Vietnamese national dish made with rice noodles, meat, and broth seasoned with various types of herbs and spices. Not bad for a dish that only originated in the early 20th century. The dish has gone through various iterations since then, and is now available on every street corner in every village in the country. Which, obviously, is great news.

The first thing to keep in mind is that westerners have butchered the name – it’s no pronounced fow but actually fuhh. Remember that – if one can’t even make an honest attempt at the name of a dish, they’re forbidden from eating it (Smiling Albino rule #28).

While wandering around HCMC looking at temples and drinking strong coffee, we’ve sampled all types of pho, from crowded restaurants to single-chef food stalls. Most of the time it’s simply about the noodles, but there are other things to consider – atmosphere, crowd, and overall look of the place, too. So while no two tastes, moods, days, or personal tastes are ever alike, here are four places you’ll never have to work hard to convince us to go back to.

Pho Le
413-414 Nguyen Trai Street P.7,Q5

One of the more popular places in the city to pull up a stool, the giant neon sign over the door doesn’t just say Pho Le, it screams PHO LE! You know you’ve found a good place, too, when the crowd oozes out on the sidewalk and even into the street. Many of the ingredients are made by hand, and it’s what keeps people coming back for more, locals and tourists alike.

Pho Quynh
323 Pham Ngu Lao

There are a few locations of this Saigon mainstay, but we love the (very) bright yellow building just across from Pham Ngu Lao Park. Cheap and known for its large portion sizes and long open hours, the decor isn’t much but the food is pretty awesome. Load your pho up with veggies too, like fresh basil and lots of bean sprouts, to bring out the taste. We usually finish things off with banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich using French bread), which are also really good.

Ben Thanh Market
Bến Thành, Quận 1

One of the city’s biggest and most popular markets is, no surprise, a great place to try some local food. Talented chefs whip up thousands of bowls of pho every day to feed hungry shoppers, and as it’s a tourist hotspot, many of the menus are in English. There are a lot of dishes to choose from – some of them largely unknown to tourists – but stick with the pho and you can’t go wrong.

Phở Thanh Bình
18B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai
District 3

Just a few blocks away from the Saigon Zoo, this is the place we head to when we want some upscale noodles. Hefty portions and really tender beef make every trip worthwhile, not to mention piles of veggies for garnish and some great side dishes you won’t find anywhere else. Prices here are more expensive than almost anywhere else, and if you asked them why they’d likely say it was because their noodles are the best in Vietnam. But, there’s an (unsubstantiated) rumor that if you get sick from eating here, they’ll pay your medical bills. It’s hard to argue with that.

Related links

Vietnam: North, South and the Middle

Snooping Around Saigon

The post Four Great Pho Joints in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) first appeared on Smiling Albino.

Vietnam is an amazing country to visit any time of year because it has so many things to offer. Due to its shape – long and narrow, covering 1,650km – there are a vast range of climates and landscapes available, from sandy beaches to misty mountains to steamy, crowded cities. So when is the best time to go?

Well, that really depends on what you want. The good news is that since the country is so long and narrow, there’s something for everyone, which is even further enhanced by its extreme elevations – from 0ft above sea level in the South China Sea to 10,312 feet above sea level at Ngoc Linh, a mountain sitting in the northern end of the southern half of the country, if that makes any sense.

Roughly speaking there are five regions in Vietnam – the mountainous northern region, with the trekking hub of Sapa; the Red River Delta, which includes Hanoi and Halong Bay; the central region, which follows the long curving coastline south past Hue, Hoi An and Nha Trang; the highland region, which stretches back towards Cambodia and is known for its hill tribes, forests and national parks; and the southern region, which encompasses Ho Chi Minh City and the mighty Mekong Delta.

If you’re a fan of long walks, steep hills and amazing scenery, then the northern region is where you want to go. There are superb trekking, waterfalls and nature trails around every corner, but you have to be prepared. The dry season lasts from October to April and is the best time to head for trekking and such, although December and January can be bitterly cold and damp. April to September is the rainy season, and while the trees and grass and rice will be at their most verdant, the daily downpours and abundance of mud limit the amount of fun you can have.

If you’re okay with a bit of chill in the air, November to April is a good time to visit the Red River Delta, although December to March-ish can get very nippy. May to October is the rainy season, but if you’re in Hanoi or any of the bigger towns it’s easy to duck into one of the many cafes and wait it out. July to September is often the wettest, and this is when the weather can get stormy and downright mean.

If you’re more attracted to the coast, then a trip down the central region will reward you with beaches, UNESCO World Heritage sites and many charming little villages. January to August bring the hottest weather in this region, which is obviously the best time to hit the beach, although the temperature in the middle of the hot season might be a bit much to have fun in. Much like the Red River Delta, the rainy season brings daily downpours but can get hit hard during October and November when the odd typhoon rolls through to say hi.

The highland region is unique in that it hasn’t been blitzed (yet) by tourists, although this is changing. The most popular destination here, Dalat, is known as a place to escape the hotter weather on the plains, especially during the cool season from November to January. February to April is the hot season, while May to October brings some of rainiest weather in the country. Again, avoid the mud and rain during the wet season and try to show up at the beginning of the cool season for the best scenery.

Finally, a visit to the southern region is high on everyone’s list, and rightly so – Ho Chi Minh city is a fantastic place to visit and soak up the culture, people and food.  The climate here is very easy to plan around – it’s either hot and wet or hot and dry. From November to April is the dry season, which slowly heats up as it approaches May, and then from May to November it’s generally the rainy season.

No matter when you want to travel to Vietnam there is good weather somewhere! Ask Smiling Albino to help you make the most of the weather on your vacation, no matter what time of year!

The post Deciphering Vietnam’s Weather first appeared on Smiling Albino.