Street treats that make a trip to An Giang sweet

Two kinds of cakes made from simple local ingredients show the diverse culture of An Giang – a Mekong Delta province and also one of the most mysterious and mesmerising places in Việt Nam. Both cakes are bánh bò or steamed rice cake. The most renowned one is bánh bò thốt nốt (steamed rice cake with palm sugar paste), while…

An oasis for veggie-lovers in Cà Mau

An Lạc Vegetarian Restaurant is only quiet between 2pm and 5pm because that’s a time when everyone has a rest. Over the course of the rest of the day, the tiny outlet bursts at the seams. Countless people come in and out all day every day, dining-in or taking-away. The two chefs work non-stop, as…

Stories told from threads on a loom

With colours as words and patterns as metaphors, ethnic Chăm artisans in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang passionately create stories through weaving. Saymah is working on a handloom when I visit her family’s craft shop. She is among the experienced weavers of the Chăm community in Phũm Soài Village in Tân Châu District. Her…

“Was I good enough for you?”

“Did you think that I was good enough for you?”. Someone asked me this question not long ago. I am not talking about my answer or related events leading to that question. What I am going to say is that it reminded me of some ideas of existentialism. According to existentialists, when human beings experience…

Is literature an escape from reality?

For some people, literature is an escape from reality, to journey to a far away land, to be free from the responsibilities of this world. For me, literature is an escape too, but in the end, the escape leads me back to myself, to be closer to myself to some extend. It is an escape…

I fell in love with life again

I went on an adventure right away when the summer holiday started (Just so you know, I work at an international school where we have different breaks throughout the year and summer break is among those). Like previous trips, I put no hope on what I would experience or see this time because nothing will…

Viva Indonesia: A brush with death – Nusa Penida

I found my feet off the ground, I was floating. Five seconds before, I was talking with some ladies on the beach. I tried to get back to the shore, but the waves kept coming. They were the most giant waves I had ever seen in my life. The more I tried to fight the…

An unsent letter

Dear the person that I have been destined to meet, Since the day I got to know you, I have had a gut feeling that it was gonna be an adventure. It was just very unexpectable, not in the way I expected it to be. Perhaps that is life because "whatever it is you are…

Viva Indonesia: Companions – Kintamani, Bali

Only one “hello” can bring solo travellers great companions and even friendships. Since my first solo trip in Japan, I have fortunately met numerous people who offer great companies and friendships. Some of them have stayed dear friends ever since. This one more time occurred to me in Bali. I chanced upon Lorella at a…

Viva Indonesia: Rise and shine in Bromo

My knees were shaking, my shoulders shivering. The morning winds kept blowing. I kept breathing in and out rhythmically to stay as warm as I could. I had put every piece of warm clothes I had on but that was not enough. By “warm clothes”, I meant one waterproof jacket, one long sleeve shirt, one…