The Daily "Grind"- Eating/ Grocery Shopping in Vietnam

 June 18, 2024

Good Morning Friends and Family,

Thought that I'd share a few pictures of what it is like grocery shopping, food prep, eating over here in Hanoi.  It is vastly different than in Cambodia.  WinMart is the big grocery store chain over here.  It is owned by the VinGroup, which also owns VinFast (car maker), VinMec (medical center chain), and Vin University, just to identify a few of their holdings.  There are small WinMarts in the first floor of every building here in VinHomes Ocean Park, but there are also larger versions in the mall.  The two that I shop at are at the VinHomes Mega Mall about 1 1/2 miles from our apartment and then the one at AEON Mall, which is a 5 story mega-mega mall and has a 3 story WinMart grocery store that is more like a department store with food. AEON Mall is about 10 miles away and while there are more choices there, the crowds and the cost of the taxi ($12-14 each way) isn't appealing. 

Now, how is there a difference between grocery shopping in Hanoi and Phnom Penh?  Some of you have heard my long-standing story of how I can never find pickles in Cambodia and a friend actually mailed me packets of pickle relish, like you get at a convenience store selling hot dogs! LOL... Well, I wish we were here long enough for my friend to send me pickle relish and mustard!  I cannot find pickles nor mustard at any WinMart. Kewpie is the brand name for condiments over here and is owned by Japan.  I have purchased their mayo before but we are not here long, so I did bring packets of mayo with me as I am not cooking too much.  Mainly warming up carry out  (called "take aways") leftovers. Thought I packed mustard, but obviously not.  

Choices of salad dressings over here are sesame seed with wasbi or seasame seed with other seasonings or .... just sesasme seed. I did buy a bottle and doctored it up with a bit of honey and it works for a salad dressing.  Other things that you cannot find over here in stores are pancake syrup (but I have a bottle of marvelous honey!), and often finding pancake mix.  Of course I can make my own pancake mix and salad dressing but given the short time we are here and the lack of storage space (our apartment is maybe 400 sq. ft.), it is a fine dance between what you purchase- what you do without- what you come up with.  

So, the biggest difference I've noted is the lack of international foods here in Vietnam despite the evergrowing international population.  Vin University alone has faculty representing 6 different countries from Europe, the US, and Australia/ New Zealand. Then there are the faculty from other parts of Asia:  India, Pakistan, Singapore. 

The local WinMart has two aisles (both sides) dedicated to various ramen noodles!   Want squid flavored? Chicken or beef flavored? Crab flavored? The flavorings make for an interesting read.

While I love eating in-country foods, I learned a long time ago that having a taste of home is important as well.  It does not make you culturally insensitive or a cultural clod.  Just like understanding that you cannot get the same amount of daily work completed as you do at home.  Your brain is filtering so much sensory information, that there is a fatigue factor must be acknowledged.  Having a taste of home or taking a nap just helps keep you at your best. 

Want to share with you a picture of one of my morning breakfasts.  One picture is the banh mi that I recently ordered for lunch.  A bit thin on the meat, but I just pulled it all to one end of the baguette and ate just half. However, there is a young woman with a Banh Mi stand around the corner from our apartment and she sells banh mi kebab! Oh...my.... goodness.  Oh how I'll miss this place when we leave.

The savory, slowly roasted pork, generously piled into a cross between a flattened baguette (looks like pita bread with the fluffy baguette texture), shredded cabbage and topped with a spicy sauce and something like slaw dressing. She then presses it on a grill.  The cost?  $1.25.  And I just love the Thank You sign painted on the back wall of her little shop. 

Last week, when I orderd a banh mi for lunch, I thought I'd try a bag of chips that students seem to enjoy here.  They are very light and remind me a bit of Bugles, a triangle shaped corn chip that I used to eat in my childhood. A few were enough though. Now, normally, I do not drink sugared sodas and haven't for decades.  Over here, I make a once a week exception.... well, okay, a twice a week exception. Tropicana makes a soda over here called Orange Twister.  It is not like a Fanata orange nor like orange juice. It is a combination! It is a slightly carbonated orange juice, a touch of cloves, and probably a lot of water and sugar.  But good golly, when you are sweating up a storm, it tastes amazing. 

It's time that I get ready for work. I hold our third NCLEX Prep session today.  The second session was allll NGN style questions, which definitely was a challenge for the students; however, by the end, they were getting the hang of the matrix and the bow ties.  Today, I have just a couple of bow ties but then we are going to do a deep dive in straight up multiple choice questions on health promotion and public health.  Those subjects are carried out very differently over here than in the US, so it is important for the students to understand the structure of our public health care system as well as the role of the RN.  Tomorrow?  It will be all about medications and patient teaching.  So wish I had my UF Patho/ Pharm peeps over here to give me a hand with this topic!  

Peace to All,  Karen