Back to Vietnam for the First Time in Five Years

With the long, long COVID-19 pandemic finally behind us and travel at last returning to normal, I was able to visit Vietnam this summer for the first time in a full five years.

After such a long absence, the moment I set foot in Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport, I was overcome with indescribable emotions.

We promptly headed to our accommodation for the day.

Crossing the Japan–Vietnam Friendship Bridge by car over the Hong River (Red River), which flows just before the city, we entered Hanoi.

Hanoi remains as lively as ever, overflowing with motorbikes, but it also seemed to me that the number of cars had increased enormously since before.

In Vietnam, where automobile tariffs are high, the increase in cars is surely a sign of growing prosperity.

Our accommodation for the day was REIWA INN, in the Japanese district.

It is run by a Vietnamese acquaintance of Yahata Sushi’s fifth-generation owner, who is also a customer of ours.

As it is also a serviced apartment, many Japanese residents stationed in Vietnam were using it as well.

After unpacking, our first destination was VINCI, an Italian restaurant favored by Maestro Tetsuji Honna of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO).

That evening, we had the dreamlike opportunity to dine with Maestro Honna.

The last time I had seen Maestro Honna was at the opera Princess Anio at Hitomi Memorial Hall last autumn.

Over delicious Italian food, we had a lively conversation about music and Vietnam.

For our second stop, we moved on to a sushi restaurant called Takumi.

This is another establishment patronized by the maestro. It is run by a Vietnamese man named Binh and is immensely popular with both Japanese and Vietnamese diners, so it is always full.

Thank you for the delicious sushi.

On the second day, I spent time with my longtime Vietnamese friend, Thu, whom I have known for more than ten years.

He came to pick me up at the hotel in the morning, and from there we set off in his car for Ha Long Bay.

When he took me there a long time ago, I remember that there were only local roads and it took more than five hours. Now, however, high-standard expressways extend all the way to Ha Long and Hai Phong, making it possible to get there in about two hours—a dreamlike journey.

As you may know, Hai Phong is Hanoi’s gateway to the sea. Its connection by expressway will surely make logistics smoother and further enhance Hai Phong’s standing as an international port.

At Ha Long Bay, Thu’s sister and her husband, along with his wife Phuong’s sister and her husband, were waiting for us, and our large group set off on a Ha Long Bay cruise.

The boat glided slowly through one of Vietnam’s most scenic destinations, blessed with splendid weather.

At lunchtime, Thu, a sushi chef, and his brother-in-law Kien—also a sushi chef and the owner of Sushi-dokoro Yutaka—prepared a seafood hot pot on board.

They simmered rich, fatty grouper, baby squid, and an extraordinarily generous amount of vegetables in Thu’s special broth.

And what an incredibly delicious hot pot it was!

Vietnamese cuisine generally uses a great many vegetables, and this hot pot was full of them too!

Along with Chinese cabbage, sunny lettuce, sweet potatoes, and various mushrooms, there was the grouper and squid mentioned above, as well as shrimp, shellfish, satsuma-age fish cakes, and tofu.

The seasoning was based on seafood broth, with a touch of sourness and heat—utterly moreish.

After the meal came the abundance of tropical fruit they had brought along.

The fifth-generation owner is especially fond of dragon fruit and jackfruit.

The jackfruit was a precious treat, specially delivered by a friend from Thu’s hometown.

I do not know what jackfruit is called in Japan, but perhaps its flavor and texture could be described as a combination of durian and a rich, firm mango pudding.

I am sorry—I tend to get carried away writing when it comes to food.

After disembarking, we drove around Ha Long city before heading back home to Hanoi.

That evening, the same group gathered at Thu’s restaurant, Raku Sushi (SUSHI HOUSE TAY HO), and dinner began.

We could hardly say we were still hungry, yet somehow, when it is sushi, we can keep going. Amazing, isn’t it?

Starting with appetizers, we had an assortment of sashimi, foie gras chawanmushi (apparently a popular item), simmered Ezo abalone, Saikyo-yaki of the tender center cut of beef tongue, and fried spring rolls handmade by Phuong!

Phuong is an exceptionally talented cook, and the pho she served me previously was the best I have ever had in my life. (Incidentally, the second-best pho of my life was from a street stall, enjoyed with everyone from the VNSO before a concert performance. On that occasion, Maestro Honna, the day’s conductor Le Phi Phi, and all the musicians went out to the stall—men in tuxedos and women in dresses! Then we sat on the low stools typical of Vietnamese street stalls and ate piping-hot pho. It remains one of my finest and most unforgettable memories of Vietnam.)

And to finish, Thu himself made sushi for us.

It was as delicious as ever!

Thus, another deeply satisfying night drew to a close during the first half of our stay in Vietnam.

Thank you, Maestro Honna, Binh, Thu, and everyone else.

More to come next time.

Please stay with me a little longer as I offer brief explanations of the photos.

⚪︎ The interior of Raku Sushi is a perfect slice of “Japan,” in a class entirely apart from the somewhat Japanese-style Japanese restaurants found in Vietnam.

⚪︎ The appetizer: gingko nuts, monkfish liver, and surf clams dressed with vinegared miso

⚪︎ The sashimi: fatty bluefin tuna belly, flounder, and amberjack—fish that Vietnamese diners enjoy as sashimi

⚪︎ This was exquisite! Foie gras chawanmushi! Such a luxurious treat!

⚪︎ This, too, was more than luxurious: simmered Ezo abalone, cut into large pieces

⚪︎ Homemade fried spring rolls by the talented cook of a wife. All the vegetables were harvested from their own garden

⚪︎ Thu’s sushi is soft and tender. The seared fatty tuna is seasoned with yuzu and salt. It feels familiar, as this is a seasoning the fifth-generation owner often uses as well