Hanoi SCOOTER FOOD TOUR | Our First Time in Vietnam!

Hanoi SCOOTER FOOD TOUR | Our First Time in Vietnam!

[Music] Good afternoon. Wait, I wasn’t ready for that. Well, too bad. We are here in Hanoi for the very first time. The main event for tonight, we’ve got a scooter tour booked later this evening, which should be very exciting. It is a scorchingly The fan is out. The fan is out. 37°. I have never experienced anything more than 34, I don’t think. I’m incredibly incredibly excited. Locavore takes on Hanoi. Without further ado, let’s go. All right, for just a bit of context, we are staying quite literally just a th stones throw away from the Honkim Lake. You know, the famous lake um in the old quarter. It’s bustling. The scooters are out. Bad idea to be wearing all black today. I can already feel the sweat. I don’t know. You can probably see me. I’ve just come to accept I’m going to look at I’m going to look like a sweaty egg this entire trip. I’ve just come to accept. But hey, that’s fine. Uh I guess, you know, let’s let’s walk. Let’s go to our This is not peak appearance, but who cares? Who cares? [Music] So, we were looking at at all the spots in our Google Maps list and Bunme Mama was around us and you know, we don’t really want a hot soup right now and I think starting off with Bunme is the way to go. So, Bunme Mama, we’ve been hearing a lot of good things about it. It’s pretty popular among tourists and I hope locals as well. So, I guess we’ll see for ourselves. Clearly, there’s already a line. It’s like 2:00 p.m. and there’s heaps of people. So, guess we’ll have to wait, best friend. One number one and one number six. [Music] All right, finally first stop, Banmei Mama. I think that took like 30 minutes cuz there’s literally only two of them uh making it. Um I got their most expensive one. Um with egg, sausage, um pork and pate, and it’s got the pickles, it’s got the lettuce, and it’s got the sausage. It’s really thin. It’s like the thinnest bani I’ve ever seen. You can tell they like really press it on the sandwich cuz like it’s mainly crispy but not that fluffy. Let me get more into the inside. That’s all right. Nothing too special. You know, I’ve had better in New Zealand, but you know, as with a lot of things, it’s really about the vibe. You get the scooters, you got the old fler. Feel like I could use a bit more punch, a bit more pate. I don’t know if I’m personally a fan of the sandwich press cuz I do love the balance of fluff and crisp even about me. But hey, you know, we can only go up from here. It’s not bad. It’s not bad by any means. It’s still a very decent snack, and I love the amount of pickles they put. Of course, it’s got all the meats and the proteins from the from the uh egg, uh pork, um sausage, and whatnot. Yeah, it’s all right. Okay, I already started digging into mine, so I already know my thoughts, but I chose the pork sausage, so it’s a bit different. Let’s just dig in again. More in the middle. Very crunchy on the outside. But like Puya said, I think I’m on the same boat. This is personally not my favorite style of bunme. It is very cheap. I mean to be honest, most bunme will be cheap for us here in Hanoi, but I think as soon as I saw that they use the the toaster, I was like a I’d like a crusty outside, but I also really appreciate a fluffy bread. But hey, it’s still a pretty good snack. It’s not too heavy, which is good cuz we’re going to be eating quite a lot later tonight. [Music] All right, botany aside, right next to it, St. Joseph’s Cathedral, one of the main landmarks here in Hanoi. Shout out the Vatican flag. Uh, flying in full mass. You know what? Uh, it’s not really flying right now. Well, you know, it’s there. It’s hanging. It’s conclaved today. I think at this point in time they would have passed the first black smoke and while and by the time you guys watch this we’ll have a new pope. Who knows? Shout out Cardinal Taglay. Rooting for you Kabayan. We’re not Catholic but we’re rooting for you. Yes. But anyway, um since we’re already here, Lord Jesus, please may we uh find better bunny here in Hanoi. No, that was mean. That was me. Let’s go. [Music] [Applause] [Music] All right, we need to like a break from the heat. So, we’re here at a coffee shop called Tornado Coffee. Five stars, 499 reviews. I think that’s pretty impressive by anything, but also I kind of just wanted some Vietnamese style coffee. So, got myself egg coffee. I’m very excited. What did you get, Yami? And I got their salted coffee. So it’s an iced one with coffee and it has this like salted cream foam on top. This one. Oh, thank you. For you. Yeah. Better you use a spoon. Go down. Go up and eat. Okay. Thank you. There it is. My egg coffee. And yes, we also got a complimentary tea which is very nice. Okay. I’m actually like in dire need of a cold coffee. But let’s mix it. Ooh, I actually love how like smooth and like luscious that cream looks. Let me just taste it. This really just like brings me back to my days. Remember when we used to just eat um coffee made by itself? Let me have it with the coffee. I’m so glad I got this because this is really good because you have this like very like sweet and salty milky foam. It goes really well with this strong coffee. The crunchiest. All right. Egg coffee when in Vietnam. What does this come with? It has espresso, two fresh egg yolks, sugar, honey, and whiskey. Very interesting. As you know, egg coffee was um developed as a means of scarcity when milk was very scarce and they would use egg as a substitute. Um apparently I meant to uh do that. Oh, look at that. Look how thickens that is. Let’s just actually I’ll taste it myself. That’s like eating a marshmallow. Oh my gosh. Oh, and the coffee is so strong at the bottom. Come here. Come here. Look. Look. Can’t really see it, but there. Did you see that? Did you see that moment of black coffee there? That’s the underside. And that’s what’s on at the bottom. M. It’s actually quite hard to sip the um the coffee and egg at the same time because the egg’s quite a thick and voluuptuous layer. M. And the espresso is real nice and punchy, which I love. The balance here is great. This is a great start to our Vietnamese egg coffee and just Vietnamese coffee journey in general. [Music] Hello. Excuse me. Are you waiting for the food tour? Yes. Yes. How long have you been away? Oh, no. We just came down from our room. So, just a few minutes. Yeah, we are right. We are to pick you up to the meeting point. Yeah, we have two motorcycle. [Music] On the left hand side, the lake in center of the city is considered to be the heart of the city. [Music] [Music] So far, first thoughts on the scooter ride. It’s great. You know, you have the wind in your hair. You know, I was like, I don’t know how secure I’m going to feel, but I’m like, you know what? I trust this man with my life, so he’s got me. He’s my boy. Anyway, you’d forgive us for not doing it ourselves, but we absolutely cannot ride scooters. We will die as much as as we would love to. We will actually kill ourselves. Yeah. First time to try riding a motorcycle. Not in Vietnam, I don’t think. But yes, um we booked a scooter tour through Get Your Guide. I’ll link it down below as well. And we’re going to go through seven spots, I think. And the first spot yami I know it is touristy but as lifelong fans of the late great Anthony Bourdain I feel like it’s only right that we start with a pilgrimage destination Obama. So we’re just waiting for a couple people from our group and then we’ll start with this. But I’m incredibly excited. So on the world where you can see the picture that stick with this place. Okay, here we go. All right, go first. Good stuff. Off to you. Okay, thank you. Give me this first. Of course. Oh, what a photo. Ooh, [Music] we have a boat. Yes. Australia, South Africa, South Africa, Mozambi. How many guys have you met from Mozambique this last week? You’re you’re the first. Zero. A country withad agriculture. Yeah, this is actually my first. I’m having bcha. I’ve never had this specific dish before. Let’s go. Here you are, best friend. Just come from Japan. Some thin ones and then a little chunky one. Don’t fall. Okay. Got to get a little bit of the herb. Are you going to put some chili in the vinegar? I think I’ll hold back on the chili first. Okay. Okay. I eat daily. I have to. All right. I’m going to add some chilies to mine like Obama did. Okay. Just a just only a couple there. Charge of anything. Okay, I’m just telling you. There some vinegar. Thank you. Be a hanoi. The beer. Crack a cold one. All right. Got some pap pie up. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday. All it means is you’re going to have to do more editing to get us out of it. Nah, you guys will be in it for sure. I’ll get some of the mints. actually. What is this? Ginger. Oh yeah. The charm and the meatiness of that. You can taste the spice as well coming through. Oh, whatever. That’s fine. Let’s dip that. Hot there. You’re right. It’s definitely not ginger. More sauce. Cucumber. And some more mint. There we go. Let’s soak it in. One more heavily. This one reminds me of when she was a kid. There we go. The spirit of Obama and Anthony Ber. Yeah, it’s the um Okay, we’re ready to go. Let’s get ready. So, do we pay for the beers now? I just love that. What’s it called? Like mukm. That is like I could drink it by the bowl. Cheers. Oh, cheers. All right, that was pretty quick, but we’re going to see the table. Huh? Oh, yeah. That’s it. I guess first stop done. Now it’s on to the next. [Music] [Music] All right, That was a quick trip to the opera house. Now the train street. [Music] [Music] Hey. [Music] All right. We zoomed past the French Quarter. You know, like the I love the scooter ride. As hectic as it is, I feel somewhat invincible. I know we’re weaving through the traffic and stuff, but I feel like those Disney rides like the Indiana Jones and stuff, you’re weaving through the the the dangers of the of the caves and ancient ruins, but you are invincible. And that’s how I feel. Oh my gosh, Train Street. Look at that. Whoa. Okay, Ambi, I knew Train Street was busy, but I didn’t realize how I didn’t realize how busy it was. This is lit up like a nightclub, except it’s a train. We’re in the middle of the train track. We’re walking right now. There’s a bunch of different cafes, but I think most of them serve kind of like the same things, just like coffees and drinks. So, we’re just following our tour guide, seeing what’s up, and wherever he leads us. We’re going to go to a shop place tomorrow. Thank you. Cheers. Cheers. One of the most famous things to do here is order a Hanoi beer, put your beer cap on the train tracks and the train will absolutely flatten it into smitherines and that’s your souvenir. And that’s what I got. Another beer. Yeah, we got a Coke. But that’s okay. I’m not a beer person. Hey, I had beer at the bunch place though. Yes. Very good. All right, moment of truth. It is past 7:30. Everyone is pulling their seats back, telling people off for standing up and pushing them back uh lest they be crushed by a uh steaming train. Moment of truth. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh my god, this is my Oh my Jesus. Oh yeah. Yeah boy. Now what? Still beats Aland transport. [Music] Okay, so we’re back in the old quarter. We just went around the Westlake. I actually don’t know what our next stop is. Like, what are we eating, best friend? Guess we’ll find out. Ooh, I see. Refreshing. Caramel with mango. Lovely. Yeah, caramel with mango. Okay, next up, we’re actually at a dessert place. We’re here at Minci. Um, I’m in dire need for something cooling. But this place actually specializes in Vietnamese caramel. Ooh. Ooh. Yeah. And then combine with the flavor that you want. Cream, caramel, and tapioca. Yeah, I think that this one’s like the black version and that one’s the white. And then this must be just like milk right here. They have a bunch of different toppings. You can get it with fruits. You can get it with like sago or like boba pearls. Um, so I’m pretty excited. And another thing that makes it unique is that it comes with a bowl of ice and that’s how you kind of just like combine it with it. So, I’m going to do just that. I want have the one with the black pearl, especially when it’s hot. Oh, yeah. You just know that’s going to be good. I just love the sweetness of that syrup with the black pearl. It’s like brown sugary. And I just like the chewiness of the pearl with the silkiness of the fla or caramel. It’s just great. It’s simple, but it’s great. Two or two or three? Yes. Very good. Normally, normally this would be. And I got the mango one. Look at that. It’s got mango. Southeast Asian mango is just the best in the world. Yeah, that is silky smooth. I love that. I’m going to try some of this. Actually, this has some of the sago. So we have to combine with ice. Oh yeah. Everything there. Make sure you get some of the orange stuff. M. I see. I see. But a light texture. Very good. And very refreshing. [Music] All right, next spot. Vietnamese pizza and sushi. I’ve never heard of such a thing, but apparently it’s a thing from Yes, there it is. From Saigon. I’m very excited. Let’s eat to the second best rugby team in the world. Oh, I don’t know about that. Kati, we have two things. us. It’s a Vietnamese pizza and Vietnamese sushi. Wa! I miss one spear. I have to separate it from the neighbor. Yeah. Stop it in the middle and one on the side. Vietnamese sushi, huh? Rice paper, green onion, pork, crispy onion, mayo. That’s so interesting. Oh yeah. Never had anything like that before. Yeah. Tangy, it’s bouncy, savory, creamy, oniony. Wo. Wow. That’s interesting. Next is Vietnamese pizza. I think it’s made with rice paper. Oh gosh. Wa. It’s like coconut in there. It’s like miscellaneous umami. I can’t really make it up, but it’s delicious. You already tried and very crispy. What the heck? So, this is a Vietnamese pizza. Vietnamese pizza. This is a kumquat juice or tea because I’m I’m the only one here who doesn’t like beer. So, shout out to the tour guide. He just got this for me. I didn’t need to ask for it. Our [Music] last stop on the scooter tour brought us to Batra Daang, where they specialize in nemluy, which are fragrant lemongrass skewers, and bolalot, which is grilled beef wrapped in lolot leaves. Of course, there was an abundance of fresh herbs, and our tour guide gracefully did a demo on how to assemble your bolalot properly. [Music] Oh yeah. Probably. I like cucumber. Small leas. Onion. Where? Cilantro. It’s good. You have to take one of the grilled bit combined with l. Okay. Yeah. Like this. It will be easier for you after. Almost forgot something, but I really like something sour. It’s a You forgot your chili papaya. Throw it with all of your finger. Yeah, it’ll be a lovely. Yeah. Nice. That’s really good. Yeah, like very fresh, savory, fresh, leafy, meaty. What’s not to love? We didn’t talk much about the nelu, but oh my god, these were as fragrant as the perfume department. Super succulent, smoky, and incredibly addictive. What an amazing way to finish the tour. [Music] All right, Yami. What an amazing end to our first day in the hectic city of Hanoi. Much like Appreciate it while it lasts, this is going to be gone soon. The shark building. I thought it would be gone already, but as battered as the shark building is, so is my energy. It has actually been quite a long few hours for us. Basically, if you’ve watched our previous videos, the business class video, the uh overnight in Changi, and now here, that’s been one whole thing. And back to back, back to back to back. Grateful though. Very grateful. Thank you Singapore Airlines for us. Shout out to Singapore Airlines for getting us to Hanoi. We had so much fun doing that little scooter tour, especially, you know, it’s a really easy way for us to get around Hanoi without having to do all the walking. And you know, you got your experts telling you little stories about the city and about the food as well. Of course, it’s like what is a Hana experience without riding a scooter in the hectic streets anyway? And also, shout out to Lee, Leo, and Brian. And I forgot the fourth person’s name, but yeah, but the lads, the lads. Thank you for making our night. Apologies. We could have joined Beer Street, but we are absolutely exhausted. Um, and thank you guys for watching another one of our food and travel videos live from Hanoi. and see you on the next one. Goodbye. [Music]

#AD Thank you Singapore Airlines for flying us to the beautiful city of Hanoi, Vietnam! On our first day we weave the bustling scooter filled streets of Hanoi and embark on a 7 stop Scooter Food Tour!

Come with us as we also have our first Bánh mì, our first Vietnamese Egg Coffee, pay our respects at the famous restaurant where Anthony Bourdain and Barack Obama ate Bún chả, and risk our lives being an arms length away from a moving train at Train Street!

Make sure to check out Singapore Airlines when flying around the world with over 100 international destinations to choose from with Hanoi being one of them!

Enjoy!

*Filmed on May 9, 2025 (prices as of date of filming)*
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Food & Places:
~ Bánh mì Mama ~
• Website: https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Restaurant_Review-g293924-d17439181-Reviews-Banh_My_Mama-Hanoi.html

~ TORNADO COFFEE ~
• Website: http://www.tornadocoffee.vn/

~ Hanoi: Food and Sightseeing Motorbike Tour with 7 Tastings ~
• Website: https://www.getyourguide.com/hanoi-l205/hanoi-scooter-street-food-tour-with-local-students-t476499/

~ Bún chả Hương Liên ~
• Website: http://facebook.com/bunchahuonglienobama

~ Train Street – Tâm Long Coffee (This is where we went but if you want an easily contactable cafe try the famous Railway Tuan Cafe) ~
• Website: http://railwaycafe.travel.blog/

~ Minci Chè Xoài ~
• Website: https://food.be.com.vn/resto?id=1308&rwg_token=ACgRB3eGlFPMM_9kJYbxerLvwwhL6SkVrBGWwxW2xayhHTOoBl_A1u-Qx2pX9rwSU5xC_er6D_0W4ahrq0Gl1645B0bO7EfISM6y2mYnj6Cdz3TFGaJwNw4=

~ Bánh Tráng Thu Sài Gòn ~
• Website: https://food.be.com.vn/resto?id=11531&rwg_token=ACgRB3e54THq4g6-RnuSAnX-7wQeJNxbs2SfbMRulMzfF2iaSIW43Yp4oNrC6rY0PAdDiwHEQC20ze1rWaCYmLDk4pVZsltwKV-ouSkNa1U2aKSJcHTXt9c%3D

~ Quán Nem lụi Bà Trai ~
• Website: https://food.be.com.vn/resto?id=61234&rwg_token=ACgRB3cDMAmSQTKIJ5icYgnU5G6TpWDAEBTNcXUBcVED62B9O32mh5qh5XI35cyVzIqxIY_z52aWw2jTS5DVBmvZgTO_xX0SiAYY2bOJsnvHFlQamwsDP1A%3D

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Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
1:20 – Bánh mì Mama
4:31 – St. Joseph Catherdal
5:20 – Tornado Coffee
8:29 – Scooter Tour!
9:18 – Arriving at Bún chả Hương Liên
11:01 – Eating Bún chả
13:51 – Hanoi Opera House and French Quarter
14:58 – Train Street
17:18 – Scootering around
17:42 – Minci Chè Xoài
20:10 – Bánh Tráng Thu Sài Gòn
22:11 – Quán Nem lụi Bà Trai
24:01 – Shark Building and Outro
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Come say hi!
~ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/locavore.eats/?hl=en ​
~ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@locavore.eats?

Equipment:
~ Main Camera – Panasonic Lumix GH6
~ Lens – Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm
~ Small Camera – Sony ZV-1
~ Phone Camera – iPhone 14 ProMax
~ Camera Mic – Rode VideoMic Pro
~ Editing Software – Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2020
~ Music – Musicbed