JULY–AUGUST 2026 · SEVEN STORIES
My Vietnam
notebook.
Friends take me to dinner. An afternoon continues over coffee. Familiar gods appear in a new city. Small encounters from living and observing in Ho Chi Minh City.
By Boge Xiao · English adaptations and complete Chinese originals · First shared on Xiaohongshu
BEGIN AT THE TABLE
My first meal was
Japanese barbecue.
I arrived with expectations. Following a friend to dinner gave me a different place to begin.
Read the first encounterEVERYDAY LIFE · A PERSONAL SERIES
Seven ways into the city
Visiting Mazu in Ho Chi Minh City
Familiar gods, a different language, and a temple that belongs to the city's everyday life.
Explore the story →An afternoon in a private hospital
Accompanying a friend to an eye appointment, I noticed how space, routines, and small acts of care shape a visit.
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Why are there so many leaves on the table?
A goat-meat meal becomes a lesson in assembling flavor—and in learning with the hands and mouth.
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When lunch continues over coffee
Coffee after a family meal stretches an afternoon into conversation, cake, and time spent together.
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A bowl of bánh canh with a little of everything
Shrimp, crab, abalone, and springy noodles: a family lunch raises a question about how food traditions keep changing.
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Remembering the way to a noodle shop
My friend had forgotten the name, but remembered exactly where to find a familiar bowl of phở.
Explore the story →My first meal in Vietnam was Japanese barbecue
Following a friend to dinner unsettled my expectations about what a first meal in Vietnam should be.
Explore the story →These entries describe particular encounters, not a comprehensive account of Vietnam. Observations and unanswered questions remain distinct.