The Best of the Best ...
... had to be these steamed lemongrass clams. The seafood was surprisingly the highlight of tonight's tour, quite unexpectedly so, since HCMC isn't really that close to the ocean - by land, it's at least an hour, though you can probably shave down that time by taking a boat up the river into the heart of the city. Sweet and tender, these clams were as fine as they come, but it was the broth that stood out - it was so tasty, I actually drank it like soup, so incredibly vibrant and fragrant with lemongrass, ginger, tamarind, basil, and chili. It can be tough to find a well-executed clam dish anywhere, let alone perfection like this. The harmonious balance of flavours is what made this the dish of the night, but it also scored extra points because they weren't overcooked, something that is very easy to do with clams.
The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist forc... ... read more 
