Daughter-in-law of retail magnate explores Hanoi street food

On March 7, Ha attended an event of her husband's company in Hanoi. The HCMC-based couple then went out to enjoy Hanoi's spring specialities.
Having visited the capital many times, Ha and her husband did not choose luxury restaurants as before, but went to the Old Quarter to try popular street food.

One of them is a small and cozy stall that serves Chinese-style sweet soup on Hang Giay Street, previously opened by the family of late artist Pham Bang.
The menu has three main dishes: banh troi tau (glutinous rice balls) (L), luc tau xa (green bean sweet soup) and chi ma phu (black sesame soup) (L).
The banh troi tau has clear soup that is fragrant with ginger, and sweet like molasses, the cakes are chewy.

The couple went to a cha ca (fried catfish) stall on Duong Thanh Street.
Vietnamese fried catfish is a combination of fish with rice vermicelli, fresh herbs and a variety of side dishes that originated from Hanoi.
A sauce called mam tom is indispensable as it will greatly enhance the taste. This dipping sauce is made with sugar, shrimp paste, distilled rice wine, hot oil, and chili mixed together.

The couple also visited Phuong's banh cuon (steamed rice rolls) restaurant on Hang Cot Street.
This is one of the most popular addresses for banh cuon fans in Hanoi. The special feature of the restaurant is rice rolls served with shrimp floss and sausage.

Diners can watch the chefs skillfully prepare and roll the cakes right in front of the door. The stall is also quite small, so diners mainly sit on the sidewalk.

At night, the couple stopped by a sidewalk beer stall that also served grilled squid and shredded fish - one of the culinary cultures of Hanoians.
Sidewalk beer stalls are always very crowded, regardless of winter or summer, due to their affordable prices and open space.
Ha, 38, started her career in the entertainment industry aged 16. She has cut down her on-screen activities since she got married. Her Instagram has 3 million followers.