Thailand's first officially-recognized Vietnam Town was inaugurated last Saturday in the northeastern province of Udon Thani as part of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (L)'s visit to Thailand.
Hue said he believed that with the strong support of the local administration, the town will see bustling business and thriving cultural and tourism activities, both of which will thus make it a destination for Vietnamese in Thailand as well as other international tourists. He said this would contribute to enriching the local culture and fostering the friendship and bonds between locals and Thai people of Vietnamese origin in the locality.
Vietnam Town is located at Alley No. 2 on Si Suk Street in Udon Thani City, about 550 km from Bangkok.
Udon Thani has long been home to vibrant communities of Vietnamese expats in Thailand. There are currently about 60,000 Vietnamese in the province.
Vietnam Town initially took shape years ago, but the community has just recently received 3 million Thai baht support from the local government to upgrade the local infrastructure system.
Almost all business households there are of Vietnamese origin. The welcome gate area features a traditional Vietnamese roof and details of ancient Vietnam’s bronze drums.
Vietnam Town is currently open daily from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., selling Vietnamese specialties such as such as banh gio (Vietnamese pyramid rice dumplings), banh duc (rice cakes made of rice flour infused with lime water), banh beo (water fern cake), fried pancakes, steamed rice rolls, fried spring rolls and tofu.
The town also offers traditional Vietnamese chicken noodle soup, beef noodle soup, spring rolls, shrimp paste, vermicelli noodles, pork sausage, sticky rice, balut, sausage and Vietnamese coffee.
Vietnamese chefs make cultural staples such as fried pancakes banh xeo in Thailand’s Vietnam Town.
Banh xeo, also known as sizzling pancakes, is a Vietnamese dish that merges crispy crepes with savory components. A key Vietnamese touch is the use of rice flour, blended with water, turmeric, and coconut milk or cream, resulting in a rich yellow batter.
After stir-frying ingredients such as scallions, bean sprouts, shrimps, and pork or beef, the mixture is poured onto a pan. Cooked over low heat, the pancake is then folded in half, enveloping the fillings within. It is commonly served with sweet fish sauce or savory peanut sauce.
A Thai woman identified as Chaiyarungrot tries a Vietnamese-style pancake.
"This is a new tourist destination in Udon Thani that is worth a visit, especially for those who want to taste Vietnamese cuisine. The vendors are friendly and there are many choices for customers. I just ate one or two dishes and was full," Chaiyarungrot said.
Some stalls in Vietnam Town have signs in both Vietnamese and Thai.
Three pieces of banh gio sell for 100 baht (US$2.81).
Udon Thani is served by low-cost airlines such as Nok Air or Air Asia, which offer daily domestic flights from Bangkok that take just one hour.
Round-trip ticket prices range from VND1.2 million-1.5 million.
Visitors can also choose Bangkok buses and trains with travel times of about 8-9 hours. Ticket prices start at around $20.
