My 20-day journey around Germany started in Frankfurt, went to Berlin, Potsdam, Rugen Island, Hamburg, returned to Frankfurt, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Cologne, back to Berlin, and ended in Munich. The total distance covered was over 3,100 km, taking more than 30 hours entirely by train, not including tram stops in each city I stayed in.
Vietnamese cuisine connects
On the train from Cologne to Berlin, I sat opposite an elderly, retired German couple. Many people say Germans are reserved and rarely strike up conversations with strangers. I proactively nodded in greeting when I sat down, and they responded with questioning glances. But after a short journey, when they noticed the water bottle I had left on the table with the words "Vietnam" on it, the wife unexpectedly spoke up.
A Vietnamese restaurant located in a shopping mall in Hamburg.
PHOTO: NTT
Two Vietnamese restaurants on the same street in downtown Frankfurt; behind the black car is a bun bo Hue (Hue-style beef noodle soup) and pho restaurant.
PHOTO: NTT
Mr. and Mrs. Muller traveled from the suburbs of Cologne, Germany's fourth-largest city, about 35 km from Bonn, the former capital of West Germany, to Berlin to visit their son's family during the May Day holiday. Having grown up in East Germany, Mrs. Muller knew many Vietnamese people and had the opportunity to enjoy Vietnamese food, but she had never set foot in the country she considered "extremely familiar." "We had planned to visit Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, and Japan; we always thought about these places, but time passed, and now we are too old and our health is declining," she lamented.
The story continues throughout the rest of the train journey, from the Berlin Wall that divided the country, to the reconciliation after its fall, and, of course, pho. She acknowledges that food has connected people and notes that Vietnamese cuisine is extremely popular in this country, especially pho. It may be the most well-known foreign dish after Turkish kebab (or doner kebab).
On many major streets in German cities, or in shopping malls, you can easily find many Vietnamese restaurants selling a variety of dishes from pho to banh mi, vermicelli, noodles, and spring rolls.
PHOTO: NTT
Vietnamese people are currently the largest Asian expatriate group in Germany, with over 200,000. Their presence spans across all states and cities, and it doesn't take long to find a hot bowl of pho, spicy beef noodle soup, or eel porridge on a cold day when you need a taste of home. Throughout train stations in major German cities, you'll easily find restaurants with Vietnamese names. The diners aren't just Vietnamese expatriates...
Vietnamese people in Germany play an important role; many have achieved success, and there is even a person of Vietnamese origin who served as Deputy Chancellor of Germany - Philip Rosler (from 2011 to 2013).
This is a Vietnamese restaurant at Mannheim Central Train Station. It's a chain that has expanded to almost all major train stations.
PHOTO: NTT
Food and drinks along the way
Rugen is Germany's largest island, located in the Baltic Sea, across from Denmark and about 300 km from Berlin. The island boasts several white sandy beaches and is a popular summer destination for Germans. I visited the island in late April; the weather was warm and sunny, but the water was icy cold, and it rained heavily in the evenings. In this kind of weather, only hot food was suitable. I searched online and was surprised to find a Vietnamese restaurant. I thought that in this remote area, with its difficult access, there wouldn't be any Vietnamese restaurants, but surprisingly, there weren't…
The owner and the young Vietnamese staff serve customers inside the restaurant, which is decorated with familiar images of thatched roofs and conical hats, on a remote island in northern Germany.
PHOTO: NTT
Located about a 20-minute walk from the island's tourist center, the restaurant was crowded during the Easter holiday. The menu, of course, included pho, although it was prepared quite differently from the pho in Berlin or Frankfurt… But just a hint of the pho's aroma was enough to revive me after a long and tiring journey combining train and bus. The owner, a woman from Hanoi, said she opened the restaurant 10 years ago, mainly catering to foreign tourists, with the busiest time being summer and the four-month winter season when the restaurant is closed for most of the time. The staff are also young Vietnamese people. They admitted that it's rare to see Vietnamese expats, and I was probably the first customer from Vietnam.
Vietnamese food in Germany is diverse. Some restaurants retain the original flavors, like the Hanoi pho in Frankfurt, which was the best bowl of pho I've ever eaten on my trip. This same place sells beef noodle soup, almost identical to the beef noodle soup I ate in Saigon. Even the banh mi is fantastic. Both times I was in Frankfurt on this trip, I stopped by and ate my favorite dishes.
The beef noodle soup and pho at An restaurant in Frankfurt are highly praised by many diners.
PHOTO: NTT
In Germany, you can find Turkish kebak (and doner kebab) everywhere. But pho, bun bo (beef noodle soup), banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) are also ubiquitous, found in Vietnamese restaurants and even those with Thai, Japanese, or Asian signs but owned by Vietnamese people. Throughout my trip, I ate pho and bun bo many times, but the dish that surprised me the most was the eel porridge and vermicelli soup sold at a Vietnamese restaurant in Berlin. Holding a steaming bowl of eel porridge, the aroma filled the air, and it felt like I was back in Vietnam…
A bowl of eel porridge, a glass of sugarcane juice, and fried corn at a Vietnamese restaurant in Berlin.
PHOTO: NTT
Of course, not every Vietnamese restaurant sells authentic Vietnamese food. This is understandable, as Westerners don't usually like the strong, spicy flavors or the pungent aromas of herbs, onions, and garlic. They have to adjust the flavors to suit their main clientele. For example, when I went to Mannheim and then to Heidelberg, a famous old city about 100 km from Frankfurt, I came across a restaurant called "Sai Gon." Their bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli) included grilled chicken breast to help satisfy Western diners, as the grilled pork and pork patties were quite small. But that's okay; as long as it's Vietnamese food with a Vietnamese name, that's enough.
Vietnamese restaurants in the old town of Heidelberg.
PHOTO: NTT
Inside "Miniature Hanoi"
Vietnamese tourists visiting Germany who don't go to Dong Xuan Market haven't truly experienced Germany. Dong Xuan Market is like a "miniature Hanoi" in the heart of Germany, not only because of its name but also because of the many things that evoke memories. You take the M8 tram from Berlin's central station, and it feels like you're on a train in Vietnam, as many Vietnamese people also take that same tram to Dong Xuan Market (about 40 minutes). Stepping through the market's simply constructed gate, you enter another world. There's no German, no English, almost no other language spoken, only Vietnamese.
Entrance to Dong Xuan Market
PHOTO: NTT
Dong Xuan Market in Berlin, along with Sa Pa Market in Prague, Czech Republic, are the two largest Vietnamese markets in Europe, and perhaps the two largest Vietnamese markets outside of Vietnam. Speaking of markets, one cannot ignore the food. In comparison, Sa Pa Market has restaurants concentrated in rows, offering a wider variety of regional cuisines, while Dong Xuan Market has fewer, more scattered restaurants, but the food is just as delicious and diverse. In fact, many ingredients that are difficult to find in Germany, such as eel, are brought through Sa Pa Market first, and then to Dong Xuan Market. Many fruits like lychees and dragon fruit are also sourced this way. Furthermore, prices at Dong Xuan Market are higher than at Sa Pa Market.
Dong Xuan Market, comprising several buildings (halls) with a total area of 150,000 square meters, was established more than 20 years ago by Mr. Nguyen Van Hien.
PHOTO: NTT
Inside the market, which mainly sells wholesale goods and fashion items, there are many mini-supermarkets selling Vietnamese products. You can find almost any Vietnamese food, but... it's very expensive. For example, a dragon fruit costs 17 euros (493,000 VND) or a small jicama (about the size of a fist) costs 20 euros (much higher than the price of a bowl of pho or beef noodle soup, which is usually 15-17 euros). You can also get a haircut, have your clothes altered, or get a hair wash here at much cheaper prices than outside.
With over 2,000 Vietnamese people doing business inside, many say that if you had to live in the market for a month, you might not need to say a single word of German, just speak Vietnamese and eat Vietnamese food...
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mot-vong-mon-viet-o-duc-185250509104628474.htm
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