so, i been here for aroung 2 months, i am an indonesian, i dont have any family at all here, and i am completely stranger, to be truth for the first time i just thinking that i cangt live here coz this country are totaly different than indonesia espacially the way they drive, its suprise me. the food all taste salty, and i dont really like to taste some of strange vegetable that they serve when i ordering the food.
but its all just at the begining, after 2 months everything much better now, i have many friends around me, yes they dont really speak english but they kind and we can communicate somehow.
and my tongue get use to the food and vegetavble here, so now my days here a much better,
Ho chi minh such a nice place to stay
deedo
08 February 2017 14:00:49
4
ralphnhatrang
09 February 2017 06:06:24
599
Deedo,
I agree with you, and the WHO also says that Vietnamese eat FIVE times the recommended daily amount of salt.
No need to worry about the food, as there is one Indonesian and very many Malay food restaurants listed on Google Earth. Some of the stall holders in Ben Thanh market speak Indonesian (that surprised me, too). You can also put a post on expat,doc to meet other Indonesians, if you wish.
Why not buy cook your own vegetables? Curry spices are available in Ben Thanh market. Introduce your Vietnamese friends to gado gado, rendang, lumpia and rujak. Good luck.
deedo
09 February 2017 14:21:12
4
what a good idea, seems you know a lot about indonesian foods, some time i such miss that one. but somehow salty is not big problem anymore, and of couse just like you suggest to me i tried some malay, thai, and indo food around benh tanh market. even not taste the same with the original one but its help me to cure my hunger of malay and indo food.
i am happy we share the same opinion.
ralphnhatrang
10 February 2017 07:07:25
599
It took me a long time to convince my Vietnamese wife not to use salt in my cooking. If the food does need any salt, I prefer to add a little fish sauce (mixed not straight) or Vietnamese light soy sauce (nước tương).
I forgot to mention indonesian perkadel. Yum! If only I could buy Malay roti chanai in Nha Trang.
deedo
10 February 2017 10:49:50
4
thats indeed a good idea, small number of salt indeed ok nut a lot of it, then its different case in long term.
hdstore
10 February 2017 11:05:21
7
you should visit Hanoi as hanoi is same as Ho Chi Minh city but you can enjoy many it, different things from HCMC, lots of spot to visit, lots of street food to eat , and many kind people around you too, taste of South is also different from North people. In Hanoi, we have 4 seasons which you can experience differently , spring, summer, autumn, winter. Hanoi is worth visiting 
deedo
10 February 2017 15:53:28
4
i would love to
Diazo
10 February 2017 23:03:19
948
@raplhnhatarng,
That is hilarious if you ask not to have salt added to your food due to sodium intake. The recommended sodium intake for an adult is something like 100mg a day. Fish sauce and soy sauce have 1,700 mg per teaspoon. This is why Asian have so many strokes. So if you are trying to reduce sodium perhaps you should use salt...better yet other spices such as garlic etc. Jut one persons opinion. I just could not avoid noticing the apparent irony.
ralphnhatrang
10 February 2017 23:24:33
599
Diazo,
From the WHO website:
QUOTE
Salt intake of less than 5 grams per day for adults helps to reduce blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and coronary heart attack.
UNQUOTE
ref: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs393/en/
Also:
QUOTE
[P]reliminary findings show the average salt consumption in Viet Nam ranges from 12 to 15 grams per person per day.
UNQUOTE
ref: http://www.wpro.who.int/vietnam/mediace … ay2014/en/
The WHO recommendation is to consume less than 5g = 5000mg per day. Methinks you are being just a little too restrictive at 100mg per day.
Nevertheless, I do take your point that I should minimise my fish sauce intake, which I do by mixing it with lime juice, water, chili, ginger and garlic.
See also, "Fish sauce is the low-sodium solution" at
http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/fish-s … says-study
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