Vietnamese Cooking - New recipe for Nuoc Cham

I spent Christmas with my Vietnamese daughter and her family in Ben Tre. This was her first trip back to Vietnam since My wife and I adopted her nearly 35 years ago. We had dinner at a resort owned by a friend of my son-in-law (con re).  The Nuoc cham was made with a recipe that I had never tried before. Instead of the usual water and sugar components, they used coconut water. I really liked it. It's a good improvement.
Not all of you are fans of Vietnamese sauces, but those that are might try the substitution. It works well.
I like nuoc cham, mam nem and mam tom with the traditional dishes. Banh xeo would not be the same without mam nem, and bun bo hue would not be the same without mam tom.

A really wonderful discovery is iced tea made with tra lai (jasmine). I always had it hot before and iced is a NEW FAVORITE.

And a favorite is the khan uot before eating. Khan uot - the ice-cold wet napkin is civilization in its most basic form. Love it.

And a 50 cent, ten block ride to your favourite restaurant is the world's greatest deal.