Viet Nam’s traditional dress outfit; the Ao Dai, has an impressive and long history behind it. The long, flowing, collared top with slitted sides is worn over long, flowy pants. Decadent, colorful ao dais are most often worn to formal events, holidays and weddings, but plain white ones can be seen worn as school uniforms in some parts of the country.

Ao Dai means long dress and is pronounced ao (as in “ow, I stubbed my toe”) yai in the South and ao zai in the North. The Ao Dai most likely received its influence... more

Inspired by a reader’s comments and Faith’s post over at the Hoping to Adopt blog, I decided to dedicate a post to covering things to buy now, things to buy in Viet Nam, and things to buy after you get home.

Things to Buy Before You Travel

A few outfits for your new child(ren). If you can, wait until close to your travel date and ask your agency to get up to date height and weight... more

I’m still trying to wrap my head around how I feel about the holiday that is Birth Mother’s Day. The Saturday before Mother’s Day is set aside to celebrate birth moms each year. When I first head of Birth Mother’s Day I thought it was a great idea…now I’m not so sure. I have done some digging and found birth moms who whole heartedly support and some who vehemently resent the idea of Birth Mother’s Day. The general public may not have ever heard of this day, but it seems to becoming more common and well known within the adoptive community.

I... more

Here is a picture of the sweets table at our Tet party. Some things we will definitely be buying next year and some we will definitely NOT be getting again :)) Everyone there tried just about everything so it was interesting to see the different reactions to different foods.

We started off with what was supposed to by a green papaya salad, but I thought the papaya I had bought was bad, so I threw it out. Then my sister in law said that it actually does smell that bad and it was probably fine. Oh well...we served the salad... more

I am so happy to tell you that our Tet party was a success!!! I still can't believe how well it went and how good it felt to celebrate Tet with Ella and her/our entire family. My husband and I were so touched that every single family member of ours attended. 1 great grandma, 4 grandparents, 5 uncles, 2 aunts, 1 cousin and 2 friends. Our entire immediate family was here for us and for Ella and that was wonderful. It's nice to have a holiday that is centered on spending time with family.

Everyone was happy to try the new and different... more

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

Welcome the year of the pig!

Wishing you all a happy Tet! Have a wonderful new year :)

I found this sweet "Recipe" for Tet eve at the Viet World Kitchen website. Here are the Vietnamese and English translations. Enjoy :)

Cong thuc nau mon dem 30 tet:

1. Lay 12 thang trong nam dem rua sach mui cay dang, ghen ti, thu oan .... roi de rao nuoc.

2. Tuan tu cat moi thang ra 28, 30 hay 31 phan.

3. Tron deu voi:

Mot chut tinh yeu Mot chut kien nhan Mot chut can dam Mot chut co gang Mot chut hy vong Mot chut chung thuy

4. Uop them gia vi: lac quan, tu tin, va hai huoc.

5. Dem ngam mot lat trong dung dich "Nhung dieu tam niem... more

from VRG.org

Green Papaya Salad (Serves 6)

1/4 cup lime juice 2 Tablespoons water 3 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Tablespoon minced garlic 3 cups peeled, seeded, and shredded green papaya 1/2 cup shredded carrot 1/2 cup julienned red pepper 1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro 3 Tablespoons coarsely chopped scallions 1/2 cup coarsley chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (optional) 2 Tablespoons chopped, unsalted peanuts (optional)

Combine... more

Vietnamese Restaurant-Style Salad Rolls From Rhonda Parkinson (about.com)

This vegetarian appetizer is served cold with a spicy hoisin sauce.

INGREDIENTS: 2 ounces vermicelli noodles 8 large round rice paper wrappers 1 cup mung bean sprouts 1/2 cup cucumber, cut into thin strips to make 1/2 cup 1 medium carrot, shredded 8 2-3inch strips of head lettuce Sauce: 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 3 TB peanut butter 3 TB water

PREPARATION: Make vermicelli according to package instructions, set aside. Soften 1 rice... more

Vietnamese Tofu From: Frank Durante (ivu.org)

Here is a modified version of a Vietnamese recipe I found which calls for the addition of nouc mam (fish sauce). Adjust ingredients to your taste.

1 cake of firm or extra firm tofu Fresh ginger juice - 3 tablespoons 5 large cloves sliced garlic 3-4 large shallots sliced hot chili pepper paste (sambal olek) to taste fresh ground black pepper finely chopped scallions fresh squeezed lime juice - from one lime 1 stalk of lemongrass chopped very fine Slice tofu lengthwise in... more