Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast

By Niall Mackay | Seven Million Bikes PodcastsSociety & Culture Personal Journals Places & Travel

Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast episodes

October 29What Makes Great Bún Chả? A Hanoi Local Explains
"The problem is I've had better."
How good does bún chả have to be to impress someone from Hanoi?
I'm back in Hanoi filming Vietnam Explained for VTV, and I've dragged my colleagues Luan and Trang out for lunch between recordings.
We're trying one of Hanoi's most famous dishes, bún chả. I already think this little restaurant is fantastic, but Luan has some surprisingly high standards!
We get into what makes great bún chả, why the quality of the pork matters so much, and the secret to getting that dipping sauce just right.
Then I head off to explore the surrounding neighbourhood, where old Hanoi and modern Vietnam sit side by side.
Key Takeaways
What makes Hanoi-style bún chả different and how to recognise a good one.
Why the grilled pork, meat patties and dipping sauce make or break the dish.
Why Luan gives our lunch just 7.5 out of 10!
A wander through a Hanoi neighbourhood and some thoughts on what we call "authentic" Vietnam.
Timestamps
00:00 A lunch break from filming Vietnam Explained
01:00 Bún chả in Hanoi and its different variations
03:00 Finding a good local restaurant
04:30 What makes great bún chả?
08:00 The secret to the dipping sauce
10:00 Why Vietnamese food has so much flavour
13:00 Our verdict. Is it really that good?
14:00 Exploring the streets of Hanoi
Have you tried bún chả in Hanoi? Where's the best place you've eaten it? Let me know in the comments!
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14 min
October 28I Started a Podcast for Fun. Now I Host a TV Show in Vietnam.
“I started recording a podcast in 2019 with one microphone, which was shit, and it broke after a few months.”
Now I’m hosting a television show on VTV. I still can’t quite believe it.
Join me on the back of a motorbike through Hanoi as I share how Discover Vietnam led to something I never imagined: hosting Vietnam Explained on Vietnam Today.
It started with an invitation to appear as a guest on Eyes on V. That evening, back in Saigon, I said to Adrie, “Imagine one day they asked me to host a TV show.” The next morning, a producer messaged me.
But I didn’t immediately say yes.
Between Hanoi traffic, a battery problem and a ride towards West Lake, I explain how it happened, why I had to think about the offer, and how we made it work alongside running Seven Million Bikes Podcasts and Saigon Podcast Studio.
I also talk about the people who make all of this possible. Especially Adrie, whose support goes far beyond cheering me on, and the production team who do so much of the work behind the camera.
What started as something to fill a Sunday has changed my life. If you’ve ever listened, watched or shared an episode, you’re part of that story.
In this episode
One microphone and a free Sunday: How Seven Million Bikes began and became Discover Vietnam.
The invitation that changed things: Appearing on Eyes on V and the message that arrived the next morning.
Why I didn’t immediately say yes: Balancing an incredible opportunity with the business I’d already built.
Making television in Hanoi: Monthly trips, batch filming and a new appreciation for the city.
Who makes it possible: An honest thank you to Adrie and the team behind Vietnam Explained.
Chapters
02:00 – How the podcast started with one microphone
07:00 – The invitation to appear on Vietnam Today
09:00 – “Imagine they asked me to host a TV show”
10:00 – The message that arrived the next morning
11:00 – Why I didn’t say yes straight away
12:00 – Making monthly filming trips work
15:00 – Why none of this happens without Adrie
16:00 – Thanking the team behind the camera and being part of the story
Have you ever started something just for fun that ended up changing your life? Leave a comment and tell me.
Follow Discover Vietnam for more stories of people connected to Vietnam.
"Send me a message!"
Support the show
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com
🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!
👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!
🎥 Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript!
👉 I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here:
🔒 Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN!
👉 Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet!
These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
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If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button.
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20 min
October 22A Vietnamese Childhood in Russia & Life Behind the Scenes at VTV | Lunch Walk #13
“I was actually born in Russia.”
I wasn't expecting that revelation when Trang took me for my first Russian lunch in Vietnam!
From her unusual childhood in Russia to Vietnam's Soviet connections, VTV producer Trang and I explore a side of Vietnamese history I knew very little about.
Over dumplings, cabbage rolls and grilled meat, we chat about Hanoi vs Saigon, why Vietnamese people don't do small talk, and what really happens behind the scenes at Vietnam Explained.
And somehow, we end up discussing Korean beauty standards and the Kardashians!
Key Takeaways
Growing up Vietnamese in Russia
Discovering Russian food in Hanoi
Cultural differences between Vietnam and the West
Behind the scenes at VTV
Gen Z beauty trends and pop culture
Timestamps
00:00 – My first Russian lunch in Hanoi
02:00 – Chang's surprising Russian childhood
05:00 – Hanoi vs Saigon
07:00 – Why Vietnamese people don't do small talk
10:00 – Exploring Russian food
19:00 – Behind the scenes at Vietnam Explained
28:00 – Korean beauty trends and the Kardashians
Have you ever tried Russian food in Vietnam? Let me know in the comments!
Subscribe to Discover Vietnam for more stories, conversations and adventures across Vietnam.
"Send me a message!"
Book your free tour of Saigon Podcast Studio!
Support the show
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com
🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!
👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!
🎥 Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript!
👉 I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here:
🔒 Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN!
👉 Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet!
These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
✅ Subscribe for More!
If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button.
📸 Follow Me on Instagram 🌐 Visit My Website 🎉 Join Our Community!
35 min
October 19 Rewind: Daughter Shares Emotional Story Caring For Her Vietnam (American) War Veteran Father | AJ Miller TEASER S4 E3
This is the most emotional episode of Seven Million Bikes and a must listen.

AJ Miller is a Jersey Girl in ‘Nam. She is a fitness trainer, artist, singer and comedian in Saigon. A daughter of a Vietnam (American) War Veteran.

She came to Vietnam exhausted and angry at the world after spending 3 years taking care of her dad through Agent Orange induced Leukemia.

She had his memoirs and wanted to see, hear and feel these memoirs in the country where they were experienced. She has done live readings of her father’s memoirs on-line to spread awareness of PTSD in soldiers.

Spent last two years healing/exploring/developing herself in the unique magic and freedom that is Vietnam. Misses snow and snowboarding desperately.

Check out her Facebook Page RED17.
"Send me a message!"
Book your free tour of Saigon Podcast Studio!
Support the show
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com
🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!
👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!
🎥 Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript!
👉 I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here:
🔒 Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN!
👉 Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet!
These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
✅ Subscribe for More!
If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button.
📸 Follow Me on Instagram 🌐 Visit My Website 🎉 Join Our Community!
1 hr 6 min
October 15This $3 Bún Chả Spot Has Been Serving Saigon Since 1994! | Lunch Walks #11
I head just around the corner from Saigon Podcast Studio for one of my most-repeated favorites on this whole series: bún chả Hà Nội. Before I even get to the food, I go down another Google Street View rabbit hole, tracing this block back through the years to see how much has changed — including a brand-new bank building that wasn't even there two years ago, sitting right next to faded Chinese characters marking what I think used to be a Cantonese laundry service. At the table, I finally get the real history from the shop's owner, whose mother started the business all the way back in 1994, and I get a proper answer on what's actually in that addictively good dipping broth I've been eating for years without really understanding.
I also talk a bit about Adria and our eating habits, my monthly trips up to Hanoi for VTV's Vietnam Explained, and the very relatable mistake of buying a bottle of this shop's sauce, getting way too excited about it, and then letting it go bad in the fridge for six months.
5 Key Takeaways
This bún chả shop has been run by the same family since 1994.
The dipping broth isn't just fish sauce — it's nước chấm.
Google Street View only goes back to around 2017 in Vietnam.
Even people who don't eat much meat make an exception for good chả.
You really don't need to take Vietnamese condiments home with you. I
Timestamps
[00:00:00] Intro from Saigon Podcast Studio, plus a shoutout for free trial sessions for anyone watching in Saigon
[00:02:00] Going down the Google Street View rabbit hole — tracing the block back to 2017 and spotting the new bank building next door
[00:04:00] Ordering at the counter and walking through what's on the plate — chả, rib meat, rice vermicelli, and the herb plate
[00:11:00] Talking to the shop owner, confirming the 1994 history, and finally breaking down what's actually in the nước chấm
[00:13:00] Mentioning the Hanoi trips for Vietnam Explained and teasing future lunch walks filmed up north
"Send me a message!"
Support the show
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com
🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!
👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!
🎥 Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript!
👉 I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here:
🔒 Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN!
👉 Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet!
These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
✅ Subscribe for More!
If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button.
📸 Follow Me on Instagram 🌐 Visit My Website 🎉 Join Our Community!
16 min
October 12 Rewind: Born And Fled South African Comedian Comedian & Digital Nomad | Devin Gray S4 E2
Born and fled South African Comedian Devin Gray, one of the top rising stars in comedy. With appearances on Comedy Central, International Festivals and pretty much any local bar with a stool and a microphone Devin is sure to set the pace for a whirlwind of hilarity.

And circuituos is a word! I just didn't say it right.

cir·cu·i·tous
/sərˈkyo͞oədəs/
Learn to pronounce
adjective
(of a route or journey) longer than the most direct way.
"the canal followed a circuitous route"
"Send me a message!"
Book your free tour of Saigon Podcast Studio!
Support the show
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com
🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!
👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!
🎥 Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript!
👉 I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here:
🔒 Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN!
👉 Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet!
These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
✅ Subscribe for More!
If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button.
📸 Follow Me on Instagram 🌐 Visit My Website 🎉 Join Our Community!
1 hr 10 min
October 08I’ve Been Walking Past This Saigon Lunch for Years | Lunch Walks #10
“Every day I’m walking around this neighbourhood, I’m learning something new.”
What started as a hunt for lunch turned into another deep dive into one of my favourite parts of Saigon.
In this episode of Lunch Walks, I head back to Tôn Thất Đạm, the Old Market street, looking for lunch and end up with a 40,000 VND bowl of bún thịt xào, while uncovering even more of the history hidden in the streets around Saigon Podcast Studio.
Along the way, I stop at a distinctive 1973 South Vietnamese modernist building on Nguyễn Công Trứ, designed by architect Lê Văn Lắm, and take a closer look at its unusual “double skin” design. The building was designed specifically for Saigon’s climate, helping protect it from the sun and rain while improving natural airflow.
Then I head into the Old Market, a neighbourhood shaped by generations of Cantonese, Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian and Vietnamese communities. The more I explore this area, the more I realise just how much history is hiding in streets I’ve walked down hundreds of times.
There’s lunch, Vietnamese sweets, freshly ground coffee, QR payments, another mystery modernist building and plenty more evidence that you can live in Saigon for years and still discover something completely new around the corner.
Key Takeaways
Why my Lunch Walks are gradually turning into Saigon history walks
The story behind a 1973 South Vietnamese modernist building
How the building’s double skin helps deal with Saigon’s tropical climate
Exploring Tôn Thất Đạm and the Old Market
The different immigrant communities that helped shape this neighbourhood
Finding a 40,000 VND bún thịt xào for lunch
Trying a traditional sweet made with sticky rice, shredded coconut and mung bean
Buying freshly ground Vietnamese coffee from an old neighbourhood shop
How quickly Saigon has shifted from cash to QR payments
Discovering another building using the same distinctive modernist design
Timestamps
00:00 Another Lunch Walk begins
03:30 A 1973 modernist building on Nguyễn Công Trứ
05:00 How the “double skin” design works
10:00 Arriving at Tôn Thất Đạm and the Old Market
14:30 Finding bún thịt xào for lunch
17:00 Vietnamese sweets and a chat with the seller
21:30 Buying freshly ground Vietnamese coffee
24:00 The affordability of living in Vietnam
27:00 Discovering another mystery modernist building
30:00 Back at the studio for the final sweet treat
"Send me a message!"
Book your free tour of Saigon Podcast Studio!
Support the show
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com
🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!
👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!
🎥 Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript!
👉 I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here:
🔒 Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN!
👉 Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet!
These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
✅ Subscribe for More!
If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button.
📸 Follow Me on Instagram 🌐 Visit My Website 🎉 Join Our Community!
32 min
October 01I Came for Cơm Tấm. I Ended Up Eating This Instead | Lunch Walk #9
“This is why I’m just loving these Lunch Walks. I’m getting obsessed with them now. I’m finding out so much amazing information about this neighborhood.”
What started as a simple lunch walk has turned into something much bigger.
In this episode, I leave Saigon Podcast Studio and head to one of my regular lunch spots in the Nguyễn Thái Bình neighborhood, a place I’ve probably eaten at around 50 times since opening the studio. The original plan was cơm tấm, but as usual in Vietnam, things don’t quite go to plan.
Instead, I end up with hủ tiếu bò kho, a rich Vietnamese beef stew with noodles, soft carrots, fresh herbs, lime and bánh mì for dipping into the broth. It’s one of those dishes that still feels massively underrated compared with phở or bánh mì.
But the food is only half the story.
Right next to the restaurant is Al Rahim Mosque, on a site that has reportedly been home to a mosque since 1885. The current building was rebuilt in 2009, but the history of the site opens up another fascinating layer of this tiny part of central Saigon.
We’ve already explored Cantonese influence in this neighborhood and touched on Tamil migration from India through the French colonial world. This time, I start looking at the Malaysian and Indonesian Muslim communities that also helped shape the area, and why there are still halal restaurants clustered around the mosque today.
Then, completely randomly, I bump into two visitors from Australia and New Zealand who had come specifically looking for halal food. That turns into a conversation about the mosque, the neighborhood, Vietnamese food, riding motorbikes in Saigon and trying to do business in Vietnam.
These Lunch Walks were supposed to be about lunch. They’re slowly becoming history walks instead.
Key Takeaways
Hủ tiếu bò kho combines noodles with Vietnamese beef stew, herbs, lime and bánh mì for soaking up the broth.
The halal food around this part of District 1 is closely connected to the Muslim community surrounding Al Rahim Mosque.
A mosque has reportedly stood on this site since 1885, although the current building dates from 2009.
The Nguyễn Thái Bình neighborhood reflects layers of Cantonese, Tamil, Malaysian, Indonesian, French and Vietnamese history.
Some of the most interesting history in Saigon is hidden between modern banks, offices and buildings you can easily walk past every day.
These Lunch Walks are increasingly becoming a way to understand how food, migration, architecture and local history all connect.
Timestamps
00:00 Why Lunch Walks are becoming History Walks
02:00 Halal cơm tấm and the story of Al Rahim Mosque
04:00 Change of lunch plan: hủ tiếu bò kho
08:00 Meeting two visitors searching for halal food
10:00 The history of Saigon’s oldest mosque site
14:00 Exploring more hidden history around Nguyễn Thái Bình
17:00 Why I’m becoming obsessed with this neighborhood
"Send me a message!"
Support the show
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com
🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!
👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!
🎥 Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript!
👉 I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here:
🔒 Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN!
👉 Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet!
These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
✅ Subscribe for More!
If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button.
📸 Follow Me on Instagram 🌐 Visit My Website 🎉 Join Our Community!
18 min
September 24This Saigon Family Has Been Serving Duck Since 1938 | Lunch Walks #8
“They’ve been doing it since 1938. It better be good.”
This Lunch Walk starts as a food mission and ends up sending me even further down the rabbit hole of my own neighbourhood.
I’m joined by my friend James Green, who lives nearby, as we walk through the streets around Saigon Podcast Studio in search of bánh mì vịt quay, or roast duck bánh mì. But before we even get to lunch, we uncover a few stories hiding in plain sight.
We talk about how Pasteur Street was once a canal, discover that one very old-looking cafe façade is actually much newer than it appears, and stop outside the building that once housed the first American Embassy in Saigon.
Then we finally reach the main event.
The roast meat shop says it has been operating since 1938, and this time I’m able to ask the family directly. The woman serving us tells us her Cantonese grandfather started the business, her mother took over after him, and she is now the third generation. Her grandfather came to Saigon from Hong Kong around the 1920s, creating another direct link between this neighbourhood and the generations of immigrants who helped shape it.
And the food absolutely delivers.
Crispy roast duck, juicy meat, bánh mì, chilli, lemongrass and sauce quickly turns into us ordering even more duck because one sandwich simply isn’t enough.
The more of these Lunch Walks I make, the more I realise how much history is sitting right outside the studio, on streets I’ve been walking and driving through for nearly a decade.
Key Takeaways
Exploring the neighbourhood with my friend James Green
Discovering that Pasteur Street used to be a canal
Why some of Saigon’s “historic-looking” buildings aren’t actually historic
Visiting the former American Embassy in Saigon
The Cantonese influence on this part of the city
Finding a roast meat shop that has been operating since 1938
Meeting the third generation of the family running it
How her grandfather came from Hong Kong to Saigon in the 1920s
Trying an incredible roast duck bánh mì
Why these Lunch Walks are becoming as much about Saigon history as Vietnamese food
My growing idea for an off-the-beaten-path walking tour around the neighbourhood
Timestamps
00:00 Lunch Walk with James
02:00 Pasteur Street used to be a canal
04:00 The historic-looking building that isn’t historic
07:00 Saigon architecture and neighbourhood stories
10:00 The former American Embassy
13:00 Cantonese immigration and our lunch destination
15:00 Finding the 1938 roast meat shop
22:00 Meeting the third generation of the family
25:00 Trying bánh mì vịt quay
30:00 Ordering even more roast duck
31:00 Could this become a Saigon walking tour?
42:00 Wrapping up the Lunch Wal
"Send me a message!"
Book your free tour of Saigon Podcast Studio!
Support the show
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com
🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!
👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!
🎥 Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript!
👉 I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here:
🔒 Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN!
👉 Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet!
These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
✅ Subscribe for More!
If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button.
📸 Follow Me on Instagram 🌐 Visit My Website 🎉 Join Our Community!
44 min
September 17 We Don’t Eat Seafood… But We Had to Try This in Quy Nhơn | Lunch Walks #7
"Send me a message!"
Support the show
🎙️ Recorded at Saigon Podcast Studio!
👉 www.saigonpodcaststudio.com
🎙️ Start Your Podcast Today!
👉 Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and let’s bring your idea to life!
🎥 Edit Videos Like a Pro with Descript!
👉 I use Descript to create my content—try it for FREE here:
🔒 Protect Your Privacy with NordVPN!
👉 Get 70% OFF their 2-year plan and enjoy a secure, ad-free internet!
These are affiliate links, and I’ll earn a small commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
✅ Subscribe for More!
If you enjoy content about life in Vietnam, food adventures, and great conversations, hit that subscribe button.
📸 Follow Me on Instagram 🌐 Visit My Website 🎉 Join Our Community!
9 min

About Discover Vietnam: A Vietnam Podcast

From the publisher's feed

I’m your host, Niall Mackay. Each week I share my personal stories, my wife and I's and with guests connected to Vietnam — entrepreneurs, artists, locals, Viet Kieu, expats, and voices from across…