US Navy chefs get a crash-course in Vietnamese cuisine

Chefs from the USS Carl Vinson have been introduced to three traditional Vietnamese delicacies in Da Nang.
U.S. Navy chefs were given a crash-course in Vietnamese cuisine with help from their local counterparts on Tuesday, the day after the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier arrived for a landmark visit in Da Nang.

Thirty U.S. chefs tried their hands at making three Vietnamese dishes with help from local chefs, with a menu of northern style fried spring rolls (nem ran), mi Quang noodles from the central region, and sizzling banh xeo pancakes from the south.

“These dishes are highly recommended by tourists. With the limited time of 90 minutes, learning to cook these simple dishes should be an interesting experience for the foreigners,” said Truong Thi Hong Hanh, deputy director Da Nang's Department of Tourism

Spring rolls are fried rice paper rolls filled with minced pork or crab, sliced mushrooms, glass noodles, carrots, eggs and spring onions. The dish can be found all over Vietnam in various guises. The spring rolls are eaten with fish sauce mixed with water, sugar, garlic, pepper and vinegar. Photo by VnExpress/Phong Vinh

Mi Quang includes thick rice noodles served with pork, chicken, shrimp and peanuts. Lettuce, young banana flowers and watercress are added for freshness. Photo by dulichdanang

Last but not least is southern Vietnam’s banh xeo, a crepe made with rice flour and coconut milk. The filling contains mung bean paste, boiled pork, prawn and bean sprouts. The crepe is then rolled with lettuce and herbs in rice paper and enjoyed with sweetened fish sauce. Photo by Ngoisao.net
The 6,500 U.S. sailors have also been introduced to some of central Vietnam's most famous sites in Hue, Hoi An and Da Nang.

The USS Carl Vinson arrived in Da Nang on Monday along with the destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer and the cruiser USS Lake Champlain. During the five-day stay, officers and sailors will visit social sponsor centers and Agent Orange victims, and take part in friendly sporting events and a music show.

The event has attracted global attention with the New York Times saying it signals a “significant shift in the region’s geopolitical landscape,” and that regional tensions are bringing together the two former enemies.