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Not only did President Barack Obama sample some of Vietnam’s finest local eats in Hanoi, but his guide was none other than “Parts Unknown” host Anthony Bourdain.

“There is no better place to entertain the leader of the free world, in my opinion, than one of these classic, funky family-run noodle shops you find all over Hanoi,” says Bourdain. “Dinner and a beer costs about $6. I’m guessing the President doesn’t get a lot of state dinners like this.” President or not, you don’t need a celebrity guide to make the most of this nation’s eats.

The cheapest and one of the most delicious places to find Vietnamese cuisine is in a traditional open-air market. Here, single-dish food stalls, run mostly by women, offer finely crafted dishes passed from mother to daughter for generations.

Ready to pull up a plastic stool? Here are 10 foods that will give you a perfect introduction to best street eats in Vietnam：

Pho：What list of Vietnamese cuisine would be complete without pho? It’s almost impossible to walk a block in Vietnam’s major cities without bumping into a crowd of hungry patrons slurping noodles at a makeshift pho stand. This simple staple, consisting of a salty broth, fresh rice noodles, a sprinkling of herbs and chicken or beef, features predominately in the local diet — and understandably so. It’s cheap, tasty and widely available at all hours.

Bun cha：Pho might be Vietnam’s most famous dish, but bun cha is the top choice when it comes to lunchtime in the capital. Just look for the clouds of meaty smoke after 11 a.m. when street-side restaurants in Hanoi start grilling up small patties of seasoned pork and slices of marinated pork belly over a charcoal fire. Once they’re charred and crispy, the morsels are served with a bowl of a fish sauce-heavy broth, a basket of herbs and a helping of rice noodles. Bun cha sets often come with the delicious nem cua be — fried crab spring rolls. Still not convinced? It’s what Obama ate during his night out with Bourdain.

Xoi：Savory sticky rice is less of an accompaniment to meals in Vietnam; it is more a meal itself. The glutinous staple comes with any number of mix-ins (from slivers of chicken or pork to fried or preserved eggs), but almost always with a scattering of dried shallots on top.

Banh xeo：A good banh xeo is a crispy crepe bulging with pork, shrimp and bean sprouts, plus the garnish of fresh herbs that are characteristic of most authentic Vietnamese dishes. To enjoy one like a local, cut it into manageable slices, roll it up in rice paper or lettuce leaves and dunk it in whatever special sauce the chef has mixed up for you.

Goi cuon：These light and fresh spring rolls are a wholesome choice when you’ve been indulging in too much of the fried food in Vietnam. The translucent parcels are first packed with salad greens, a sliver of meat or seafood and a layer of coriander, before being neatly rolled and dunked in Vietnam’s favorite condiment — fish sauce. Not ready to give up on the fried ones? In the north these fried parcels go by the name nem ran, while southerners call them cha gio. The crispy shell surrounds a soft veggie and meat filling.

Bun bo nam bo：This bowl of vermicelli noodles — widely popular in Hanoi — comes sans broth, keeping the ingredients from becoming sodden and the various textures intact. The tender slices of beef mingle with crunchy peanuts and bean sprouts and are flavored with fresh herbs, crisp dried shallots and a splash of fish sauce and fiery chili pepper.

Cao lau：This pork noodle dish from Hoi An is a bit like the various cultures that visited the trading port at its prime. The thicker noodles are similar to Japanese udon, the crispy won-ton crackers and pork are a Chinese touch, while the broth and herbs are clearly Vietnamese. Authentic cao lau is made only with water drawn from the local Ba Le well.

Banh mi：The French may have brought with them the baguette, but Vietnam takes it to a different level. How, exactly, depends on what end of the country you’re in. In the north, chefs stick to the basic elements of carbohydrate, fat and protein — bread, margarine and paté — but head south and your banh mi may contain a more colorful combination of cheese, cold cuts, pickled vegetables, sausage, fried egg, fresh cilantro and chili sauce.

Bot chien：Ho Chi Minh City’s favorite street snack, bot chien is popular with both the after-school and the after-midnight crowd. Chunks of rice flour dough are fried in a large wok until crispy, and then an egg is broken into the mix. Once cooked, it’s served with slices of papaya, shallots and green onions, before more flavor is added with pickled chili sauce and rice vinegar.

Ca phe trung：Vietnamese “egg coffee” is technically a drink, but we prefer to put it in the dessert category. The creamy soft, meringue-like egg white foam perched on the dense Vietnamese coffee will have even those who don’t normally crave a cup of joe licking their spoons with delight. In Hanoi, follow the tiny alley between the kitschy souvenir shops at 11 Hang Gai into the clearing and up several flights of increasingly dicey stairs to pair your ca phe trung with an unbeatable view of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Source：CNN

With the upcoming High Speed Rail, Bangkok is destined to be the transportation hub in Southeast Asia, connecting the region and the various areas in China. THE BASE Phetkasem, a partnered project by Sansiri and BTS, is situated right at this prime location. It’s 2 minutes walk to the MRT station, leads directly to the High Speed Rail Hub, and just 15 minutes away from the CBD of Sathorn.

Golden Emperor partnered with Sansiri to launch a Bangkok Property Investment Seminar, THE BASE Phetkasem, possesses great investment potential with promising rental yield, was launched at our event as well, the seminar attracting about 600 customers attended over the weekend.

Above: Around 600 customers attended the weekend exhibition.

Above: Terence Chan, Director of Golden Emperor, provided a presentation on investing in Bangkok.

Above: Sansiri’s latest property project from Bangkok, THE BASE Phetkasem also be featured at this event.

Above: Our clients in Hong Kong had exclusive offer during the event.

Bangkok will be blissfully full of art in winter next year when Wat Arun, Wat Pho and Lumpini Park, as well as Bangkok Art and Culture Centre and shopping malls, will turn into art galleries for Thailand’s first international contemporary art festival. The Bt150-million Bangkok Art Biennale 2018 will take place from November 2018 to February 2019.

Funded by private companies Thai Bev, Central Group and Siam Piwat, the four-month festival aims to promote contemporary art and Thai culture, as well as boost tourism. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Tourism Authority of Thailand will also support the festival.

“The festival will feature 70 artists, both international and Thai artists, who will interpret the theme ‘Beyond Bliss’ through their artworks,” reveals artistic director Apinan Poshyananda, who is the former secretary general of the Culture Ministry.

The announcement regarding BAB’s first edition was made in Venice on May 13 at the Westin Europa & Regina Hotel, San Marco, by the Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation, which was co-founded by food and beverage mogul Thapana Sirivadhanabhakdi and the former permanent secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, Apinan Poshyananda. Apinan and his team, including Thai and Asian curators as well as directors from the world’s leading museums, aim to introduce Thailand as a new contemporary art destination. The Thai organisers have been inspired by the leading biennales in Venice, Sydney, Fukuoka, Shanghai and Singapore.

BAB will be Bangkok’s first Biennale, marking the city’s addition to the international biennale circuit. Under the theme “Beyond Bliss,” the three-month event will feature contemporary art from Asia, Europe and the Pacific region, which will be showcased at various sites in Bangkok, including the Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Suan Lumpini Park and at least three ancient temples along the Chao Phraya River.

Regarding the theme of BAB, Apinan Poshyananda, who is also chief executive and artistic director of BAB, said during the announcement in Venice, “We live in the age of chaos, disruption . . . and violence. So the search for your bliss is up to the individual artist, who would interpret, as well as the visitors who come to Bangkok. We all want to find our own bliss.”

The Bangkok Art Biennale Foundation is led by Poshyananda along with a number of international advisors, including Alexandra Munroe, senior curator of Asian art and senior advisor of global arts at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation; independent curator David Stuart Elliott; Eugene Tan, director of the National Gallery Singapore; Nanjo Fumio, director of Mori Art Museum; Nigel Hurst, chief executive of Saatchi Gallery in London; contemporary artist Rirkrit Tiravanija; and Sunjung Kim, director of Artsonje Center in Seoul.

Source：The NATION , ArtAsiaPacific

The 40 most valuable companies in Vietnam have a total revenue of $5.4 billion, which is a 20 per cent increase compared to 2016. This is the second time in a row that Vinamilk tops the list, with a brand value of $1.7 billion. The lowest ranked company on the list is LocTroi, with a value of $13.1 million.

In terms of industrial sectors, companies of the consumer goods sector remain at the top, followed by the banking and finance sector. Information technology ranks third with three representatives. This year, there are brand new companies on the list, such as Quang Ngai Sugar JSC, Petrolimex or Vietnam National Petroleum Group, Saigon Tourist Travel Service Company, and LocTroi Group.

Vinamilk maintained its role as the most prominent player in the Vietnamese milk industry. In 2016, the total revenue of the company was $2.1 billion, as published in the minutes of the company’s shareholders’ meeting in 2016. Profit before tax reached $494 million and profit after tax reached $411 million. Vinamilk aspires to increase total annual revenue to $3.5 billion by 2021, with an expected annual growth rate of 10 per cent.

The two brands following Vinamilk are Viettel and Vingroup, with brand values of $846.9 million and $299.3 million. Viettel ranks amongst the top telecommunications providers in Vietnam, with a total revenue of $11 billion in 2015, a 13 per cent increase compared to the revenue in 2014. Profit before tax was $2.2 billion and its return on equity was 41 per cent.

Vingroup Joint Stock Company is one of the largest listed companies in Vietnam, with a focus on property, hospitality and entertainment, and consumer retail. Based on Vingroup’s financial reports, its total revenue by 2016 has reached $2.5 billion. Its gross profit has reached $765 million in 2016, while profit after tax was $154 million.

Other representatives in the top ten included, the Saigon Beer – Alcohol – Beverage Corporation Company (SABECO) with US$254.5 million, Masan Consumer with US$217.9 million, FPT with US$176.2 million, Vietcombank with US$137 million, Vietinbank with US$134.5 million, Truong Hai Automobile JSC (THACO) with US$130 million and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) with US$134.32 million.

The results are based on Forbes’ rating methodologies, assessing how much the brands help businesses generate more revenues. The most valuable brands belong to the companies with the highest revenues in their respective industries.

Brand valuation is determined by how much a brand can contribute to business success in each industry. Final brand values are based on the average Price-Earnings Ratio (P/E) of each industry. It is measured by current share prices over per share earnings. The higher the P/E rate the more overvalued the brand is. To evaluate the brands of unlisted companies, Forbes Vietnam compared companies of the same size within the same segment and industry.

Because this method requires transparent financial data, Forbes is not capable of producing a solid basis for brand valuation of many private companies and state owned enterprises.

Detailed list of 20 businesses in the table below:

Source: VietnamNet , Nhân Dân , VietnamBIZ

Offering a mix of industrial and leisure zones, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), which is spread over the provinces of Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, is to be promoted as a premier tourist destination, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced recently.