Frequently posting videos of Vietnamese dishes on her personal TikTok channel, Diamond Logan, 24, from Chicago, Illinois in the US has quickly gained lots of attention from users in Vietnam.

Under each video, many Vietnamese leave comments expressing delight and admiration for her cooking skills that rival locals. They note the dishes closely resemble the “original versions” with appealing, meticulous presentation.

“I’m Vietnamese, but watching her cook makes me feel uneasy because she’s more skilled and deft than me,” said one viewer.

“The way she handles ingredients and seasons is no different from a Vietnamese person. She must really love and be passionate about Vietnamese cuisine to do this so well," said another,

“Seeing her cook, I feel insecure and need to rethink myself. I’m over 30 years old and I can only make simple stuff like boiled veggies, boiled meat, and fried eggs” was another comment.

Logan told VietNamNet that the Vietnamese dishes she cooks are the result of short “cooking training courses” provided by Truong Giang, 25, her Vietnamese boyfriend.

Giang was born and raised in Hanoi, then moved to the US in 2015. The couple met in 2020 and now live together in Chicago.

“When we moved in together, I started learning and practicing Vietnamese dishes. Besides what my boyfriend taught me, I also searched for information online to know more about Vietnamese cuisine,” she said. 

“I did this partially because cooking is my passion, and partially because I wanted to help my boyfriend, who was longing for hometown flavors since he couldn’t return to Vietnam due to Covid-19,” Logan recalled.

The first Vietnamese dish Logan learned was banh chung (square glutinous rice cake). After that, she boldly tried more like banh cuon (Vietnamese steamed rice rolls), spring rolls, grilled meat and braised meat.

In October 2022, when she visited Hanoi with Giang, she better understood the cuisine thanks to the warm guidance from his parents.

“They introduced me to unique ingredients, shared recipes, cooking tips, and how to season to match authentic Vietnamese flavors,” Logan said.

The 24-year-old admitted the support from her boyfriend’s family helped her cooking “level up,” confidently tackling some complex Vietnamese dishes, including the ones both Logan and Giang love, like cha ca La Vong (Vietnamese grilled fish dish originally from Hanoi), bun rieu (Vietnamese crab noodle soup) and banh chung.

“The practical cooking tips from his parents are so helpful. I find the dishes I learned from them taste way more appealing than what I made before,” the young girl added.

Thao Trinh