Iryna has lived and worked in Vietnam for five years. Her personal Facebook page has attracted 810,000 followers, and has 24 million likes. She often posts videos to share her food and travel experiences in Vietnam.

Iryna has been to Phu Yen recently, a province in the southern part in the central region, where she visited traditional markets. She got up very early, went to a fishing village and enjoyed the atmosphere of the seafood market at dawn, and tasted delicious dishes.

The destination of the traveler was Hon Yen fishing village in An Hoa Hai commune in Tuy An district, about 15 kilometers from Tuy Hoa City’s central area. As the seafood market gathered at 5-6am, she had to get up at 4am to move to the market.

“I never got up so early in Phu Yen. It was so beautiful at dawn. I enjoy the bustling atmosphere of the morning market,” she said.

Iryna said she wanted to buy cuttlefish and shrimp to have ‘the most fresh and delicious breakfast’.

She began walking around the market and showed her joy when seeing fresh seafood in basins.

Iryna decided to buy half a kilogram of cuttlefish and paid VND50,000. It was a surprise to her that the seller cleaned the cuttlefish and made preliminary treatment. The cuttlefish just needed cleaning before cooking.

As suggested by a local, Iryna came to a restaurant in An Hiep in Tuy Hoa City to try to make banh xeo (Vietnamese crepe) herself. She revealed that she liked banh xeo so much that she didn’t mind getting up early to buy materials for making the dish. 

In Phu Yen, travelers can easily find eateries that make banh xeo from materials brought by diners.

PhuYen’s banh xeo is quite large, served with mam nem (a type of fish sauce made from small fish or small shrimp) instead of sweet and sour fish sauce. She enjoyed banh xeo very much, especially the wonderful combination of different flavors.

She paid VND7,000 for four banh xeo because she left much cuttlefish. However, Iryna still insisted on paying VND20,000 to thank the shop owner for the delicious banhxeo. 

Iryna also visited Giai Son Market, which is considered the cheapest in Vietnam. With VND50,000, she could taste seven dishes.

Thao Trinh