He has made over 100 videos about Vietnamese food. He believes that Vietnam’s food is a wonderful balance between flavors. Sonny loves fish sauce and coffee, and even mam tom (shrimp paste), which many foreigners shun.

Sonny told VietNamNet that Vietnamese set very high standards on food, including street dishes. Vietnam is also where he can enjoy wonderful dishes at surprisingly low prices.

His real name is William Sonbuchner, 38, and he is from the US. Before becoming a professional YouTuber with a team of 20 members, he lived in South Korea for eight years after moving there when he was 24 years old. 

“I watched two TV shows - Bizarre Food by Andrew Zimmerman and No Reservations by Anthony Bourdain. The shows inspired me and prompted me to go to Asia. Food, especially ‘exotic food’ as I call it, is the thing I am interested in,” he said.

Of course, his initial plan was not becoming famous and earning a lot of money. He just wanted to do something better than he had done in the past. His only goal at that time was producing and posting videos frequently.

In recent years, he has been observing the principle of posting two videos each week even though he has to get up early at 5am to edit films.

At first, Sonny only used one cameraman and had to do many things himself. But his team has expanded with 20 members now.

Sonny’s shows have become one of the leading food channels on YouTube. The professionalism like any other filming crew, and masterstroke in work help him create films with high originality, differentiations and experiences. 

“The audience is not there to listen to your views. You need to show them what is happening. Don’t talk about yourself, talk about food and the people creating wonderful dishes,” he said.

In his talk with VietNamNet, he repeatedly stressed that the programs are not about him, but about places where he visits, and about culture and experiences in food. Dishes and people must be put at the center.

Sonny believes there are two factors to measure the success of a program. The first is the number of views. The second is the possible influences of the content he provides to audiences.

He says the mission of his channel is hunting for and recording original dishes all over the world. He aims at creating understanding of different cultures and nations.

Having been to 50 countries, Sonny doesn’t this figure accounts for the quality of his shows. He believes the most important thing is a deep understanding about what can make countries special and original in comparison with others.

Sonny did not know anything about Vietnam when he decided to come to the country. At first, he chose Vietnam for the reasonable cost. In addition, Vietnam has rich cuisine and is near Thailand, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, the Philippines and Japan, where he can travel.

After trying a lot of Vietnamese dishes, Sonny believes that the common characteristic is the balance between bitter, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors. “I can’t find any dishes which are too spicy or too sweet. There’s always balance between flavors, especially between rich and light flavors,” he said.

The YouTuber believes that in Asia and Vietnam, pork is better processed than in European countries. American have pork ribs, but the dish cannot compete with the ribs in Saigon's steamed broken rice dish.

“I’d rather eat ribs worth $2 at a street shop in Vietnam than ribs valued at $30 in the US,” he said.

The man also likes fish sauce which in his eyes is one of the most wonderful and differentiated spice. He likes coffee which has strong flavor, which can create a wonderful drink if mixed with sweetened condensed milk and ice. He highly appreciated pho with the broth created by bone simmer for 7-10 hours.

Linh Trang