If you're looking for a slice of traditional Vietnam, you're likely to find what you're after at Rom Vang Restaurant, located on Ngo Thoi Nhiem St in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Inside the two terracotta-roofed villas, the wooden furniture, Vietnamese paintings, vases of wild flowers and rattan or bamboo baskets and trays evoke the feeling of an ancient house of the Orient.

Traditional dishes such as the nem ran (fried rolls), cha ca (grilled fish), bun bo Hue (Hue style beef noodle) or banh beo (steamed rice pudding) look particularly tempting.

The banh xeo (a sort of fried cake), a popular Vietnamese rice based dish, was described by satisfied customers as "subtle and crispy, consisting of steamed shrimp, pork paste, room temperature rice, herbs, and an extremely subtle flavour of fish paste".

Many restaurants use crocus to create the yellow coloring for banh xeo, however, Rom Vang does not apply this method. It relies on the skillful hands of the restaurant's chef to create a natural yellow color for the cake.

Aside from 30 traditional courses, Rom Vang also offers its own culinary creations. Cha gio ca loc (fresh water fish spring rolls) is a perfect mixture of fresh fish, crab and pork meat rolled up in rice paper, best accompanied by fried fishbone, fresh salad and mayonnaise.

Rom Vang is an ideal place to introduce yourself or a newcomer to a wide range of wonderful Vietnamese food in a cozy, comfortable setting, without the hassle of negotiating unfamiliar streets and food stands in search of elusive delicacies.

Diners will not only discover Vietnamese traditional culinary art but also learn more about the agriculture heritage of the country.

   Rom Vang Restaurant
      Add: 53 Ngo Thoi Nhiem St, Ward 6, Dist 3, Ho Chi Minh City.
      Tel: (84-8) 930 5798