Australia is filled with cafes and restaurants from cultures all around the world, so when I saw an Australian themed restaurant here in Hai Phong, I couldn’t resist checking it out to see how our culture and food are represented and enjoyed.
After dinner we stopped for a chat with the owners – Auzzie Times is run by a Vietnamese woman and her partner, they used to live in Melbourne and wanted to bring the vibe back to Hai Phong. This place is abuzz with couples on romantic dates or celebrating occasions – this seems to be the specialty as most tables are adorned with teddy bears flowers, candles and even balloons.
The service is decent albeit quite slow. The menu is nice, I had a tasty salad and the seafood is fresh. They also do lots of ribs and sweets. It’s hard to pin down what Australian food is, as it’s a melting pot of different cultural influences, but they’ve done a good job with it.
This is the kind of spot that you’d expect to be overrun with instagrammers – but (at least when we were there in the morning) it’s refreshingly quiet. This large graffiti feature with striking colours is located next to the river and it is really a great spot for a photo, and just something fun to swing by.
The streets of Hai Phong are fun to explore both day and night. Here’s a few of the places we uncovered:
Next to the graffiti wall you can get a cold bottle pop water (which you’ll need – it’s so humid!) and an ice cream or fun drink like this kiwi one we tried.
This place has a cool modern design and the gelato is served in recycled cups with a slice of chocolate waffle cone. It’s got all the classic flavours plus a few uniquely Vietnamese ones. It’s quick service and great taste – similar to what you’d find around Sydney or elsewhere.
The perfectly groomed resident puppy first caught our eye, and then we realised this was a beautiful women’s clothing boutique from a local designer. The clothing has traditional Vietnamese elements with some innovative modern aspects. the fabrics are high quality and the prices are close to what you might pay in a mid-range Sydney store. We purchased a stunning high neck, asymmetrical button up shirt.
We stumbled upon a tiny bottle shop filled with rare liquors, including local made Vietnamese gin which we purchased. The staff were knowledgeable and spoke great English, it was also fun just to look around at the selection.
Unfortunately this was closed due to damage from the typhoon when we visited, so we weren’t allowed to go in, but it would have been nice to see this aspect of Hai Phong’s culture and history. If you’re going for a visit be sure to watch for the opening hours as they close over lunch.
