Part 6: Best of Bourdain in Asia: Vietnam the Island of Mr. Sang

Dear hearts, let us continue with our multi-part Bourdain reviews. By the way, how did we like last night's 100th episode? I actually much preferred Tony's first trip to Paris over this one. Still, the food looked fantastic and it's good to hear you can eat well in Paris without spending a complete fortune. Getting back to the matter at hand, however, let's talk Bourdain's best Asian episode. In my opinion, Tony really outdid himself the first time he went to Vietnam. As you may know, Tony has been to Vietnam three times on the show. He has made his love for the country very clear and that must mean something, right? And, why, you may ask is this episode, in particular, so fantastic?

San Chi girls in Hanoi

1. Indigenous Village Life. Everything's peachy as Tony visits villagers, eating and pow wowing with the locals. It's a slice of life not often seen and it makes for compelling tv. Now onto the fun stuff!

Mr. Sang?

 2. The Mysterious Mr. Sang. Tony is taken across Halong Bay with government men who will not crack a smile. It's very James Bond and Tony looks pretty freaked out. Tony only knows that he is going to the Island of the mysterious Dr. No er... Sang. And the spy imagery makes us genuinely concerned for Tony's safety even while we laugh at the silliness of it all.


3. Cooking with Mr. Sang. Once Tony arrives in the presence of Mr. Sang, however, we see that Sang is just a super rich guy who wants to show Tony a good time. Not only that, but Sang wishes for Tony to tape him doing a cooking show segment and acts like what we would imagine he thinks a cooking show host is supposed to act like--goofy. After all of this, Tony tries Mr. Sang's cuisine and is, in fact, quite impressed. We also learn that Mr. Sang's island is actually a resort and this entire show has actually been an elaborate advertisement set up by the nefarious Mr. Sang. After a little research, we were able to locate the resort's webpage. Check it out: http://tuanchau-halong.com.vn/.

Gorgeous Halong Bay

This episode had it all. It introduces us to Tony experiencing his fave country in the world and blends a healthy dose of comedy and intrigue. Even before this episode, Vietnam was my #1 choice for travel to Asia. Now, it's a must and maybe I can stay at Mr. Sang's resort.