There is a place in Sydney that I and almost everyone I know refer to as Little Vietnam. It is Cabramatta, just a half an hour drive from Sydney.
Here you will see heaps of fresh vegetables on sale. As Vietnamese cuisines calls for heaps of vegetables in every freaking dish. Sometimes I get sick of it because it's so damn healthy!
My favorite Vietnamese dish has got to be the Ban Xeo, Vietnamese pancake. But the very best I tasted was the one in Ho Chi Minh City. The vegetable was something I never had before and its freshness was balanced out with the fatty, grilled pancake and its toppings.
You can watch more of it in my very first video production using my Canon EOS 80D. More details below.
Getting there
From Sydney CBD is only a half an hour drive. If you want to go by train you can do so also as the train station is just near the business district of Cabramatta. Literally just outside the train station.
You will be needing an OPAL card to get around Sydney for tourists and locals alike. Check this information for visitors.
Gone are the days where you can just buy from ticket booths or machines. Opal card is now a compulsory to catch the trains around Sydney and regional areas. You can purchase these at newsagents or order online.
Things to do in Cabramatta
Eat! If you love Vietnamese food, Cabramatta is the best place in Sydney to eat your fill. There are Vietnamese restaurant in and around Sydney CBD but they are expensive and sometimes pretentious.
In Cabramatta it is much cheaper and it's made traditionally. If you wanted Pho, a beef noodle soup, I can recommend this place that I love going to. It's at Pho Phung.
They recently renovated and it looks so much better now with the new furnitures. Service is still the same, quick. Just order the bowl of Pho, you will love the little extra they put in it.
You can also purchase traditional desserts either from the local stores or ladies that sell on John Street. They make it at home and sell it cheaper from their little stands. We buy our Asian desserts from them and it's delish.
If you are not into Asian desserts, worry not as there are heaps of cafes and bakeries that caters for everything. Shops like Gloria Jeans, 85 Degrees, Bread Top and more as Cabramatta has hit tourist spot status.
Of course there are those little shops where you can buy practically anything. Cheap clothes, shoes, phones, kitchenware, furniture, electronics. There is also a community library, a small park and a pool on the other side of Cabramatta's CBD.
A little history about Cabramatta
Prior to it being a food mecca in Sydney, it used to be a drug capital and was a scary place to visit more than 15 years ago. It really was a rundown town with junkies lying on the gutter in the early mornings and late nights. Dealers in the train station eyeing for customers. Crime spree galore. It was bad.
With the efforts of the police and the community, the place got clean and became to what it is today.
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