The Vietnamese Ritual I Do Twice a Month (Plus My Full Apartment Tour)

The Vietnamese Ritual I Do Twice a Month (Plus My Full Apartment Tour) Twice a month, my grandmother would remind me: don't forget the flowers. Today is what's called Ngay Ram here — the full moon day, the 15th of the lunar month — and for a lot of Vietnamese families, it means a very specific kind of morning. Market first. Altar second. Lunch third. I grabbed my basket and walked to Tay Mo market, starting with a stop I make every single time this comes around: fresh yellow chrysanthemums and a few crispy Asian pears, bought in my own container instead of a plastic bag. Then vegetables, a fresh coconut, pork belly, and a kilo of salt — total for the whole morning, under seven dollars. Back home, the flowers get trimmed and arranged, the fruit gets washed, and it all goes up on the family altar. A few quiet minutes, a short prayer for health and steady work — nothing dramatic, more like checking in with the people who came before you. Then into the kitchen for something I don't make often enough: pork belly braised in coconut water, made with the actual coconut I bought that morning, cracked open by hand. And since I was home all day anyway, I finally did the thing I've been promising since my very first video — I walked you through the entire apartment. All 48 square meters of it, room by room, including the kitchen I designed myself and had custom-built. This is what a home-cooked, slightly ritual Wednesday looks like here. Nothing loud, nothing staged. Just flowers, food, family tradition, and two cats who think lunch is a group activity. 📍 Filmed in Hanoi, Vietnam 🏠 48 sqm apartment, Vinhomes Smart City 🙏 Ngay Ram (Full Moon Day / Ancestor Worship Ritual) If you've been waiting for the apartment tour, thanks for your patience — hope it was worth it. Subscribe for more real days in Hanoi.#hanoilife #LifeInVietnam #VietnamDailyLife #TinyApartmentLiving