Recently, I’ve been thinking of my trip to Vietnam and their unique tea I haven’t had since.

If you’re looking for a near death experience, take Vietnam Airways. I was very thankful we landed in one piece in Hanoi. We stayed at the historical and beautiful Sofitel Metropole Hanoi, where everyone spoke French and the walls seemed to tell stories of those who’ve been there before, like Charlie Chaplin and Jane Fonda. It felt haunted. I loved it.

The streets in Hanoi, are chaos. There are no traffic lights, cross walks or stop signs. Cars, bikes, rickshaws and people moving seamlessly together on these tiny narrow streets. As the obvious westerner, I watched in horror, how in the fuck do you cross the street without loss of limb or life? I felt like Indian Jones and the leap of faith. I watched locals step into the street without even looking both ways. It took me a solid 30 minutes to figure it out — you just go, nice and steady.

At the end of the road, a sweet iced tea awaited me. I have never tasted anything like it. It was iced cold, pale in color and undeniably addicting. I’ve done a little research and believe the tea may be lemongrass. I am going to try this recipe from Food & Wine magazine, but something tells me it won’t be the same…