American teacher causes TikTok fever with vlogs of Vietnamese bread and 'IELTS rib porridge'

Emma Ann Odom, owner of the channel @emmaa_eatss, with more than 22,000 followers on TikTok, has delighted netizens with videos exploring Vietnamese cuisine while traveling.

Teacher Emma - Photo: NVCC

In these videos, Emma met many Vietnamese sellers who speak English very well, including the "IELTS rib porridge" phenomenon that has been widely shared on social networks recently.

Talking to Tuoi Tre Online , Emma said she is 24 years old, American, and a high school English teacher. She came to Vietnam for tourism and there are many reasons why she started vlogging about Vietnamese cuisine.

"I have been to Vietnam several times and have fallen in love with the country. I always knew I wanted to return to Vietnam to travel alone and explore.

So I decided to make vlogs about food as a way to connect with people, especially since I'm alone and don't know anyone here," she said.

Since the end of March, Emma has been filming many interesting vlogs, asking questions to sellers.

She reviews everything from rib porridge, bread, grilled spring rolls... Wherever she goes, the American girl is always curious about Vietnamese cuisine .

Emma’s most memorable moment was her first viral video. She was chatting with a woman selling bread. Unexpectedly, this viral video caught the attention of netizens .

Emma's video of meeting the 'IELTS rib porridge' guy who is causing a TikTok storm - Screenshot

Next, she chatted with Le Quang Tung (21 years old, Hanoi). He is a guy selling rib porridge in Hanoi that many people admire when he listed the ingredients of rib porridge in fluent English. After the above clip, Quang Tung and his rib porridge stall became famous.

The American girl was surprised to meet many Vietnamese people who spoke English fluently. "I knew English was not popular here and I learned Vietnamese to survive. Meeting people who spoke English well was an interesting experience. It was a great opportunity for me to learn and interact with native people," she said.

"A lot of Vietnamese people want to be my tour guides"

Emma's TikTok has more than 22,000 followers, 99% of whom are Vietnamese - Screenshot

Emma said her channel is mostly watched by Vietnamese people. 99% of the views and comments are from Vietnamese people.

Up to now, nearly 30 Vietnamese people have texted her to offer to be her tour guides and interpreters. Not to mention, many people who watched the video enthusiastically provided the addresses of the best street vendors, inviting her to visit their stalls, shops...

"People are kind and don't ask for anything in return. This is memorable for me, because this kind of generosity is rare where I live. I rarely receive such wholehearted guidance and help without charge," she said.

However, when making food vlogs, the Western girl still encounters many difficulties, such as describing the taste, she doesn't know what to compare it to.

"Once I accidentally drank fish sauce, thinking it was soup. Some kind people pointed out my mistake, but others criticized me for being disrespectful," Emma said.

She saw many Vietnamese dishes that are famous in the world. Such as pho, bun cha and nem.

These are dishes that are also served in Western countries, but she concluded that they are not as delicious as the dishes served in Hanoi.

She also noticed differences between countries’ cuisines. For example, many foreigners do not eat hot soup on hot days, saving it for colder weather. However, Vietnamese people have a pot of hot soup every meal.

She found the iced tea delicious. Locals often enjoy iced tea in small shops, on the sidewalk or in coffee shops. Iced tea is not only a drink, but also a way for people to enjoy their time off, chatting and relaxing.

In addition, bun cha and pho are also two typical dishes of Hanoi and are an indispensable part of Vietnamese cuisine.

"Vietnamese cuisine is so delicious. I hope people will take advantage of English so that your cuisine can attract a larger number of customers, thereby increasing revenue," she said.

The young woman said she has no plans to return home anytime soon because she wants to find a teaching job in Southeast Asia again. She hopes to live here for at least a few more years before returning home.

She plans to learn more about Vietnamese and see where that takes her. She also wants to grow her TikTok channel to reach more people around the world.

"I think my videos will help people learn more about life in Vietnam and encourage them to visit. I also want to meet and make friends with more local people," she said.

Tuoitre.vn