Moving to Manila for college changed more than my school routine. It also changed the way I eat. As a Vietnamese girl studying in the Philippines, food has become one of the easiest ways for me to experience both cultures.
When I first arrived, I thought I would constantly crave Vietnamese food. I imagined myself searching for phở, bánh mì, and cơm tấm whenever I missed home. However, living in Manila made Filipino food part of my routine faster than I expected.
I decided to track my meals for six days to see how often I actually ate food from both cultures. The results surprised me because Filipino food appeared more often than I expected.
These six days of meals became more than just a food diary. They also showed little pieces of my everyday life as a Vietnamese student living in Manila. Here are some snapshots of my life in Manila.
My Week on a Plate
For six days, I recorded whether each meal was Vietnamese or Filipino. I counted food I actually ate, whether it came from a restaurant, cafeteria, food stall, or home.
The chart shows that I ate six Vietnamese meals and nine Filipino meals during those six days. Filipino food appeared more often, mostly because it was easier to find around campus and near places where I usually studied.
My Vietnamese meals usually happened when I specifically looked for familiar flavors. Sometimes, I also chose Vietnamese food because I missed home. Filipino meals, meanwhile, often happened naturally because they were already available around me.
This small experiment reminded me that adapting to another culture does not mean abandoning my own.
Finding Home Between Two Cultures
Food has become my little cultural meeting point. I can eat adobo for lunch and still crave phở for dinner. I can enjoy Filipino flavors while noticing the ingredients and cooking styles that remind me of Vietnam.
There are also moments when I compare the two cuisines without even realizing it. I notice differences in seasoning, textures, sauces, and even the way people eat together. These differences make ordinary meals feel like small cultural lessons.
Living in Manila has taught me that cultural identity does not have to be an either-or situation. I do not have to choose between being Vietnamese and adapting to Filipino culture.
Instead, I am learning how both cultures can exist in my everyday life. Sometimes, that means speaking Vietnamese with friends, using Filipino expressions on campus, and figuring out how to balance student life with discovering my new surroundings.
My experience here isn’t limited to the places I visit for school or the food I eat every day. I also get to explore the country, like when I took a break from my routine and explored Boracay.
Looking back at these six days, I realized that I don’t have to choose between the food, traditions, and experiences I grew up with and the ones I am discovering here. Learning to embrace two cultures at once has become part of my experience as a Vietnamese student in the Philippines.
Maybe that is what studying abroad within Asia feels like. You carry one culture with you while slowly making room for another.
Vietnamese girl + Manila college life = endless culture shocks. I’m a Communication Arts student exploring the funny, surprising, and sometimes confusing differences between Vietnam and the Philippines. Basically, I’m here to answer one question: Pho real? 🍜
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