Miss Vietnam Hà Kiều Anh: “Cooking Is Not Only to Satisfy Hunger, But to Show Love”

Three decades after being crowned Miss Vietnam, Hà Kiều Anh still carries within her the youthful, fresh energy of her twenties. Time seems to have only deepened that beauty, and life’s joys have been skillfully arranged so she can savor the peace of her small family.

From a Warm Kitchen to a Green Veranda

We visited Hà Kiều Anh’s home on a November afternoon. In the midst of the rainy season, the sky was thick with dark clouds, yet her villa by the Saigon River brought an unusually refreshing and pleasant feeling. No fence, only clear ponds and a green garden embracing the house bathed in warm wood tones. Upon meeting us, she smiled brightly: “Oh, you know, these days we have guests at home every day, so I’m constantly busy cooking.” Indeed, that busyness was present in every movement of the house—each person with their own task, running to and fro, all blending into a rhythm full of vitality.

Her kitchen sits right beside the door opening to the veranda, where tables and chairs are set so the whole family can dine while leisurely looking out at the garden and ponds. The seamless connection from inside to outside, from ground floor to upper floor, reflects the owner’s open and free-spirited nature.

Her family has been attached to this home since 2007, and almost every detail was arranged by the couple themselves. Currently, Hà Kiều Anh fully enjoys the balance between work and life. She remains passionate about beauty—from fashion and art to charitable activities. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, flower arranging, and home decorating. These simple pleasures make life feel lighter and keep her soul brimming with positive energy.

Happiness Begins in the Kitchen

People see Hà Kiều Anh as always radiant, but for her, each phase is a journey of learning and gratitude. She shares: “I was fortunate to have a brilliant youth bathed in the spotlight, also had quiet times to learn and listen to myself, and now I have simple happiness with my family. I remember most the phase when I began being a mother, because that’s when I lived in the deepest love and felt most clearly the meaning of life.”

She admits she loves eating and also loves cooking. For her, being in the kitchen is a form of meditation—when she washes vegetables, seasons food, hears the sound of boiling water in the pot, and lets her mind settle. She believes cooking is a therapy that helps us connect with ourselves and spread love to those we cherish. Hà Kiều Anh’s family often cooks together. Each child has their own personality but all enjoy cooking. Kamen is skillful, often helping her mother cook Western dishes; Kingsley likes Korean food; and youngest daughter Viann loves decorating cakes and making juices. When the whole family cooks together, the kitchen fills with laughter.

While she was bustling in the kitchen, her youngest daughter came home from school, running to embrace her mother. Mother and daughter chatted for a while, then each returned to their tasks. I sensed in her family the presence of a close-knit love that still allows enough freedom for each member to maintain independence in their journey of growing together. Hà Kiều Anh recounts a recent happy moment: “It was an afternoon when the whole family gathered around a meal I cooked. The children chattered about school, my husband smiled quietly listening. Amid the cheerful chatter and the fragrant smell of food in the kitchen, seeing everyone eat with gusto, I felt a simple but complete happiness.”

Identity Lies in the Heart

Hà Kiều Anh says she learned to cook from her mother—a refined Hanoian woman who cooked well and was meticulous in every detail. From choosing ingredients and preparing fish sauce to arranging dishes, her mother always showed skill and love for the family.

“Perhaps it was from my mother that I learned cooking is not just to fill the stomach but to show love. My mother made every dish delicious, but I remember most the snail vermicelli on autumn mornings when the weather turned cool. The clear broth, lightly fragrant with perilla vinegar, plump crispy snails, poured over a steaming bowl of vermicelli, eaten with shredded banana blossom, purple perilla, Vietnamese balm… Just smelling it brings my whole childhood rushing back. For me, snail vermicelli is the flavor of memory, of days when my mother was young and I was small,” Hà Kiều Anh shares.

For Hà Kiều Anh, snail vermicelli is a memory of her beloved mother, while lotus seed sweet soup is a dish she often cooks for her children. The two dishes placed side by side are like a thread extending memories across three generations. She shares that anyone far from Hanoi can find a bit of old fragrance through these two simple treats.

Whenever she closes her eyes and thinks of Hanoi, the first image that appears in her mind is the row of dracontomelon trees on Le Thanh Ton Street—where she was born and raised. The sound of the gentle wind through the canopy, the faint scent of dracontomelon flowers, the neighborhood loudspeaker each morning—all like a musical score of memories that only a child of Hanoi can fully feel. She’s also most nostalgic for the scent of new young rice and milk flower fragrance. “Vong young rice wrapped in lotus leaves, carrying a pure, gently sweet fragrance, while milk flowers make one’s heart flutter every autumn. That scent makes me achingly miss those afternoons after school, walking along Nguyen Du Street shaded by trees, hearing the wind and feeling strangely peaceful.”

Perhaps anyone living far from home speaks of their birthplace with such yearning words. I wondered what is essential for someone far from home like her to maintain their identity while still growing and being free in their own journey. According to Hà Kiều Anh, each person’s identity lies in their heart and way of living. Wherever you go, if you maintain refinement, kindness, and love for your roots, that identity will always exist. Growing up means carrying those beautiful values into new journeys.

Snail Vermicelli

Ingredients
Apple snails, tomatoes, perilla vinegar, purple perilla leaves, shallots, lettuce, bean sprouts, shredded banana blossom, seasoning powder, fish sauce, sugar

Procedure
Soak snails in water with a few chili slices to remove slime and fishy smell. Parboil snails for about 5 minutes to maintain crispness. Scrape the snail mouths, wash thoroughly with vinegar and a little salt.

Sauté shallots, stir-fry tomatoes with shallots until soft, then add to the snail boiling water. Add perilla vinegar to create the characteristic tangy flavor. Season with seasoning powder, fish sauce, and sugar to taste.

Sauté shallots, add snails and stir-fry briefly. Season with more fish sauce and sugar. Blanch vermicelli, arrange snails on top. Pour hot broth over. Sprinkle purple perilla to enhance flavor.