Luke Nguyen's Railway Vietnam - Season 1

Luke Nguyen's Railway Vietnam - Season 1

Season 1

Network
Episodes10
DatesDec 5, 2019 - Jan 30, 2020

Episodes

Episode 1
Season 1Episode 125 min

Episode 1

In this first episode Luke digs deep to find the ‘old’ markets before they all start disappearing as the Ho Chi Minh landscape in District 1 rapidly develops. Luke visits District 11 where the people specialise in the local dish mi sui cao (similar to the wonton). He learns from the ‘great aunties’ about their secret recipe styles, after all they've been cooking mi sui cao for many years. Luke then follows his sweet tooth to Marou in search of great tasting cacao and delves into the history of Vietnamese chocolate. Finally, at Binh Thanh, Luke goes prawn fishing indoors - a unique experience where you can fish, relax, drink beer and cook.
Dec 5, 2019
Episode 2
Season 1Episode 225 min

Episode 2

Luke’s next stop is at the popular tourist destination of Dalat, where he starts off in the most authentic fashion at the historic art deco Dalat train station built by the French in the 1930’s. Later, in Thap Cham, Luke hops onto a scooter and rides around the Central Highlands to visit a father and son team of chefs and experience the unique bamboo fire cooking. Together, they create French-inspired dishes using frogs. Luke tries his hand at creating banh trang nuong (Vietnamese pizza) alongside a bustling restaurant that has been around for generations. Lastly, Luke stops off at a restaurant called The Wooden House which has pioneered the farm to table movement in Dalat.
Dec 5, 2019
Episode 3
Season 1Episode 325 min

Episode 3

In this episode Luke boards the train at Ga Thap Cham where tonnes of fresh fruit are loaded like a produce market: but he has to be quick as the train waits for no one. Luke soon finds his way to Nha Trang, known for its diverse sea life and beautiful coastline. It is here he hand-catches his favourite seafood, sea urchin. Back on land, Luke explores the streets and discovers the smell of the potent tropical fruit called durian. He also tries the local dish 'banh can’ which is prepared on tiny burners on the side of the road. Heading back towards the water Luke visits Luong Son fish market where he nervously awaits approval of his chargrilled calamari dish from the local workers. Finally, Luke visits a barramundi farm where they also harvest sea grapes which inspires his last dish.
Dec 12, 2019
Episode 4
Season 1Episode 425 min

Episode 4

Luke’s next stop is Hoi An taking the train from Danang on a ten-hour journey in one of the train's sleeper carriages. While en-route Luke cooks wok-tossed beef in the train’s kitchen carriage – a difficult feat. First up in Hoi An he visits a family who have been making chilli sauce for five generations. He watches closely as each chilli is handpicked and sorted. Next stop onto the iconic tourist attraction the Japanese covered bridge’ built in 1719 where Luke prepares the dish chicken rice with the help of keen locals. He then visits Tho Village and meets fourth generation blacksmith Mr Thi who creates knives from old bomb shells dropped during the Vietnam War. The end of Luke’s time in Hoi An coincides with his mother in law’s birthday so he cooks her favourite noodle dish, cao lau, unique to the area.
Dec 19, 2019
Episode 5
Season 1Episode 525 min

Episode 5

Luke approaches the halfway mark of his trip and arrives at Da Nang, a growing and bustling city located on the coast, west of the Hàn River. First up he visits the spectacular dragon bridge, then heads to My Khe beach where he cooks a shrimp dish on the sand with locals looking on. Moving inland, Luke discovers a community vegetable garden that is nestled alongside the railway line - it’s here he creates an authentic turmeric noodle dish using the local fresh herbs from the veggie garden. Luke stumbles across a tiny fishing village near the Hàn river where restaurants are dotted along the foreshore. Luke is invited in by one of the owners to cook up a seafood-inspired dish. Lastly, he visits the fresh produce Cam Le market where he cooks with a husband and wife team who run their own eatery.
Dec 26, 2019
Episode 6
Season 1Episode 625 min

Episode 6

In this episode Luke visits Hue; famous for its royal heritage, ancient imperial architecture and rich royal cuisine that inspires him. Luke visits Con Hen village where they specialise in the technique of swirling and de-shelling baby clams, a skill that goes back hundreds of years. Next morning Luke is up early searching for the best bowl of bun bo Hue, a spicy beef noodle soup, he ends up at the ‘Bun Bo Me Keo’ restaurant where the family who own the restaurant have been making their own local version of this dish for the past 70 years. Next, he tours a family business that produces and sells turmeric vermicelli noodle salad. Luke then visits his favourite street food stall in Hue to taste the delicious snack banh ep, a savoury pancake made from tapioca starch, pork, egg, and spring onion cooked in a flat press. Lastly, after Luke’s Japanese bathing experience in a peaceful streamside location, he cooks a healthy steamed snakehead fish dish.
Jan 2, 2020
Episode 7
Season 1Episode 725 min

Episode 7

Luke’s next stop is Ninh Binh, the longest leg of his train journey; 12 hours by train from Hue. Ninh Binh is a scenic wonderland with its majestic rolling mountains and intricate waterways and provides inspiration for some rather unique and unusual local recipes. An early start at the local market Luke meets a rice farmer who also catches and sells tiny rice paddy crabs, she offers to take Luke out on her canoe for a spot of crab hunting. Next Luke drives to Hoa Binh where he is taken deep into the jungle to search for the local delicacy: red ant eggs. He then creates a unique dish using the ant eggs incorporating lemongrass and betel leaf. There is a whole street in Ninh Binh dedicated to selling goat meat and Luke finishes his time in this spectacular small city by cooking a delicious goat curry.
Jan 9, 2020
Episode 8
Season 1Episode 825 min

Episode 8

In this episode Luke visits Hai Phong a major industrial city and the second largest in the northern part of Vietnam. Hai Phong is renowned for its famous fresh seafood and the banh da noodle. The banh da noodle is very unique and special, red in colour with a chewy texture, locals make this noodle at the back of their homes. Next stop for Luke is to visit a master baker who he watches make mini baguettes. Luke then delivers the warm bread sticks to a café where they add their famous homemade pâté. The baguette is filled with the pâté to create the dish banh mi – traditional to Hai Phong. Luke's last stop in Hai Phong is to find the perfect fried shallots - a condiment he uses extensively in his cooking.
Jan 16, 2020
Episode 9
Season 1Episode 925 min

Episode 9

Luke’s penultimate stop of his train journey is Hanoi, the second largest city of Vietnam located on the Red River. There is one dish Luke always has when he visits Hanoi and that’s bun cha - the dish was made famous by two men, Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain who ate it together in Hanoi. Space in parts of Hanoi are at a premium so Luke cooks a spectacular pho dish literally on the Reunification Express railway tracks. Next, Luke searches for the famous bun dau mam in Hanoi – this dish has evolved over many years normally renowned as a peasant dish, it now includes ‘rich’ food ingredients such as pork belly as well as the famous crispy fried tofu. Finally, Luke visits the Hoan Kiem lake - arguably the heart and soul of Hanoi, and it’s at this location Luke creates a delicious dish of magenta sticky rice.
Jan 23, 2020
Episode 10
Season 1Episode 1025 min

Episode 10

Luke travels on the overnight train from Hanoi to Sapa high in the hills and meets and learns all about the lifestyles of the ethnic minorities. Luke visited Sapa high in the hills in northern Vietnam 15 years ago. He’s pleased to find out that not much has changed and visits a little girl he befriended during that time. She welcomes him into her house and learns how the local dish of dried buffalo is made. He also goes foraging for botanicals with a scientist who is making Vietnam's very first gin.
Jan 30, 2020

Recently Updated Shows

Recently updated shows that might be of your interest.
Black Doves
Running

Black Doves

Helen Webb, politician's wife, doting mother, and professional spy, has been passing on her husband's secrets to the Black Doves, the shadowy organization for whom she works. But when her lover Jason is assassinated, Helen's life is turned upside down, and only her old friend Sam Young can keep her safe. But Sam, a suave, champagne-drinking assassin, also has problems of his own. Out of the game, since his last job went wrong, he soon realizes his past is coming back to haunt him. Together, they set off on a mission that will lead them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy. One that links the murky underworld of London to a looming geopolitical crisis — and leads them to question the cost of the moral choices they've made.

Reacher
Running

Reacher

Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator who has just recently entered civilian life. Reacher is a drifter, carrying no phone and the barest of essentials as he travels the country and explores the nation he once served. When Reacher arrives in the small town of Margrave, Georgia, he finds a community grappling with its first homicide in 20 years. The cops immediately arrest him and eyewitnesses claim to place Reacher at the scene of the crime. While he works to prove his innocence, a deep-seated conspiracy begins to emerge, one that will require Reacher's keen mind and hard-hitting fists to deal with. One thing above all is for sure: They picked the wrong guy to take the fall.

Allegiance
Running

Allegiance

Allegiance follows on identity and belonging, policing and politics, and finding truth within the heart of a flawed justice system. Sabrina Sohal is a star rookie police officer who must grapple with the limits of the justice system as she fights to exonerate her politician father Ajeet Sohal. Sohal serves her diverse hometown of Surrey alongside Vince Brambilla, a veteran training officer who sees her potential but doesn't always agree with her forward-thinking methods. Allegiance is the story of a young woman caught between her allegiance to her flag, to her badge, and to her family.

Interrogation Raw
Running

Interrogation Raw

Interrogation Raw tells the stories of dramatic murders and other serious crimes through the prism of the gripping interrogations of the accused.

GenreCrime
The Artful Dodger
Running

The Artful Dodger

Set in 1850s Australia, The Artful Dodger explores the adult double life of Charles Dickens' famous prince of thieves, Jack Dawkins aka The Artful Dodger, whose fast pickpocketing fingers have turned into the skilled hands of a surgeon. In the lively colony of Port Victory, Dodger's past returns to haunt him with the arrival of Fagin, luring him back into a world of crime. A greater threat - to Dodger's heart - is Lady Belle, the Governor's daughter, determined to become the colony's first female surgeon.

GenreDrama, Crime