Story: Tram Anh
Photos: Hum Signature
There is a striking paradox. As the world grows wider, our hearts long ever more for what lies closest to us – the homeland of our fathers, the gentle waters of our mothers.
For decades, haute cuisine has been defined by precious ingredients, exquisite craftsmanship, and singular experiences. But recently, from time-honored Western capitals to dynamic Eastern cities, a shift is underway. Chefs are no longer chasing the exotic in foreign lands. They are turning back to native seasons, piecing together forgotten memories, and listening to the tales rooted in their own soil.
Dining spaces, too, have become part of the culinary narrative. As chefs return to local harvests and memories of home, the dining environment must likewise offer a sense of intimacy and stillness, allowing guests to fully experience that depth. Here, diners share a meal with light, drifting clouds, gentle breezes, and the passage of time. In its own way, nature quietly joins the experience, creating invisible yet powerful connections.
In this spirit, Hum Signature joins this growing movement through a new space called Thung Xanh. Hidden on the most private rooftop of a tall building, Thung Xanh reveals itself as a secret garden hovering above Saigon. Set apart from the hustle below yet wide open to the sun, wind, and drifting clouds, this space is a quiet sanctuary dedicated entirely to profound fine-dining experiences. Circular skylights set within the rooftop garden allow natural light to stream throughout the space. Sunbeams wander lazily across the brick floors, raw walls, and linen curtains that still bear the scent of hand-dyed indigo from the Northwest highlands. More than architectural features, the five skylights evoke the deepest layers of connection within the experience: between people and nature, ingredients and food, with their companions, and ultimately with themselves.
If Thung Xanh is a story told through space and architecture, then “Đất – Nước” is a story written in flavors. While the land nurtures life with harvests and minerals, water connects different regions through rivers, mountain rains, and the sea. “Đất – Nước” thus becomes a journey to discover the very elements that shape the identity of Vietnam’s produce.
At Hum Signature, plants are not positioned as alternatives to anything else. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, flowers, and seeds take center stage, each ingredient celebrated for its own character and the landscape from which it comes.
This voyage sets sail from the waterways of Southern Vietnam, where diners rediscover childhood through the bright, clean tartness of Can Tho ripe ambarella and the rustic, tangy-astringent notes of Dong Thap canarium. From the lowlands, the narrative winds its way towards the windswept highlands, embracing the crisp crunch of Dalat snow peas and salted limes mellowed over the years.
Further along comes a remarkable encounter between ingredients separated by thousands of miles: Thai Nguyen velvet mushrooms, An Giang baby corn, and Tay Bac mustard shoots; or the pairing of delicate Lam Dong artichokes with prized Lai Chau crosnes. Placed side by side, they celebrate a distinctly Vietnamese spirit: diverse yet unified, different yet deeply connected.
Woven throughout the ten-course menu is a philosophy of deep respect for the ingredients. Modern techniques are artfully applied to elevate their pure flavors, preserving the original spirit of the land, the water, and the seasons.
In the rooftop garden of Thung Xanh, from Huong Tich apricots and Hoa Loc mangos to Hue lotus extract that carries the refined elegance of the ancient imperial capital, every ingredient tells a story of its homeland. Sometimes, the furthest journey is not towards somewhere new, but towards seeing one’s own country with fresh eyes. It is, ultimately, a journey back home.
34 Vo Van Tan Street, Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
