Originally published on BBC, 17 Apr 2024
Vietnamese American chef and author Andrea Nguyen scours the backstreets of former Saigon for the famed sandwiches, from classic breakfast options to after-dark favourites.
The banh mi – an airy-soft baguette encasing a heady blend of charcuterie meats, cheeses, pâté and pungent herbs and vegetables – is Vietnam's famed yet humble sandwich.
But for celebrated Vietnamese American chef and writer Andrea Nguyen, the banh mi is an obsession. As the author of what's widely considered the bible on the subject, The Banh Mi Handbook, Nguyen believes the bahn mi is so much more than a simple sandwich – it's a symbol of Vietnam's phoenix-like rise from French colonial oppression to its rapidly developing future.
The beautiful thing about the banh mi is you're experiencing the history of Vietnam," says Nguyen. "It's a confluence of colonial and native food ways, a kaleidoscopic representation of Vietnamese cuisine."
As the birthplace of the modern banh mi, Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon, as locals still prefer to call it) holds particular importance for Nguyen. Airlifted out as a child during the Fall of Saigon in 1975, she often returns to the city, not only to rediscover her roots, but to source out the city's finest banh mi – the street-food staple as representative of Saigon's cosmopolitan culture as a warming bowl of pho is to the brisk northern capital of Hanoi.
"Traditionally, they were very simple, but in Saigon, it became this crazy, rock 'em, sock 'em sandwich with all sorts of ingredients," says Nguyen. "And because it's so ubiquitous, it is now quintessentially Saigon."
Thousands of carts, stalls, cafés and restaurants offer their own unique spins on the banh mi. Here are Nguyen's favourite bahn mi in Saigon.
1. Best of the best: Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa
The most popular spot isn't always the best, but Nguyen believes the Saigon crowds have it right. At any hour of the day, people teem outside Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa, a place equally celebrated by distinguished food critics as it is by social media influencers.
"It's really popular, but I like it because you can go there late at night and there's always a crowd," says Nguyen. "Banh mi is often a breakfast or lunch dish, and there aren't many places open in the evening. But at Huỳnh Hoa, it has that community feeling of being there and just seeing what happens."
Huỳnh Hoa's specialty is đặc biệt – roughly translated: 'the works', a banh mi piled high with thick slabs of roast pork, pork floss, sausage, pate, cucumber, coriander, homemade butter, mayonnaise, chili sauce, salt and pepper.
"The sandwiches are big and they're VND68,000 [US$2.75], which is a fair amount," says Nguyen. "But these places cost more because they're using better ingredients. So, at least you don't have to be sceptical that they're going to make you feel a little funny."
Website: https://banhmihuynhhoa.vn
Address: 26 Đ. Lê Thị Riêng, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Phone: +84 962 455 517
Facebook: facebook.com/banhmihuynhhoa
2. Best for breakfast: Bánh Mì Hòa Mã
For breakfast, banh mi is a Saigon staple, as simple as a fried egg in a Viet-style baguette. It's usually served all day, but places dedicated to bahn mi often open at the crack of dawn and shutter by midday – or when they run out, whichever comes first.
"I love a fried egg banh mi, and some places that's all they specialise in, like at Hòa Mã," says Nguyen. "Everyone thinks of banh mi as this grab-and-go kind of thing, commuter food, but for breakfast, it was traditionally a sit-down meal."
Hoa Ma has been in business since 1958 and still serves breakfast old-school – which means deconstructed: the eggs, pâté and assorted meats served in a hot pan, with the baguette on the side. It's enjoyed either like a western breakfast with a fork and knife, or diners can use the ingredients to make a DIY sandwich.
"They're always extra generous and it tends to be priced a little bit more because of that," says Nguyen.
"That's the other thing about banh mi – people think it's cheap food, but it wasn't always that way," she says. "That used to be because of the bread; even when I was a kid in Vietnam before my family fled in 1975, I knew what a good baguette tasted like – it tends to have more weight and more chew. Hòa Mã has stuck to that standard."
Address: 53 Đ. Cao Thắng, Phường 3, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Phone: +84 8 3839 6582
Facebook: Pages/BánhMìHòaMã
3. Best for a quick fix: Bánh Mì Như Lan
For a safe, reliable banh mi fix in Saigon's city centre, try Bánh Mì Như Lan, a long-established bakery and delicatessen set next to soaring Bitexco Financial Tower in District 1.
"Như Lan is an institution," says Nguyen. "For people visiting Saigon, Như Lan is so easy because it's just right in the centre. It's a deli really, but unlike most, they bake their own bread next door."
Dozens of banh mis are available, from standard pork-stuffed sandwiches to lesser-found varieties featuring chicken or fish.
"They sell so much more than banh mi and you can order so many other different foods there," says Nguyen. "But whenever I'm roaming around District 1, I always walk by Như Lan and wonder, is it banh mi time?"
Website: https://nhulan.vn
Address: 68 Hàm Nghi, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Phone: +84 968 593 378
Facebook: facebook.com/banhminhulan365
4. Best for fusion: Bánh Mì Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ Minh Tuấn
Banh mi was fusion before 'fusion' existed – a French tableside staple crash-colliding with the cross-country flavours of Vietnam. But as the nation's wartime offspring began to return to their ethnic homes, they brought influences that further expanded on longstanding local favourites.
"One of the cool things that has come to Saigon is the döner kebab banh mi," says Nguyen. "They're kind of fun, because they're either served in a regular baguette or Eastern European-style flatbread."
Banh mi kebab shops are peppered all throughout the city, many unlisted on mapping apps. Bánh Mì Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ Minh Tuấn is one of the most popular; it's particularly easy to find, located right in District 1 and with a massive kebab spit of shawarma meat spinning prominently on the streetside.
"It's fusion on top of fusion. It tells a story about Vietnamese migration and global influences, particularly how Vietnam is opening up more," says Nguyen. "Because Vietnamese people, both in and out of the country, they're watching YouTube and TikTok and wondering, 'what should we do next?' And the döner kebab banh mi is the result of that."
Address: 89 Đ. Cách Mạng Tháng 8, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Phone: +84 946 005 008
Facebook: facebook.com/BanhMiThoNhiKyMinhTuan
5. Best for risk-takers: Bánh Mì Cụ Lý
After enjoying fusion-style döner kebabs, it's worth exploring the most acquired excesses of the banh mi.
"For banh mi, there's a spectrum of how complicated it can be," says Nguyen. "There's this place Banh Mi Cụ Lý. It's a very unusual banh mi, because instead of just regular cold cuts, they use fried sausage and head cheese."
Cụ Lý is breakfast-only and immediately recognisable by its white-awning façade, where heaping piles of processed meats are stuffed into a fresh baguette.
"The sausage has a golden exterior and then it's sliced," says Nguyen. "And it's very simple with just cucumber and cilantro. It's not for everyone, but I think it's just lovely."
Website: http://www.banhmiculy.com/
Address: 189 Hai Bà Trưng, Phường 6, Quận 3, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
Phone: +84 907 999 523
Facebook: facebook.com/BanhMiCuly
Tip
The most interesting banh mis, Nguyen says, are sometimes the random carts strolling through Saigon. "Keep your eyes open for the small vendors who don't have a shop, who are not written up anywhere, because they're hustling for your business," she says. Because of the lack of refrigeration, it's best to be eagle-eyed, just in case. "You want to see that high turnover; you don't want that mayonnaise to be sitting out for a long time," she says. "If they have a crowd and if I can watch their moves and if they're very careful, I circle once, I circle twice by foot and then I'm like, all right, they're good."