Ornate temples offered a break from Ho Chi Minh’s chaos. Photo / Unsplash
The more popular joint for banh mi with barbecue pork was crowded up the wazoo, so after a salt coffee blew our boosies off, we popped down a side alley and parked up in the world’s tiniest camping chairs. Our banh mi were subtle, the bread holding structure with flashes of pork and spice, balanced with crisp cucumber.
It fuelled us for a spontaneous group scooter tour around the city’s cultural highlights, from temples that uplifted us, to poignant war museums that sombered the mood.
The verdict: Crisp, moderately sized with good spice. You never forget your first.
Rating: 4/5
Three weeks, countless banh mi, one delicious verdict. Photo / Unsplash
Banh Mi Hyunh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City
Pork with pate
After a gorgeous dinner at a vegetarian joint turned into first-night karaoke fever, we needed a juicy pick-me-up the following day. We descended on the aforementioned popular joint: Banh Mi Hyunh Hoa, and they were serving gluttony in a bun. Imagine scoffing the Titanic version of banh mi. It could’ve been a 4/5 if it wasn’t so egregiously large. I had to play Lego with stacks of cucumber, coriander and pickled onion.
Egg butter was the speciality here and the only vegetarian protein, so my girlfriend’s order consisted of a layer of egg butter half an inch thick. I am comfortable speaking for her when I say that the feedback was a solid 1/5.
We had been keen to deviate from the tourist crowds, but our naivety sucked us right in.
The verdict: Paired with an equally, but more appropriately, rich egg coffee from over the road, the latter pulled up our rating by a single digit.
Rating: 2/5
The banh mi crew fuels up before another day of exploring. Photo / James Pugsley
Meet Banh Mi & Coffee, Da Nang
Beef and egg
We took a domestic flight to Da Nang and earned our hunger by checking out the Golden Bridge (the one with the huge hands). It was a once-in-a-lifetime view above the clouds before we turned around to the Vietnamese equivalent of Disneyland and Hogwarts rolled into one. In Da Nang, there were cobbled paths and stone buildings built new to appear ancient, writhing with tourists and street performers.
We were extra wary of tourist spots, so all the obligatory exploration made us hungry. We told our lovely driver Van that we wanted his personal recommendation, and boy did he deliver with Meet Banh Mi & Coffee.
The verdict: After yesterday’s Titanic-sized banh mi, this was perfectly sized, and a healthy reclamation. The consistency, texture and crispness of the bread were all flawless, but the spice and flavour level was broad enough that we felt like they were catering to our palates.
Rating: 4.5/5
The Golden Bridge’s hands cradle Da Nang’s mountain views. Photo / Unsplash
Pho Cu Gia Truyen, Da Nang
Beef
When no one danced with us at the biggest beach club on the strip, we decided a hole-in-the-wall vinyl bar was more to our taste. We met two Italians and a darling German woman and made tracks to a prohibition-themed live-tune cocktail bar. We soon needed a culinary fix-up before grabbing a scooter home.
Like an oasis, Pho Cu Gia Truyen appeared. Absolutely chocka with locals having a late-night beverage – we were sold immediately.
What we learned and loved about the food joints in every province was that they were always built like miniature industrial hangars, with a few chairs and tables lined up for folks finishing work.
The verdict: This one was good. The fillings weren’t imposing, and it had a touch more complexity for the taste buds.
Rating: 3/5
Banh mi Co Na, Da Nang
“Super meat” roast pork (with an added egg)
After a late start (because of unforeseen circumstances), I hobbled from the laundromat to a little red cart around the corner. It was a boys’ trip morning to Linh Ung Pagoda to see Lady Buddha before our onward journey to An Bang.
The verdict: Absolutely no idea what made it super, but it sure was a super banh mi, with the kind of spice that clears out a stuffy nose without discomfort.
Rating: 4/5
New Day Restaurant, Ninh Binh
Pork
After an early sleeper bus arrival in Ninh Binh, the afternoon check-in time to our Hang Mua EcoLodge meant we had exploring time. Suddenly, I was famished.
We pulled into New Day Restaurant after spotting a few other folks enjoying a late lunch.
The verdict: Not imposing in size, but lacked some sauce. This could well have been because I asked for no pate. The bread also needed a little more crunch to it. However, the girls’ tofu banh mi was suitably juicy. I paired mine with an egg iced coffee – highly recommended.
Rating: 2.5/5
Ninh Binh’s limestone peaks stop travellers cold. Photo / Unsplash
Samu Coffee & Eatery, Sapa
Beef stew
A two-day break from banh mi? Unheard of. I had been recommended goat as the speciality in Ninh Binh, so I’d switched to fried noodle dishes for a couple of days. I’d also sweated my way up ancient staircases and cycled through rice fields to break up the village moseying.
Snacking our way through a sleeper bus to where the mist touches the mountains, our Grab (like an Uber) later abandoned us due to our accommodation being well off the beaten path, and after a quick late-night walk paired with a rogue mango, I woke up hungry.
This was a banh mi for the cold soul. A hearty stew fit for the most chilling temperatures we’d experienced so far (18C), with giant chunks of root vegetables and melting beef.
The verdict: I love a bit more spice, but that’s not what was on the tin here. I gently laid the chunks over the light, crispy baguette with lashings of stew juice.
Rating: 3.5/5
Banh Mi Yen Chi, Hanoi
Fever (sauced) roasted pork
I need an entirely new article to break down our four days in the mountainous province of Ha Giang. I made friends from afar; bonded with my tour guide; witnessed vistas I quite literally will never see again.
All that was missing now was some spicy pork and a bit of coriander between some buns.
We were headed to Hanoi’s Temple of Literature to understand where education began in this province of Indochina, and to justify the not-so-traditional (albeit chic) boutique and vintage stores awaiting us.
Hanoi’s Temple of Literature: where education began. Photo / Unsplash
The crunch-to-soft ratio of the banh mi at this Hanoi establishment tasted like mid-century feng shui. Perfectly balanced. There was even crackling in it.
The verdict: I quickly realised this is how you do it. And I went out of my way to revisit on my final morning.
Rating: 5/5
Banh Mi 71, Hanoi
Barbecue pork
By our eighteenth day in Vietnam, we felt like we were largely free from touristy commitments and needed fuel for another day ahead; an art exhibition, a hole-in-the-wall record store and a sobering visit to the Hoa Lo Prison Relic.
A quick broken chat with the folks on the tools revealed Banh Mi 71 is a family-owned and operated business.
The girls in our troupe were running a vegetarian operation on this trip, so naturally, I tried theirs at any opportunity. My partner had “mugwort egg”, which is like a spinach omelette but with the ugliest-sounding herb on the planet. And this was heavy on the mugwort.
The verdict: The pork was nothing to write home about, and I was wary that I had left in the pate. It was saved by a good five lengthy slices of cucumber, which freshened up each bite.
Rating: 2.5/5
A well-earned banh mi break with new friends along the way. Photo / James Pugsley
(No visible signage), Train Street, Hanoi
Beef
I started my final full day in Vietnam by heading to Train Street (the infamously narrow laneway where trains pass homes and cafes with mere inches to spare).
The train was fine, I suppose. It’s a train going through a street. Haven’t you heard?
The best part was watching the whole cafe community work in tandem, shuffling their chairs and tables out of the no-no zone when someone spied police at the nearest intersection.
Then I got my banh mi and suddenly the whole street fell silent.
Train Street Hanoi: locals scatter, then the train rolls by. Photo / Unsplash
The verdict: Spicy beef, loads of coriander and a hearty lashing of chilli. I would’ve been more comfortable with another minute on the grill, but it was perfectly juicy.
Rating: 3.8/5
I’ve been to a handful of foreign countries, but Vietnam was easily the best trip of my life. You can swim through the sea of tourists to tick off the famous spots, and yet, you’re only one scooter ride away from no one at all.
I’ve traversed misty villages, had my heart broken in prison museums, paddled through Kong’s home, danced my pants off and had new ones tailored. All were defined by the genuine welcoming nature of the locals.
My travelling quartet has already planned an in-memoriam celebration to grieve our three weeks of soul-enrichment by poorly recreating our banh mi experience.
Until then, I suppose I’d better cut back on the carbs.
The writer travelled at their own expense.