{"id":407060,"date":"2026-07-21T21:27:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/407060\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T21:27:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:27:13","slug":"how-vietnamese-pop-star-lynda-stays-in-the-banh-mi-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/407060\/","title":{"rendered":"How Vietnamese pop star Lynda stays in the banh mi game"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tim Bui scanned the sandwich shop menu, snapped a screenshot and FaceTimed his crew back at the graphic design shop. \u201cDo you want the special or the shrimp cake?\u201d he asked his buddies. <\/p>\n

The special refers to the \u201cLynda special,\u201d named for the Vietnamese pop singer who owns this local banh mi institution in the Westminster Super Center on Beach Boulevard.<\/p>\n

Nicknamed the \u201cVietnamese Madonna,\u201d Lynda Trang \u0110\u00e0i is known for synth-pop \u201880s hits such as \u201cSupermarket Love Affair,\u201d \u201cJump in My Car\u201d and \u201cMercedes Boy.\u201d And since opening Lynda Sandwich 15 years ago, she is also known for banh mi. <\/p>\n

This afternoon marked the Anaheim creative director Bui\u2019s third trip to Lynda Sandwich in two months. He says he\u2019s hooked by the sandwich options \u2014 chicken sausage, pork meatballs, fried egg \u2014 ranging from $9 to $10. The \u201cLynda special\u201d bestseller includes pork cold cuts, ch\u1ea3 l\u1ee5a sausage, chicken with p\u00e2t\u00e9 and \u0110\u00e0i\u2019s secret sauce. <\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Lynda Special sandwich \u2014 cold-cut pork, ch\u1ea3 l\u1ee5a sausage and chicken with p\u00e2t\u00e9 and secret Lynda sauce, along with cucumber, pickles, chiles, onion and cilantro inside a \u201clow-dough\u201d baguette. <\/p>\n

(Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Propelled by name recognition, online reviews and pricing, Lynda Sandwich has outlasted many others in Westminster\u2019s hypercompetitive banh mi market, where as many as 10 sandwich shops populate a two-block stretch of Bolsa Avenue. <\/p>\n

Orange County is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, which has created an ecosystem where deep cultural ties meet aggressive pricing and rapid culinary innovation. <\/p>\n

Inside \u0110\u00e0i\u2019s funky restaurant, there\u2019s a mural of the Beatles, Michael Jackson, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor, her entertainer heroes, painted on a backdrop of orange and brown, her favorite colors. American flags dot the entrance and the cash register, and 100-plus pictures of Vietnamese crooners line the wall.<\/p>\n

\" <\/p>\n

The wall of fame at Westminster\u2019s Lynda Sandwich. <\/p>\n

(Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The singer divides her time between managing the sandwich shop and flying to perform at a flurry of concerts around the country. <\/p>\n

\u0110\u00e0i, raised in Central Vietnam, escaped her communist homeland by boat in 1979 with her family. They eventually found their way to Southern California, where she began singing in high school. A fellow refugee discovered her and a coveted invitation followed \u2014 resulting in her first appearance on \u201cParis by Night,\u201d the wildly popular Vietnamese-language variety show, similar to MTV, and packaged as a video series. <\/p>\n

Stardom exploded. She could sing in both English and Vietnamese and fans flocked to see the performer for her fierce, dynamic stage presence and bold, provocative style. <\/p>\n

\"Owner, <\/p>\n

Lynda Trang \u0110\u00e0i shows off her patriotic manicure and New Wave jewelry. <\/p>\n

(Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

These days, in between shows, she whips up her secret sauce that\u2019s spread on each sliced baguette before it\u2019s stuffed with chile slices, pickled carrot and daikon, ultra-thin cucumber and chicken, pork, beef, seafood or cold cuts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why customers come back,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing frozen. People tell me the Lynda sauce is addictive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Banh mi, created by Vietnamese street vendors more than a century ago, is inspired by the French snack of p\u00e2t\u00e9, butter and bread. It evolved into an achievement of textural contrasts that cut through the richness of p\u00e2t\u00e9 and cold cuts, layered with crisp herbs, fresh chiles, crunchy vegetables and tangy pickles \u2014 and eventually mayonnaise to replace butter. <\/p>\n

Diners play guessing games to figure out the ingredients in \u0110\u00e0i\u2018s sauce. Still, she isn\u2019t dishing. \u201cIt may or may not\u201d be mayo-based, she whispered, eyes twinkling. <\/p>\n

Since the local customer base in Southern California is highly knowledgeable, even \u201cmediocre\u201d shops must maintain a high standard for the sandwich\u2019s nonnegotiables: airy, crackly baguettes; rich homemade p\u00e2t\u00e9, cold cuts or roast meats; bright pickled do chua; the freshest herbs; and a savory sauce to bind it all together.<\/p>\n

\u0110\u00e0i\u2019s banh mi features a \u201clow-dough\u201d baguette<\/a> with an extra-light interior. <\/p>\n

In conversations, she touts how handy banh mi is. \u201cTo indulge in pho, you have to sit for a while. With banh mi, you can take it on the plane, take it camping or backpacking,\u201d \u0110\u00e0i said, with a flick of coiffed hair while greeting arrivals, gliding toward them in heels and a white minidress, as the bags ready for GrubHub piled up on her counter and locals called to place more orders for pick-up. <\/p>\n

\"Owner, <\/p>\n

\u0110\u00e0i makes her own secret sauce for the banh mi she serves at Lynda Sandwich. <\/p>\n

(Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

For years, consumers have witnessed banh mi price wars: Many shops are forced to keep prices low \u2014 sometimes significantly less than other sandwich types \u2014 due to the sheer density of competitors. If one seller raises prices, customers can often find a similar quality sandwich \u201cjust down the road\u201d for a better bargain.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember when we were teenagers in the \u201880s, when banh mi was $1.50 \u2014 or buy three, get one free?\u201d said Andrea Nguyen, author of \u201cThe Banh Mi Handbook.\u201d \u201cOf course, times have changed.\u201d <\/p>\n

Still, to get diners into the restaurants now, \u201cwith all the food you can imagine and available in Little Saigon,\u201d Nguyen said, \u201cyou have to offer convenience, good taste and a great deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u0110\u00e0i said she doesn\u2019t use ingredients as gimmicks, instead opting for flavor and fair pricing. Her sandwiches start at $8 to less than $10, including the bestselling chicken rotisserie banh mi at $8.50. <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A menu of the banh mi offerings at Lynda Sandwich in Westminster.<\/p>\n

(Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The price is right \u201cfor a banh mi because it is the most reliable meal,\u201d said Golden West College student Hao Nguyen, who drove in from Huntington Beach. He said he stops at Lynda\u2019s for the grilled chicken sandwich three times a month.<\/p>\n

When Lynda Sandwich first opened, banh mi was still a novelty, \u0110\u00e0i said, adding: \u201cNow it\u2019s dominant \u2014 available anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Time 1 hour 30 minutes <\/p>\n

Yields Makes 12 loaves <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been looking at what type of banh mi is served around the world, and in some cases, people first discovered it in Southern California and replicated it wherever they live,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cIt\u2019s a continuing trend,\u201d she added, noting that for a shop like Lynda Sandwich, older Vietnamese Americans may be more familiar with her music and greatest hits, and feeling nostalgic, steer younger generations toward her affordable food.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverywhere I go, I try to eat banh mi or look for the tastiest Vietnamese food since it\u2019s among the best food,\u201d \u0110\u00e0i said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I want to keep serving it. It\u2019s my purpose. I love to feed everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Owner, <\/p>\n

\u0110\u00e0i balances her pop-star life with the business of banh mi. <\/p>\n

(Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tim Bui scanned the sandwich shop menu, snapped a screenshot and FaceTimed his crew back at the graphic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":407061,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,118364,163212,22590,163214,163213,611,65617,163215,163217,1929,8548,163216,1009,315,163218],"class_list":["post-407060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-baguette","tag-banh-mi-game","tag-chicken","tag-dai","tag-lynda-sandwich","tag-orange-county","tag-pate","tag-pork-cold-cut","tag-pork-meatball","tag-price","tag-pricing","tag-sandwich-shop-menu","tag-southern-california","tag-time","tag-vietnamese-crooner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=407060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407060\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/407061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=407060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=407060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=407060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}