Vietnam was the last leg of our Indochina trip—and after days of seeing temples and frolicking in beaches, I was looking forward to doing only one thing in Ho Chi Minh: eating! Many weeks before the trip, I was already fantasizing about pho, bánh mì, and Vietnamese coffee. Upon arriving in Saigon from Phnom Penh (Cambodia), we dropped off our bags quickly in our hostel and headed out to look for what I had heard as one of the best bánh mì stores in Ho Chi Minh.
Check out this video:
Saigon is very walkable, and with the help of Google maps, we located the store. Bánh Mì Hong Hoa is located at Nguyen Van Trang, a short distance away from Kim Saigon Hotel. The glass cabinet greets you out the front, luring you with mouthwatering meats of different colors, fresh vegetables, and tasty-looking breads. A friendly woman was manning the store when we visited—she was also the owner.
Bánh Mì Hong Hoa is listed in many websites as one of the best bánh mì shops in this side of Vietnam, and upon tasting it myself, I completely understood why. I HAVEN’T HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS BÁNH MÌ. I've tried a lot of bánh mì sandwiches in Manila, but nothing quite measures up to this one. Those sold at home have either shitty bread or shitty meats—or lack some ingredients. Hong Hoa’s was perfect. I’m never eating bánh mì the same way again!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further reading:
 PLANNING YOUR TRIP Researching your destinations, booking your transfers, choosing accommodations, and shopping for the essentials. |  ITINERARY & BUDGETOur 10-Day itinerary across Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam; useful tips; plus our budget breakdown! |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bread, which is where most Manila establishments fail when it comes to bánh mì, is perfection: crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Not hard as rock nor so crumbly that it disintegrates and sends pieces all over everyone within a 5-meter radius when you bite. I can eat the bread alone and still kneel down before the lady owner.
The fillings? OMG. The roast pork is delicious. There is some crunch from the veggies like carrots, cucumber, onions, jalapeno, and daikon radish. Underneath is a thin layer of mayonnaise, and a generous schmear of paté—rich but not overwhelming. The whole assembly is topped with cilantro—giving this marvel of a sandwich a refreshing finish.
The store has no tables so customers usually eat this on-the-go. But the lady owner was so kind and friendly that she pointed us to the direction of her house, only two units away, and told us we can sit there while we finish our sandwiches.
At once spicy, salty, sweetish, and fragrant, the bánh mì is one of the best creations on earth—a well-made one is always a cause for euphoria. Bánh Mì Hong Hoa takes this seriously: they make their own bread and prepare a load of meat options aside from roast pork, like turkey, ham, chicken, and pork floss. You can put Sriracha if you want, but you honestly don’t need to. Hong Hoa’s bánh mì is one of the most unforgettable things I’ve eaten this year—this alone is worth a trip back to Saigon.
~*~
Bánh Mì Hong Hoa
62 Nguyễn Văn Tráng, Bến Thành, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
5:00AM - 9:00PM
+84 90 881 15 94
Budget: 20,000 VND for one sandwich (≈ 0.88 USD ≈ PhP45)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related stuff:
 HOÀNG THỊ CAFÉ Coffee meets art in this beautiful cafe in Ho Chi Minh. |  GIANT IBIS Skilled drivers, comfortable buses, reliable services, and more. |
Do you love bánh mì? Which shops in Ho Chi Minh have you tried? Which one from Manila is the closest to Saigon quality?
If you like my posts and would love regular updates on travel photos, food finds, restaurant reviews, dance articles, and drunken tales, follow Pepe Samson on Facebook!
0 comments :
Post a Comment
Let me know what you think!