Eating the best banh mi in Saigon.. this one’s from Banh Mi Hong Hoa (Bánh Mì Hồng Hoa)
If you’re on your way to visit or spend time in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), one of the questions you’re probably wandering (especially if you love Vietnamese food, like I do) is, “where can I get the best bánh mì (banh mi) sandwich?”
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…And if you didn’t ask that to yourself, you probably should have!
I definitely asked that exact question to myself when I was on my way to Saigon for the first time.
During my stay in Saigon, along with conquering many other delicious dishes, one of my food missions was to devour some of the best banh mi sandwiches Saigon has to offer.
Banh mi is one of the greatest examples of fusion food done extremely well – a representation of Vietnam and France, all stuffed into a handheld crusty baguette.
Many have called it one of the finest sandwiches in the world, and I can’t disagree, it’s an absolute gem of a sandwich, fully worth traveling to Vietnam (or Saigon) just to eat.
Note: In this post I’ll cover 3 banh mi sandwich stalls / restaurants in central downtown Saigon. The reason I could never say these are “the 3 best,” is because I think there are probably hundreds of the best banh mi in Saigon. You literally can’t go more than a few steps in the city without bumping into the next banh mi stall, and many are incredibly delicious. So these are just 3 of the hundreds of choices you have when you’re in Saigon.
What is banh mi?
I know you already know what banh mi is (and if you didn’t, the first photo may have given it away), but just so we’re all on the same page here, let’s quickly go over the basics of banh mi.
Vietnamese bread
Vietnamese baguettes
First of all, and I didn’t know this before going to Vietnam myself, is that bánh mì (banh mi), in Vietnamese actually just means bread.
However, the word, especially in the Western world, has morphed into referring to a full Vietnamese sandwich – not just the bread itself, but the entire sandwich.
But for the purposes of this article about the best bánh mì (banh mi) in the city, I’ll stick to phrase as referring to the Vietnamese sub sandwich, not just bread in general.
Bánh mì (banh mi) sandwiches are normally served in the signature personal sized 3/4 foot long baguettes.
The bread is sliced down the side, filled with a number of different meats, from luncheon meats to grilled pork patties, to pâté, and often complemented with Vietnamese pickles, cucumbers, cilantro, and finally a bit of chili sauce and spicy peppers to top it off.
Jimmy, from Jimmy Eat World, breaks it down nice and simple – the bread, the protein, the pickled and vegetables, the seasonings and garnishes.
There are many different types of meat and ingredients that can make up a banh mi, and if you’re interested, here’s a pretty extensive list of different banh mi fillings you can try and order.
But really, when you’re walking around the streets of Vietnam, and you see that glass cabinet full of baguettes and other ingredients, all you’ve got to do is stop, smile, and order.
Banh Mi Huynh Hoa (Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa)
The sandwich at Banh Mi Huynh Hoa (Bánh Mì Huỳnh Hoa)
Where to eat the best in Saigon?
Here are a few of the most famous and most well know banh mi stalls in Saigon.
The first two restaurants on this list were recommended to me when I asked on a YouTube video about where to eat the best food in the city, and the third one, I just stumbled into when I was walking around.
While I haven’t even scratched the surface of eating even a fraction of all the best banh mi the city has to offer, here are some places you can try.
All 3 of these places are located within a 5 minute walk of each other, so you can go on a little Vietnamese sandwich marathon if you’d like.
Saigon street food
There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of amazing banh mi in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
Other street food stalls
You’ll find literally thousands of banh mi stalls scattered, not more than a block apart, throughout all of Saigon, and you can’t walk more than a few meters without your next sight of light brown baguettes basking in a glass cabinet (usually next to a few rounds of happy cow cheese).
All that to say, you’ll have the opportunity of eating Vietnamese sandwiches nearly anywhere you go in Saigon – and after trying quite a few, I don’t think I ever had a bad one.
Usually the cheaper the sandwich translates to less meat and filling ingredients – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it just depends on what you’re feeling like eating.
I had delicious banh mi sandwiches for 10,000 Vietnamese Dong and also great ones for around the 15,000 – 20,000 Dong price range.
Vietnamese street food
Your next banh mi, just might be the best you’ve ever had!
Conclusion
In the end, I’m not so sure there is a best banh mi in Saigon (or if there ever will be)… it sort of depends on what you feel like eating, at the time you feel like eating it.
Let’s just say, banh mi is a delicious Vietnamese creation, and it’s no wonder it’s such a popular snack or light meal.
Perhaps the hunt for Saigon’s best banh mi is a never ending search that’s impossible to ever come to a complete conclusion or agreement upon, and I’m sure there are hundreds of the best banh mi’s you could eat in Saigon.
Listed here are just three of the famous banh mi stalls in Saigon that you can start with, but really, the biggest advice I can give you is to walk around and explore Saigon, and when you see that big glass case filled with baguettes and colorful ingredients, have a banh mi – it will be the best banh mi you have that moment.
Do you have any other recommendations for where to eat banh mi? Leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you.
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