“Banh mi” - Vietnamese bread. One of the most popular street foods in Vietnam. Saigon will bring you countless bread vendors selling a huge number of banh mi’s variations. Banh mi has grown up with anyone’s childhood, bread for breakfast, bread for main meal. It is convenient to sit down and taste it or easily to grab one on your way. Spending your days wandering from tourist Boulevard to local streets, from alleys to corners all over around, grab a baguette with a delicious selection of ingredients fillings. 

Bánh mì Huỳnh Hoa

Huynh Hoa Banh mi is located at 26 Le Thi Rieng Street, District 1. Queue up for one of the best Banh mi in town. A fully loaded bánh mì made with crispy bread filled with greens and a choice of fillings, including pork paté, butter, several kinds of Vietnamese ham, pickled carrots, cucumber, and coriander. It has become famous for tourists and a must-have in Saigon travel bucket list. Check it out and tell me if it is worth the wait?

Banh mi Huynh Hoa, 26 Le Thi Rieng Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Bánh mì thịt heo luộc (Slow Cooker Vietnamese Pulled Pork Banh Mi)

Pulled pork banh mi is properly not a traditional version of Vietnamese baguette, but it’s one of the favorite versions of ‘banh mi’ to search for breakfast. Inspired by Southern style, the bread is filled with boiled pork and seasoned in the Chinese style. The filling of bacon inside the soft-boiled bread has an eye-catching shrimp-brick red color, accompanied by vegetables and cucumbers and topped with a creamy sauce of fried garlic. The recipe is well-rated by locals through its strong and well-balanced flavor, which properly pleases any discerning palates. Here are 2 recommended addresses: Tam Cau (District 10) and Bay Ho (District 1), which is well-known in the city with this famous boiled pork sandwich.

Bánh mì Tám Cẩu, 460 Dien Bien Phu Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City.

Bánh mì Bảy Hổ, 19 Huynh Khuong Ninh, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Bánh mì chả thập cẩm (Mixed Vietnamese Ham Banh mi)

Throughout decades, traditional banh mi has been sold at 119 Hai Ba Trung Street, District 3 by an original Northern grandpa. It does not contain paté or pickles, the only 3 main ingredients are ham from beef, pork, and pork skin then lighten it up by salt & pepper or soy sauce. The interesting thing about his stall is that the food is covered by banana leaf and placed on a tray put on a small chair on the sidewalk.

Bánh mì phá lấu (Organ Meats Stew Banh mi)

Originating from Chinese cuisine, ‘Pha Lau’ is widely adopted in Vietnam, often mentioned as popular street food in the Southern part of the country, especially in Ho Chi Minh city. To enhance the flavors and diversify ‘banh mi’ recipes, street vendors introduced the new idea of putting ingredients of ‘pha lau’ into the middle of the loaf. District 5 is where you may effortlessly search for this delicious sandwich, and one of the suggested addresses is Tam Ky restaurant on Nguyen Trai Street

Bánh mì khô bò (Beef Jerky bánh mì)

Similar to ‘pulled pork’ above, beef jerky banh mi is obviously another varied version of the Vietnamese original. Beef jerky has always been locals’ beloved snack, the ‘banh mì’ vendor at Da Kao market had come up with a creative idea of eating this snack with bread. This pretty weird recipe actually catches local foodies’ attention. The sandwich features various flavors - beef jerky with strong seasonings, spicy sriracha mayo, and a light fragrance of garnished fresh cilantro.0

Bánh mì bì (Shredded Pork Skin Banh mi)

Shredded pork skin is known as "bì" in Vietnamese. You will find it in many dishes of Vietnamese food, especially broken rice, noodles. The locals wouldn't miss it out - banh mi. They add "bì" into banh mi, and of course pickle, veggie drill on the sweet and sour sauce. Thinly shredded pork skin gives it a chewy texture and is coated with roasted rice powder. The balance of taste and texture create one of the divine street foods. From the 90's, a shredded pork skin banh mi vendor was established with a good reputation at 150 Nguyen Trai Street, District 1

Bánh mì heo quay (Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi)

How much crispiness is too much crispiness?

If you're a fan of roasted pork until you hear the cracking sound from the skin when you chop it into slices. Thick slices of roasted pork belly with ultra-tender bling, ultra-crispy pork crackling and shining from the fat burned out, stuff in a crusty loaf going with cucumber, pickle, and veggie. One of the stars is the gravy made from drippings. This variation of banh mi is expanded along the streets from No Trang Long, Binh Thanh District, to Phuc Hai - Nguyen Thuong Hien Street, District 3 that is always crowded. We are not overrating it! Give this sandwich a try and you may reconsider.