Banh Mi & Vietnamese sandwiches

In Vietnamese, banh mi can mean "bread" or "sandwich", depending on context.  I don't think the Vietnamese even had their own version of bread until the French occupied the region for about 100 years (if they did it is not represented in their food now).   Once the French left the Vietnamese adopted several culinary items, most notably the French bread.  But if you think that the Vietnamese version is inferior to the original, you'd be wrong.   Even the famous TV chef Anthony Bourdain said that the best French bread he's ever eaten was in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese commonly serve their banh mi with a variety of traditional dishes, including beef stew (bo kho), curries, and steak & eggs (bit tet).  But the most common use, by far, is for Vietnamese sandwiches which can include a variety of grilled or sliced meats, fresh and pickled veggies, fresh herbs, pate, fried eggs, etc...  and generally include a slathering of homemade mayo.  Despite many commonalities, the unique combinations are endless.

Below are two of my favorite places to eat great banh mi while in Vietnam:

Banh Mi Phuong, Hoi An

I've enjoyed my share of banh mi and this one is among the best I've found. One thing a like about this version is it's really messy. The juice runs down your hands and eating it requires you to hunch over to avoid having the juice all over your shirt. Despite the internal "juice factor", the bread exterior stays crunchy. The toppings are the standard fare but the sum of the parts results in a product far above an average banh mi.

Banh Mi Phuong is located at the east end of the market on Hoang Dieu Street, Hoi An.

4/2014 edit: Banh Mi Phuong has moved up the hill on north side Tran Phu Street (just west of Hoang Dieu Street), just a block away from its old location.   It now includes a small dining room for your banh mi enjoyment.

Banh Mi Quynh Nhi, Da Nang

Not all great banh mi comes from a restaurant or sandwich shop; often Vietnamese sandwiches are made and sold from portable carts as street food.  Case in point, Banh Mi Quynh Nhi.  How good can it be coming from a cart?  Great. 

It starts with great bread of which Quynh Nhi offers 3 different varieties: the traditional "sub style", a round "bun style", and skinny, long "torpedo-style".  Each piece of bread spends a few minutes in a small firebox to get a little toasty just before getting its tasty fillings.  Since it is a streetside cart, there's not a physical address, however, you can often find this cart near 2 Phan Chu Trinh Street. 

4/2014 edit:  New name: Banh Mi Co Nhi.   Same location and same owner.

Eat it.