Banh mi, a Vietnamese baguette filled with savory pastes, cold cuts, herbs, cucumber, chili sauce, and pickles, was recently ranked fourth on a list of 60 of the world’s best sandwiches.
“We expect that the festival will further increase the popularity of the Vietnamese banh mi and push it to the top of the world’s best sandwiches,” said Tran Thi Hien Minh, vice-chairwoman of the Saigon Professional Chef’s Guild.
Nguyen Thi Khanh, chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, announced that the second edition of the festival will offer a wide space for visitors to savor various kinds of banh mi.
Many well-known and long-established banh mi brands, such as Banh Mi Bay Ho, Banh Mi Nguyen Sinh, and Banh Mi Cu Ly, will be present at the upcoming festival.
Attendees can sample a wide range of banh mi and other flavorful dishes at up to 150 booths.
Additionally, the festival will treat visitors to a special banh mi dipped in condensed milk, a cherished childhood dish for many Vietnamese people.
Khanh mentioned that there will be various cultural activities and seminars centered around banh mi, cuisine, and tourism throughout the festival.
Notably, a make-believe bakehouse will be set up at the festival so that attendees can learn about the process of making banh mi and savor fresh, crispy loaves, said vice-chairwoman Minh.
Another highlight of this year’s festival will be a large model of banh mi featuring over 150 fillings and side dishes.
The entry banh mi was added to the Oxford English Dictionary 13 years ago on March 24.
In March, Croatia-based food website TasteAtlas ranked the Vietnamese banh mi first on its list of the 100 best sandwiches in the world.
The inaugural Vietnam Banh Mi Festival was held in Ho Chi Minh City in late March of last year, drawing approximately 100,000 visitors.
