1. Banh mi Hoa Ma
- Address: 53 Cao Thang, Ward 3, District 3
Many believe that this banh mi shop is one of the age-old shops only serving Saigon-style sandwiches. In 1958, a Vietnamese baguette shop named Hoa Ma (the name of a village in the outskirts of Hanoi) was opened at No. 511 Phan Dinh Phung (Nguyen Dinh Chieu, District 3 nowadays). Two years later, it was moved to No. 53 Cao Thang (near Cao Thang – Nguyen Dinh Chieu intersection) up to now. The spot is well-known for its banh mi with a sizzling pan – a person’s portion served with fried eggs (op la), sausages, Vietnamese sausages, pate…
2. Banh mi Nhu Lan
- Address: 50 Ham Nghi, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1
Nhu Lan has been a big banh mi shop on Ham Nghi street – Saigon since 1968. This shop is one of the most popular spots for international visitors and local people who want to seek the flavor of the Vietnamese baguette. Banh mi Nhu Lan is highly recommended by travel guides like Lonely Planet. Particularly, Banh mi Nhu Lan is very notable for its banh mi with hams that has attracted lots of customers.
3. Banh mi Huynh Hoa
- Address: 26 Le Thi Rieng, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1
Banh mi Huynh Hoa is apparently one of the priciest banh mi shop in HCMC. Its banh mi is large with loads of hams, boiled meat, Vietnamese sausages, mayonnaise, pate, meat floss, cucumber, cilantros. The banh mi is hot and crispy and the secret to maintain the crispness of banh mi is to spread the sauce and pate between layers of hams, not to spread directly on banh mi. Banh mi Huynh Hoa is often top-ranked by travel guides and travel – food blogs.
4. Banh mi Hong Hoa
- Address: 52 Nguyen Van Trang, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1
Banh mi Hong Hoa is one of the most-wanted spots by foreign tourists, including many world-famous food bloggers. Especially, in support of the festive week “I love Saigon baguette” on March, 2020, Banh mi Hong Hoa had made visitors highly excited with a 70cm x 46cm banh mi, weighing 1kg.
5. Banh mi Bay Ho
- Address: 19 Huynh Khuong Ninh, Da Kao Ward, District 1
Banh mi Bay Ho is a lovely little food stall that captivates visitors from flavor to taste. Especially from the beautiful baguettes to the fillings such as cold cuts, pate, Vietnamese sausages, all are homemade. From 1930 to 1931, the owner – the first generation of Bay Ho brand – was vendoring along Ton Duc Thang street back to Huynh Khuong Ninh, opened a food cart after that, moving around Huynh Khuong Ninh street, and then upgraded to a stall as today. The third generation has been succeeding the job, proceed the traditional business of the family. Formerly, the stall opened in the afternoon only and served to-go buyers. In order to meet the needs of visitors, the stall is now open in the morning to serve banh mi with beef steak, fried eggs on the spot.
