hit me bánh mì, one more time
an ode to my favorite food in da nang 🥖 bánh mì chay lê hội + current status update from bangkok
Once again, it’s funny. It’s not ha ha. It’s not pee-your-pants. I didn’t fall off the bed or chair laughing, as Duolingo is teaching me to say in Spanish lately. Not that kind of funny.
It’s more, telling. Almost amusing, when I think of the light of a pleasant meal for the equivalent of $1 USD and meeting nice people. Good conversations, little and lots, against the dark of other parts of the world. The horrors and sadness of humanity, and getting past my own dramedy and stuff.
As promised in the prior missive, I certainly did make a list of my “top five”, most positively memorable, most delicious and intriguing meals in Da Nang. The words and dishes totally exist. In a draft. Ha ha.
And then, time kept moving on. Life stuff. There was a rough bout of almost-inevitable “food poisoning” and days of ginger tea. (Dude, it’s always from the “nicer places!!!)
How funny.
And now, I’m back in Thailand on what’s known as a “visa run”, so I can return to Vietnam for a little longer.
This temporary life, continued. Continues.
So, Sawasdee kha from my self-declared frugal yet fabulous week in Bangkok.
Eating at mall food courts. Checking out museums. Visiting medical professionals. Perusing second hand stores with a keen eye. Appreciating the ease of the BTS and MRT - and my slowly strengthening legs - for all the urban walks, to and fro. Reaching for my bits of Thai language. Mentally revisting how to order. Reciting 1-10 in Thai to myself, on repeat. Yee-sip!
Smiling, strolling, savoring, sweating, living.
As a 42 year old woman who’s spent much of the past few months on a journey of reflection (and oodles of recovery…), I acknowledge that I tend to either a) overthink, or b) ignore what’s on my mind. How typical. Not funny. Sometimes amusing.
As you may have noticed, I refer to this now-extended “hiatus”with the pop culture reference of “eat / read / cope”. Intentionally, and fondly. That third part very much includes “coping mechanisms”. Which obviously specifies travel in this case, which encompasses the eat, the read, the exploration, the pondering, and the spending time & place somewhere differently than one grew up. Where she spent the past few years. Decades.
Getting to know the others around you. Coping, by finding a new routine in this technically, “foreign” environment. It’s a change. In a good way. Coping, and processing that dramedy.
Accepting changes, becoming habitual.
What’s going on: I return to Da Nang to stay in place for a while, next week.
I did not expect to be in Vietnam for more than a couple of months, and yet, there I shall return. To eat, read, and beyond cope. Sorting things out. Residing a walk (I can walk!!) away from the bánh mì stand that made my mouth, mind and stomach happy from that very first day.
The end of February. The then-start of somewhere new-to-me, in my personal lens.
Da Nang city. It’s somewhere that has existed and grown for over three millennia of recorded history. And there I humbly, admirably, and culturally-reflecting, was a few days ago, for an incredible, historic, awe-inspiring occasion: April 30th marking the 50th anniversary of the country’s Reunification. The end of the war.
For more insight + relevant articles from a personal, cross-cultural and culinary lens, do read Andrea Nguyen’s Pass the Fish Sauce substack from this past week on the 50th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon.
On a much lighter note + the intention of this missive:
Well, in lieu of breaking down my “promised” favorite eats of the past two plus + months that included a bonkers time with a lapsed appetite and that recent (albeit brief!) stomach agony, I’m doing something easier. I’d say I’m giving myself a break, though I’m still writing from SE Asia, so, don’t mind me. You’re still reading!?! Cool, thanks : )
Returning to Da Nang and thinking back on my time and meals there so far sensibly brings me back to the super-affordable delight of bánh mì chays.
More than a sandwich. A multi-faceted taste of the country. A way of life.
More importantly…
Welcome to the Bánh Mì showcase, specifically the Bánh Mì Chay Lê Hội stand in the Sơn Trà neighborhood of Da Nang. It always hits. I always finish it. Often while walking away. In public. That is not like me! That is a good thing! I can’t get enough.
It’s super tasty, super fast, rather filling and quite the bang for your buck dong at 15,000 Vietnamese dong as of April 2025. That’s the same price as many non-veggie stands around town, which is not always the case with a vegetarian/vegan option. In USD, that’s $0.58 cents as of today’s conversation rates. So, yay, chay.
Chay = traditional Vietnamese vegetarian term.
Soft, yet, crisp bread, filled with goodness, and briefly heated to order. A friendly seller with a smile who remembers you (well, me, uh, I can be memorable), clear location, and ample, classic and genuinely interesting ingredients. There’s fried tofu, crushed peanuts, curious shumai, dressed daikon, sliced cucumber, fresh herbs, a good chili sauce that’s not too sweet and not too spicy, little bits of intriguing “oil rice” mixing with the crunch of the peanuts, and just yum to the savory mushrooms.
An experience that makes for a delicious few minutes and filling bites of life. In a sandwich.
Bring on the Bánh Mì Chay Montage:
All my documented (and therefore consumed) bánh mì chays, thus far.
Bánh Mì Chay Lê Hội is located at 89 Phạm Tu, Phước Mỹ, in Sơn Trà, Đà Nẵng. It’s one of 2 or 3 locations of this noteably branded, bread seller in the city, with at least 1 other location down in Hội An (that I noticed is a tiny bit more in price, which makes sense there).
So….are you a bánh mì fan? What’s your go-to filling?
References + Relevant Links:
Da Nang glows with flags and flowers to celebrate national reunification DA NANG Today April 30, 2025
Da Nang History Facts and Timeline, World Guides
midweek gems #56: The Vietnam War's impact, 50 years later + heirloom wontons and chicken rice recipes, Pass the Fish Sauce May 1, 2025
observing menu changes + getting to a point, the scone archives April 23, 2025
p.s. wanna be pals on Duo?
I love a banh mi! Even though my tmj weeps every time I order one. Most of the vegan options around here are 'just' lemongrass tofu, but I absolutely have no issues with that because I am a tofu until I die kind of girl. Tofu banh mi, hold the chilli!
Thank you for the update, Jess! Banh mi are one of those foods I feel like I could eat daily, forever. We have a banh mi truck in the 'couve that makes a great vegan tofu one with homemade bread! I wish they were 58 cents. (Not really cause I want those folks to be able to afford to live in Vancouver!)