Controversial steamed bread dish in Ho Chi Minh City surprises American tourists

(Dan Tri) - Not only loving the taste of Vietnamese bread, Chad Kubanoff - American chef and YouTuber - and his companions were also surprised by the hospitality of Ho Chi Minh City people on their culinary journey.

In a new video on his YouTube channel, Chad introduces his friend Michael Crosa, who has been in Vietnam for a month. Michael is eager to explore the cuisine in Ho Chi Minh City, because he is curious about the taste of banh mi - a dish closely associated with the Vietnamese people.

That's why Chad and his friend set out on a journey to "find the best banh mi in Ho Chi Minh City". During the journey, the two went to a small steamed banh mi shop in Xom Chieu ward to enjoy the controversial "steamed banh mi variant" - steamed banh mi.

Steamed bread plate covered with fried onions and peanuts (Photo: Screenshot).

Chad, who has lived in Vietnam for many years, shared with his friend that he had heard that steamed bread originated from the habit of using leftover bread from the day. He also said that in Ho Chi Minh City, there are only about 3-4 shops selling this dish, not as popular as the usual hamburger.

Chad has heard a lot of controversy surrounding steamed bread, because some people think that this is not a traditional bread, but in his opinion: "Since it originates from bread, no matter how it is transformed, it is still bread."

When the two steamed sandwiches were brought out, the dish surprised the two American guests with soft bread, served with pork, beef, fried onions, peanuts, herbs and fish sauce.

To eat this dish, diners will roll bread in raw vegetables and dip it in fish sauce and chili. Michael said this was one of his most novel culinary experiences, because he "didn't expect bread to have such unique variations".

Both commented that the steamed bread was soft but still chewy, the peanuts were crunchy, the meat was flavorful, and the herbs were fresh. All of these created a flavor that was completely different from traditional bread.

With a fondness for spicy food, Chad and Michael asked for more chili and the owner immediately obliged. That enthusiasm made them even more impressed with the hospitality of the Vietnamese people. Chad happily said: "I feel comfortable because here I can ask for more spices or anything, and still be welcomed warmly."

With this dish, bread is usually rolled in raw vegetables and dipped in fish sauce to enjoy (Photo: Screenshot).

At the end of the experience, both of them rated the steamed bread 8.5/10 points.

In the video, Chad also mentioned many other banh mi variations that he tried while living in Vietnam such as triangle banh mi, fish cake banh mi, vegetarian banh mi, grilled beef banh mi...

This made Michael even more excited, wanting to experience all kinds of Vietnamese sandwiches. Besides the food, Michael was also deeply impressed by the friendliness and willingness to help of the people, especially when he had difficulty communicating.

A few days ago, Chad took his friend to Luong Phan bakery (Tan Hung ward) - a traditional banh mi place - to try banh mi cha. Michael ordered many types of cha, added beef cha and roast pork, making the sandwich cost up to 70,000 VND - higher than the usual price of 25,000-40,000 VND in the shop.

Two guests enjoy bread in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: Screenshot).

Meanwhile, Chad chose the special sandwich priced at 35,000 VND. Chad introduced this as a famous snack shop in Ho Chi Minh City. Michael was surprised because for such a cheap price he could get a sandwich full of stuffing. He was satisfied, rated the quality of the sausage and meat, but regretted that it was not spicy enough for his taste and gave this dish 8/10 points.

Chad and Michael also plan to make a long series of videos about experiencing Vietnamese sandwiches, both to find the best sandwiches and to record their rich culinary experiences. Through that, they will once again show the irresistible appeal of Vietnamese sandwiches to international friends.

Hoang Thu

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/mon-banh-mi-hap-gay-tranh-cai-o-tphcm-khien-khach-my-ngo-ngang-20250926103106969.htm