Vietnamese in America: Holding a giant loaf of bread with a plump filling, remembering Da Nang chicken sandwiches

Vietnamese sandwiches "attract customers" in the US

In San Jose City (California) and neighboring cities, there are many Vietnamese sandwich shops such as Banh Mi Oven, Duc Huong, TBread, Lee's Sandwiches... The taste of the sandwiches at these shops is quite similar to sandwiches in Vietnam, with traditional ingredients such as pork, cold cuts, sausage, pate, pickles, cucumber, coriander, onion and chili...

TBread Bakery in Mountain View

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In addition, many sandwich shops also have additional fillings of grilled beef, grilled chicken, shredded chicken, meatballs, Chinese sausage or sardines... to meet the needs of diners here. Banh Mi Oven also has vegetarian sandwiches. Most Vietnamese sandwich shops have sandwiches of different sizes. Vietnamese sandwiches here are often filled with fillings and of course cannot lack thinly sliced cucumber, pickles, coriander, onions, green onions, basil and especially the sauce that creates the uniqueness of each Vietnamese sandwich shop. In my opinion, Vietnamese sandwiches in America seem to be more "meat and sausage sandwiches" than "meat and sausage sandwiches".

Vietnamese Banh Mi: From Sidewalk Cart to World -Famous Dish

However, when I went to a few Vietnamese bakeries, I observed that many locals often choose to buy a sandwich from the menu and also choose to add a side dish to their sandwich, so the sandwich looks very puffed up. For example, if they choose a grilled meat sandwich, they will choose to add eggs, Chinese sausage, or combine two or three types of meat into one sandwich. A regular sandwich is sold for 8-9 USD, if you order additional dishes, the price can increase to 11-15 USD/loaf. Sometimes, I went to a few Vietnamese bakeries to find out that many people here really like to eat Vietnamese sandwiches, perhaps because the sandwiches are both delicious and very convenient.

Inside TBread Bakery in Mountain View

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At a Vietnamese bakery on E El Camino Real D (Mountain View City), at lunchtime, I saw many office workers stopping by to buy bread. Although the shop was crowded, customers still patiently waited in line for their turn to buy bread. At the same time, the shop's phone rang continuously with orders for take-out or delivery via technology applications. The staff at this bakery had to work very quickly to shorten the waiting time for customers.

I even saw a customer come back not long after. When asked, this customer said that the Vietnamese bread was so delicious that he bought more for the afternoon. Or at the Banh Mi Oven on Story Street (San Jose City), the shop is also very crowded around noon or evening. I am a regular customer of this shop because the sauce here is very delicious, unmistakable. At Duc Huong Banh Mi in San Jose, it is easy to see the scene of customers lining up outside the door waiting to buy bread.

TBread bread is very popular with locals.

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Meet the hometown

Telling this, I remember my story when I came to America to travel 3 years ago. After many days of traveling in the land of the stars and stripes, my family was craving Vietnamese food. At the same time, we went to the house of a classmate of mine in Chico City (California) and was taken by his family to Lassen Volcanic National Park in northeastern California. That afternoon, we had a "field" dish, grilled meat sandwich with a strong Vietnamese flavor that I still remember to this day, along with the "divine" sauce that my friend made for the sandwich that day.

An Oven bread with traditional ingredients of Vietnamese bread

FB Banh Mi Oven

My husband - who has a very sensitive taste for food - blurted out: "It's indescribably delicious!" Every time I bit into a Vietnamese sandwich, old memories of this simple sandwich in my hometown suddenly came flooding back to me. When I was still studying and working, bread was my "hunger savior" in the mornings when I was rushing to school or work, as well as helping me fill my stomach on nights on the night shift...

Banh mi Oven - a best-selling Vietnamese sandwich in San Jose

FB Banh Mi Oven

In my hometown Da Nang, there is also a chicken sandwich, which is simple but no less attractive with an unforgettable flavor. These chicken sandwiches are only half the length of a regular sandwich and are a bit wider. The filling of the chicken sandwich is shredded pork floss, accompanied by papaya and cucumber, egg sauce, shredded chicken, mayonnaise and chili sauce. And I found a bit of the flavor of this chicken sandwich when I ate a "dwarf" sandwich like this at a Vietnamese sandwich shop in San Jose. To me, Vietnamese sandwiches look simple but in fact, they can make me - a child who has been away from home for a short time - always feel nostalgic when I see or hold a sandwich, in my heart there is an indescribable emotion with unforgettable memories of my time studying and working in my hometown.