Recently, a video appeared on social media sharing the feelings about banh mi in Hanoi by a foreign tourist named Clara Kevin.

The female tourist said: "I know banh mi is one of the very famous dishes here. It's basically like a sandwich with different fillings."

Accordingly, the female tourist chose a sandwich with beef and cheese for dinner. She bought the sandwich at a shop on Hang Ca Street (Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi ), which she said was "relatively famous".

After taking a bite of the sandwich, Clara Kevin commented, "It's nothing special, but it's okay."

The video has suddenly gained attention with over 820,000 views and over 3,300 comments. Many netizens believe that it is not objective to say that "Vietnamese sandwiches are not special" after only eating a sandwich filled with beef and cheese.

"You are enjoying a sandwich filled with beef and cheese. This is not the type of sandwich commonly found in Vietnam, so you cannot fully appreciate the flavor of this dish," one account commented.

"This is not a traditional Vietnamese sandwich. It has no pickles, no pate, no herbs. Traditional sandwiches use butter, instead of cheese. Please try again," another account expressed.

Many foreign tourists left comments praising Vietnamese sandwiches: "I think this is one of the best dishes I've ever had when I came to Vietnam"; "It's a pity that you missed the best parts of the sandwich: vegetables and sauce"; "Vietnamese food is amazing"...

After receiving too many mixed opinions, Clara Kevin posted another video stating that the shares were her personal opinions.

Contacting the sandwich shop where the female tourist enjoyed and recorded a video sharing her feelings, the shop owner said: "In my opinion, each customer has different tastes and culinary preferences. Working in the service industry, we always receive compliments and criticisms from customers to adjust accordingly.

I just watched the video and saw that the customer did not criticize or have any negative comments about the dish. She simply felt that 'it was not special'.

The owner said that the shop has been open since 2014 and has only one location. The target customer group of the shop is international tourists. Therefore, in addition to the traditional sandwiches such as mixed sandwiches and char siu pate sandwiches, the shop also serves sandwiches with beef, chicken and vegetarian sandwiches.

"Our customers come from many different countries and cultures. Therefore, the menu is diversified to serve their needs. Beef and cheese sandwiches are one of them. This is a dish that many tourists love," said the owner.

101392430_4233899693318498_8286147603784007680_n.jpg
The shop serves sandwiches with many different fillings, meeting the diverse needs of foreign customers. Photo: NVCC

Although there are many different types of fillings, according to the owner, each sandwich must be delicious, hot, and crispy. It is always accompanied by sauce, herbs, and pickles - typical features of Vietnamese sandwiches.

"When foreign customers order food, the staff always asks if they want to eat the traditional cake or not. If they don't want to, they can choose the type they like. In this case, maybe the girl just wants to eat beef and cheese, without herbs or pickles.

In fact, the flavor of the sandwich is a combination of many ingredients. If just a little pepper, herbs or pickles are missing, its flavor will change," the shop owner said.

According to research, the restaurant received quite good reviews on Tripadvisor - a famous global travel review platform. There are more than 5,700 reviews of the dishes and a total score of 4.5/5.

The most expensive bread in Ho Chi Minh City, Western customers and Vietnamese people line up under the scorching sun to buy it . At noon, when the outdoor temperature in Ho Chi Minh City is at its hottest, reaching 38 degrees Celsius, there are many delivery people and Western customers, but we still line up to buy a Huynh Hoa bread for 68,000 VND.