Today’s mission was simple: find a proper Bánh Mì.
For an hour we wandered through the back streets of Da Nang, peering into laneways and following our noses whenever something smelled remotely promising. Eventually, we found it: a small cart, a few plastic stools, and a woman who looked entirely unsurprised by two lost Australians appearing out of nowhere.
Armed with Google Translate, I proudly presented my carefully rehearsed Vietnamese.
“Chaw toy hi oh ban my, khong baw ut nye.”
Two Bánh Mì, no chilli.
The vendor immediately burst into laughter, I wasn’t sure if I’d ordered lunch or accidentally proposed marriage, but she understood the assignment.
A few minutes later, we were handed two baguettes overflowing with pork, egg, pickled vegetables and enough fresh herbs to qualify as a garden.
The price? 20,000 dong each or about $1.06 Australian.
I’ve paid twenty times that for sandwiches back home that tasted no better than the box they came in.
This, meanwhile, was one of the best Bánh Mìs we’ve ever eaten.
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