105 hospitalized in Vietnam’s Gia Lai after eating ‘banh mi’

The shop owner and his child were also among those requiring medical treatment.

Nguyen Thanh Diep, vice-chairman of the People’s Committee of An Khe Ward, confirmed on Tuesday that a suspected food poisoning incident had occurred in the area, sending 105 people to the An Khe Medical Center for emergency treatment.

Two young children remained in high fever as of Tuesday, while the other patients were in stable condition.

“Initial findings indicate suspected food poisoning linked to eating banh mi,” Diep said.

“Authorities have collected 12 food samples for testing to determine the cause.”

At around 5:30 pm on Monday, the An Khe Medical Center admitted dozens of patients suffering from abdominal cramps, diarrhea, repeated vomiting and fever after they ate banh mi purchased from Bin Bin Shop at 1041 Quang Trung Street in An Khe Ward.

Some patients later requested referrals to higher-level hospitals for further treatment.

From around 8:00 pm on Sunday to 9:00 pm on Monday, these patients reportedly purchased banh mi containing pâté, cold cuts, shredded pork, Vietnamese pork sausage, herbs, cucumber, ground chili, egg-butter sauce, soy sauce, and braised pork from the shop, local media reported.

They subsequently developed symptoms after eating the dish.

Following the incident, the An Khe Ward People’s Committee conducted an inspection and collected samples of various food ingredients associated with the shop, including cucumbers, herbs, pâté, shredded pork, dried chicken, egg-butter sauce, braised pork, Vietnamese pork sausage, and cold cuts.

The authorities have ordered Bin Bin to suspend operations temporarily while the incident is investigated and appropriate action is considered in accordance with regulations.

According to the local authorities, Nguyen Van Khanh, the owner of Bin Bin Shop, supplies some 200 loaves of banh mi to the market each day.

The shop is considered a large and well-known banh mi outlet in An Khe Ward.