Hundreds of foreign tourists join ‘banh mi’ fest in Vietnam’s Hoi An, discovering unusual flavors

Banh mi, a type of Vietnamese baguette filled with cold meats, pâté and vegetables, is a popular dish in Vietnam.

Held at Bel Marina Hoi An Resort on Sunday, the event offered visitors an opportunity to sample a wide range of banh mi creations inspired by regional Vietnamese cuisine, while also taking part in games and cultural activities.

These included Tra Que shrimp-patty banh mi, inspired by the Tra Que vegetable village, braised pork leg banh mi, smoked-style banh mi, and pate banh mi.

Also, the festival’s ‘Heritage Banh Mi’ competition drew crowds eager to taste, experience and vote for different varieties of the popular street food.

The event was designed to put new products directly in front of consumers at the testing stage, allowing organizers to gather immediate feedback rather than relying solely on internal evaluations, said Nguyen Thanh Lam, a representative of the organizing board.

“That hundreds of visitors directly tasted, evaluated and voted for the products provides valuable data to help us select recipes for further development,” Lam said.

Alongside the tasting and voting activities, the festival featured banh mi-related games, lucky draws, musical performances and cultural programs.

Hoi An was chosen as the venue of the fest to create a space where tourists and local residents could experience new versions of banh mi, said a representative from the Bel Marina Hoi An Resort and Emerald Hoi An Riverside Resort complex.

Over the years, Vietnamese banh mi has received widespread recognition from the international travel community, food magazines and media outlets, and has frequently been hailed as one of the world’s most appealing foods.