Ho Chi Minh City reports 92 hospitalized in suspected ‘banh mi’ poisoning in Vung Tau

Vung Tau General Hospital said on Thursday that as of 8:30 pm on Wednesday, the hospital had recorded 92 suspected food poisoning cases related to the consumption of banh mi purchased trom the shop.

Among them, 83 patients were admitted for monitoring and treatment at the hospital, while nine patients with mild symptoms were allowed to recover at home under medical supervision.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health confirmed that the hospital had received a number of patients on Tuesday and Wednesday who reported illness after eating food from the same banh mi stall located at 13 Do Chieu Street in Vung Tau Ward.

Following the initial reports, the department instructed Vung Tau General Hospital and other local healthcare facilities to review their procedures for receiving and treating patients who had consumed food from the stall.

They were also directed to ensure proper patient intake, classification, and treatment in accordance with the city’s food poisoning treatment protocols.

In severe cases, hospitals were advised to conduct specialist consultations or transfer patients to higher-level medical facilities if necessary.

On Tuesday, Vung Tau General Hospital received and treated multiple patients admitted with symptoms of abdominal pain and nausea after eating banh mi.

These patients said that they bought and ate banh mi from the same shop at 13 Do Chieu Street on Monday evening.

Late on Tuesday, authorities from the Vung Tau Ward People’s Committee conducted an inspection of an unnamed banh mi stall on Do Chieu Street after multiple customers who had eaten there were hospitalized with suspected food poisoning.

At the time of the inspection, staff were preparing to set up the stall for sale.

Officials noted that the location served as a sales point, while food preparation took place elsewhere.

At the processing site on Trieu Viet Vuong Street, the owner presented business licenses, food safety certificates, and health check documents.

However, the owner failed to provide proof of origin for several raw ingredients.

Staff said about 170 loaves of banh mi were sold on Monday, with only stored food samples remaining.

Rapid tests on the samples showed no banned preservatives such as formaldehyde or borax.

Further laboratory analysis is underway to determine the cause.

Authorities then ordered the shop to halt operations until official results are released.