Vietnam’s Vung Tau ‘banh mi’ shop shut after suspected food poisoning

Late on Tuesday, an interagency inspection team checked the unnamed shop on Do Chieu Street, where multiple people had purchased ‘banh mi’ before being admitted to hospitals with stomach pain and nausea.

At the time of inspection, staff were preparing food for sale, while the processing area was located 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 afternoon, 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 have ordered the shop to halt operations until official results are released.

Vung Tau General Hospital confirmed it treated several patients with suspected food poisoning symptoms after eating ‘banh mi’ from the shop.

One patient, T.N.M., 50, was admitted at around 10:00 am on Tuesday with abdominal pain and nausea.

Five more patients arrived later with similar symptoms.

Another customer, T.M.T., 34, said he bought ‘banh mi’ with cold cuts, pâté, sausage, vegetables, and condiments for his family on Monday evening. By midnight, all three family members developed severe stomach pain and required hospitalization.

In related news, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health reported 22 cases of suspected food poisoning on Monday linked to another ‘banh mi’ shop, A.C., located at 841 Phan Van Tri Street in Hanh Thong Ward.

Officials are continuing to monitor both incidents.