Banh Mi and Pho Halal in Saigon, Vietnam

Banh Mi and Pho are something you must enjoy when traveling to Vietnam. The paradise of Banh Mi and Pho is all over Vietnam, that's why it's called the Banh Mi Kingdom, because that's the typical food we often hear about. For me, who is Muslim, finding halal banh mi and pho in Vietnam is very difficult.

Halal, in my opinion, does not use mirin, alcohol or animals according to the regulations. Actually, if you are looking for halal Pho, it is easy to get, because Pho is usually made from beef. But unlike Banh Mi, this food is even difficult for me to get if it doesn't have a halal logo or is known for vegetarians. Almost the entire city of Ho Chi Minh doesn't sell halal Banh Mi, they say everything is contaminated with pork, whether it's from pork floss, pork and bacon.

I know that I must have Banh Mi in Vietnam, I think it is a very delicious food. I even like Subway, the sandwich brand from South Korea, so maybe I like Banh Mi because it looks similar. In my opinion, Banh Mi is identical in that it tastes different from most sandwiches. There are parsley leaves which make the taste completely different. In terms of aroma and even taste, it is really delicious but in a simple form.

Banh mi has a variety of fillings, including bacon, beef, scrambled eggs, vegan beef. These are all fillings made from animal ingredients, but the fiber is no less important. They include parsley, cilantro, lettuce, romaine and even chopped tomatoes to add variety to the taste. I like it because Banh Mi is very easy to carry and eat anywhere. From my point of view, I am traveling, I can carry it without having to worry about spilling from the container.

I found a street near Benh Tranh Market. Combing the street hoping there was a halal restaurant that sold Banh Mi, the Google Maps guide said that there was a restaurant that was very famous for its halal Banh Mi. Named Jamilah Halal Food and Coffee. Of course there are various menus, but I really wanted to try Banh Mi for the first time. Yes, this is the first time I set foot in Ho Chi Minh City. Because Jamilah restaurant is close to the hotel where we were staying, I went straight after putting down the things and bags I brought. We headed there with a little walk.

Bought 1 banh mi, Coca Cola and mineral water, in my opinion it was a little pricey compared to some other foods which are street food. 1 pc of banh mi is priced at 80,000 vnd, very far from 15,000 vnd to 40,000 vnd. In my opinion, if you're not looking for halal banh mi, you should try somewhere else. Because it's very expensive. But for me, just this once is enough because the price is really unreasonable. But, this restaurant is very clean, unlike other places where you even have to stand to wait for the banh mi to be made.

After Banh Mi Jamilah, across the road there was a restaurant that caught my attention. Named Halal Amin Pho. It's clear from the name, he sells Pho Halal which is friendly to Muslims. Because I wasn't full from that portion of Banh Mi, so I might as well try Pho. My stomach is quite hungry because we haven't had time to eat breakfast since morning. The hectic nature of the morning flight was enough to make hunger feel worse.

The pho here looks very delicious in terms of plating. They gave me 1 large bowl of pho with several condiments such as sliced chilies, a plate of leaves which tasted very fragrant and also a bowl of lime slices. Before mixing some of the condiments, I tried the original taste of the bowl of pho. It tastes really good! This was my first and most delicious pho. It seems like Pho never disappoints.

I like the fried onion sprinkle which is very delicious, strangely, even though it is made from beef stock, it is not too oily, so it feels very light in the broth. Of course, after I added basil leaves, mint leaves, parsley and romain, it tasted very crispy and even better. I really like the fragrant parsley, it adds to the flavor of the Pho. Very different from the beef soup I usually eat, this has more variety in taste, especially the leaves which are put into a bowl or eaten separately.