Saigon artist Le Sa Long has shown his love for banh mi, a symbol of Vietnam’s street foods, in his latest collection of paintings.
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He portrays street vendors selling the humble but ubiquitous baguette that can be found at every street corner in large-sized works even as the country’s first banh mi festival begins on March 30 at the Youth Cultural House in HCMC’s District 1. The festival, which has 120 pavilions set up by restaurants, bakeries and domestic and foreign suppliers, is organized by the Vietnam Tourism Association and the HCMC Department of Tourism. Along with the traditional banh mi, other types of breads such as banh mi que (breadsticks) and French baguettes are also showcased. |
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Free loaves of banh mi being delivered to the poor during the Covid social distancing campaign in 2021. |
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A man delivers free banh mi to people during the pandemic as tens of thousands of people lost their jobs and had their incomes reduced due to lockdowns. |
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Many stories have become sad memories for the artist. One rainy evening in June 2021 he was at a friend's house on Vu Huy Tan Street in Binh Thanh District when he heard a voice calling out in an empty alley: "Saigon bread is especially delicious, three thousand dong for one loaf." He gave rice to the bread seller and bought 10 loaves of banh mi. After the pandemic he accidentally met the seller's son only to learn the man had died of Covid. Now his son follows in his father's footsteps, selling bread in Saigon's alleys. |
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Normal breakfast for many Saigonese: a loaf of bread with meat and a cup of ca phe sua (coffee with condensed milk). Long’s collection includes 30 paintings made using oil, watercolors, pastel, and charcoal. |
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Hoa Ma at 53 Cao Thang Street in District 3 has gained fame for its banh mi served along with a sizzling skillet loaded with fried eggs and meats. |
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Red dragon bread introduced by Kao Sieu Luc, the CEO of ABC Bakery chain and dubbed the “Bread King,” used to be popular in 2020. His idea at that time was to salvage tens of thousands of tons of dragon fruit going waste due to Covid restrictions. |
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Vietnam beauty queen H’Hen Nie dressed in a banh mi-themed costume in the 2018 Miss Universe pageant. |
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Huong Lan Bakery in front of the Central Post Office used to be a familiar place for many Saigonese before 1975. |
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A painting based on the artist’s childhood memories when he lived in Sa Dec Town in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap. His neighbor, aged over 70, loved children. Every time she visited her son in Saigon she would bring back 20 large loaves of bread and distribute them to children in her neighborhood. The painting shows her in a boat with the bread and a bunch of marigold flowers to worship the Buddha. |
Source: VnExpress
