Book Review - A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen

 

A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen is about two Vietnamese girls, Vivi and Lan, who unexpectedly meet and forge a bond over their love of Vietnam and its food. 

In Sai Gon, Lan tries to be the perfect daughter for her sick and widowed mother. She tries to be dutiful and helpful. She spends most days helping her mom with their family banh mi stall.  However, Lan’s secret passion is her food blog, “A Banh Mi for Two”, which she started with her father.  After her father’s passing, she finds it hard to write.

Vivi Huynh is a Vietnamese American student who is visiting Vietnam. She has never been before and she is curious about the country because her family rarely talks about their homeland, even though it seems that they are still connected to Vietnam and that it haunts them. After Vivi finds her mother's old family photos, she wants to learn more about her family’s past. She decides to travel to Vietnam for a study abroad program for her freshman year of college. She is determined to find out why her parents had left. She is also an avid fan of her favorite food blog, “A Banh Mi for Two”. She is excited to try out all the places that the blogger has mentioned.

When Vivi and Lan cross paths, they decide to help each other. Lan will show Vivi all her favorite spots in the city along with helping her find the places from her mom’s old photos. In return, Vivi will help Lan start writing again so, she can enter a food blogging contest and help provide money for her mother. As the duo spend more time together, they find themselves falling for each other.

The book was a fun and cute read. It didn’t have any unexpected moments. I did like learning about Vietnam, its customs, food, and culture. I wish that the author included some translations for some of the words and dishes. It made me lose the flow of the novel when I had to stop and look up the word or translation. It also made me feel like I was losing some of the nuances of the book when the author used some Vietnamese phrases without translating them. Overall, I found the book to be an enjoyable read and I would be open to reading more books by the author.