Banh mi sandwiches are displayed at a shop in Vietnam. Illustration photo by Unsplash
A banh mi shop in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta has been linked to a mass food poisoning for the second time in 18 months, with 71 people hospitalized after eating from the same outlet that sickened 149 in August 2024.
Hong Ngoc 12, a popular banh mi shop in Hong Ngu, Dong Thap Province, was shut down and fined VND90 million (US$3,654) in 2024 after Salmonella-tainted liver pate sent 149 customers to hospital. The shop was suspended for four months.
On the evening of Feb. 23, customers bought banh mi from the reopened shop. Hours later, they began showing up at Hong Ngu Regional General Hospital with severe abdominal cramps, vomiting and persistent diarrhea, according to the Dong Thap Food Safety Sub-Department.
The first three emergency cases arrived on the morning of Feb. 24. Within days, the count climbed to 72, with 71 requiring hospitalization.
As of Feb. 27, 10 patients had been discharged, while 57 remained under treatment, mainly at Hong Ngu Regional General Hospital, with the rest at Dong Thap General Hospital and other facilities. All patients were reported in stable condition, according to the provincial Department of Health.
Health authorities inspected the shop and seized five stored ingredient samples: liver pate, pork roll, fried meat roll, pickled vegetables and ham. The samples have been sent to the Dong Thap Province Center for Applied Research and Science and Technology Services for testing. Results have not yet been released.
In the 2024 incident, lab tests traced the contamination to Salmonella bacteria in liver pate the shop produced in-house. The shop was ordered to pay more than VND383 million ($15,546) in medical costs on top of its fine.
Hong Ngoc is a banh mi brand advertised as having more than 100 outlets across the Mekong Delta. In Dong Thap, besides the Hong Ngu shop, the brand also has locations in Cao Lanh and Sa Dec.
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