Huynh Hoa Bread (Pham Ngu Lao, District 1) is considered one of the most famous bread shops in Ho Chi Minh City, and has been suggested many times as a must-visit destination by international media. This is also a bakery that has been involved in many controversies related to expensive prices, brand separation, and has become a hot topic of discussion on social networks.

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In the middle of the afternoon, when the temperature was nearly 40 degrees Celsius, a long line of customers still patiently lined up in front of the shop. Photo: Nhu Khanh

Recently, in Ho Chi Minh City, Trang bread appeared with a similar appearance to Huynh Hoa bread. Netizens even spread an unclear story about the personal relationship between the owners of the two brands.

However, amidst the controversy, Huynh Hoa sandwich shop is always packed with customers. People living around the shop said that "the more controversy online, the more crowded the shop is, customers line up from morning to night, regardless of weekdays or weekends".

According to the reporter, on a weekend morning, the front door of the bakery was packed with delivery people. Two blocks away, another Huynh Hoa store was also packed with customers, including many international customers.

Due to the large number of customers, to avoid overload, Huynh Hoa has divided into 2 stores, one side receives orders through food apps, the other side serves customers who buy directly.

"I am Russian, traveling to Vietnam. I read a lot of information about Huynh Hoa bread so I came to enjoy it. I arrived early so luckily I only had to wait 15 minutes," said female tourist Alena (25 years old).

According to Alena, the bread is quite big, she can eat it to her heart's content. "The bread has a combination of many ingredients so the flavor is diverse, fragrant, and fatty. I think the price is reasonable. I rate this dish 8.5 points," the female tourist commented.

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Female tourist Alena bought a sandwich after 15 minutes of waiting. Photo: Nhu Khanh

Mr. Martin (45 years old, French) is also one of the foreign customers who waited nearly 30 minutes in the scorching sun to buy Huynh Hoa bread for his whole family.

“I really like Vietnamese bread because it is delicious and convenient. Even my daughter likes this specialty. The bread at this shop is delicious and of good quality, so I don't mind waiting," said Mr. Martin.

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Martin and his daughter wait in the hot sun to buy bread. Photo: Nhu Khanh

Although in Ho Chi Minh City, "bread is everywhere", many diners are still willing to queue up to buy Huynh Hoa bread. The rate of ordering this type of bread through applications is also always high. For many delivery people, receiving Huynh Hoa bread orders is a "nightmare" because of the long time spent queuing and waiting.

"Every time I receive an order for Huynh Hoa bread, I know for sure that I will have to wait, it's just a matter of how long it will take. The bread here is expensive, and as motorbike taxi drivers we probably wouldn't dare eat it, but customers order it continuously and say it's delicious," said a delivery person.

Currently, Huynh Hoa bread only sells one type of bread, the traditional bread, priced at 68,000 VND/loaf. Inside the bread are a variety of ingredients such as: cold cuts, butter, pate, sausage, char siu..., accompanied by cucumber, pickles... Pate and butter are spread in the middle to keep the bread crust crispy. The shop owner has repeatedly affirmed in the media that all ingredients to make the bread are produced according to an exclusive recipe.

The cake is contained in a neat and tidy paper box. “Customers can buy it to enjoy or give as a gift,” said a store employee.

In recent years, Huynh Hoa bread has been frozen, packaged, and transported by air to many northern provinces. In Hanoi, a loaf of Huynh Hoa bread "traveling by plane" costs up to 100,000 VND. Before eating, diners put the bread in the refrigerator to defrost naturally and then heat it in the oven.

For customers in provinces neighboring Ho Chi Minh City, the bakery provides vacuum packing and transportation services by car.

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Huynh Hoa bread is quite large, weighing about 400 grams. Photo: Huynh Hoa Bread

Over the years, the price of Huynh Hoa bread has been a controversial topic.

Huynh Hoa bread lovers say: "You get what you pay for". The bread filling is delicious, heavy with pate, pork floss, sausage, ham, char siu, pork, sausage, and pickled vegetables. There are a total of 13 different fillings inside the bread. A loaf of bread can be shared by two people. Many regular customers believe that what makes Huynh Hoa bread famous is the fatty, delicious pate, and the shiny, pink-red surface of the pate.

However, for many people, spending nearly 70,000 VND on a loaf of bread is "unimaginable". "A loaf of bread costs as much as I spend to cook breakfast for a family of four"; "A 68,000 VND/loaf of bread is only for the city's rich or a group of curious people, while the general public can only buy bread for 18,000 VND";... - some people commented.

Nhu Khanh - Linh Trang

The newly opened Trang Bread shop in Ho Chi Minh City has attracted a lot of attention on social networks because of its appearance, ingredients, and price being similar to the famous Huynh Hoa Bread. Even the rumors surrounding the relationship between the two shop owners have been widely shared.