If you’re looking for a sweet romance set in a beautiful city and packed with tantalizing descriptions of food, you will not want to miss this book. It’s also a super quick read at a little over 200 pages.

I love the descriptions of the city of Sài Gòn. The author describes the book as partly her love letter to the city, and that affection comes through on every page of this novel. I felt like I could hear the noise of the city and smell the food made by the street vendors.

Lan and Vivi’s relationship is really sweet. Spending time together and showing an actual person the things she loves about Sài Gòn reinvigorates Lan. The fog of writer’s block that surrounded her begins to dissipate, and she begins writing again. Lan also helps Vivi find her family through her connections with people and her knowledge of the city.

The only thing that seemed a little odd was that we never really see anything about the educational part of Vivi’s study abroad program. I don’t remember there being descriptions of the university or even her traveling to and from classes. It wasn’t a major part of the story, so it wasn’t a big deal. Just something I noticed.

The story alternates between Lan and Vivi’s points of view. Both share complicated relationships with their moms. After losing her dad unexpectedly, Lan wants to protect her mom and support her so much that she’s closed off other parts of her life. Vivi desperately wants to know about her mom’s past in Việt Nam, something her mom refuses to talk about despite their closeness in other ways. I like that the book explores different mother-daughter relationships and the roles of parents and children.

“My Sài Gòn, I realize, is vibrant, full of life and, for me, full of love.”

A Bánh Mì for Two is one of the most beautiful books I’ve had the honor of reading in a while. It brought me to tears so many times, there was just so many beautiful moments and I literally closed the book after the last page and just had to sit there in awe for a few minutes. Lan & Vivi were such wonderful characters to read about, both with so many layers to them and written in a way that I think so many will be able to relate to. Getting to read about Việt Nam and it’s culture through both of their different experiences was such a gift, the way both of their journeys is written was phenomenal in my opinion and it’s one of the best YA books I’ve read this year! I also loved seeing Lan & Vivi just getting to be two girlies falling softly in love, it was so cute and heartwarming. I loved this book so much that no words will do it justice but I highly encourage you all to give this one a read and go on a journey of love and discovery that is full of culture, food and people with complex stories that will tug at your heartstrings!

Additionally, I’m super happy to see this book get a dual release as it will be available in both paperback and hardcover and both with stunning sprayed edges! I think this is so important for teens to be able to have access to meaningful books like this one, I would love to see more of this in publishing!

I have been waiting to read this for so long. I am a sucker for pretty covers, and as soon as I saw this one and then learned it was about food, I KNEW this was basically written for me lol No for real, this had all the makings of a Nikki book and I called it as soon as I heard about it.

Ok so the romance was so cute! Their meet cute was adorable and I always love the secret identity thing. In this one it’s over a blog that serves as so many people’s guide to getting food around Vietnam. (As a fellow blogger I thought this was so cool!) I thought it was the cutest thing that brought the two of them together. It was a lot more emotional than I was expecting, but I loved it all the same.

I really just wanted to hug Lan. I knew she was taking care of her mom, but I felt so sad for her. I could tell she didn’t give herself time to grieve. She took his passing hard and got up for work with her mom every day. She was so strong, but I was upset with her because she needed more. And then there was Vivi who also deserved more. Her mother wouldn’t tell her anything about her history. It clearly stemmed from a bad situation, but it wasn’t something that Vivi was willing to let go of. She deserved to know where she came from and more about her history. I thought she was also so strong. I can’t believe these were two teens. They were stronger than me as an adult lol And yes, I understand that this may be the product of their cultures. (I am not Vietnamese, so I won’t speak on that, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say I was sad for both of these girls and I admired their strength)

Watching the two of them fall for each other had to be my favorite part tho. I loved the different foods they tried together, and I loved the apprehension that Lan had when Vivi told her that her parents didn’t know where she was. I loved that they helped each other with the things most important to them, like the family part and the food blogging contest. It felt like they were doing so much, but still found love in each other. And that was how I knew it was real. I did wish they had a little more time together at the end tho. It was a slow burn, but they were so cute as they were flirting, but they were never official. I wanted to see more of them official, to celebrate with them.

This was a super cute book that I knew I was going to love. I don’t think there was one bad thing about this book. The narrators were amazing, the story was super cute, and the theme of family and love throughout the book were amazing. Definitely a book that I knew was going to love. I hope that y’all pick this up and y’all like it too!

I love a good foodie book but this was so much more than a story of two girls connecting through their love for food.

Vivi’s dream is to go to Sài Gòn, and try all the places her favorite food blogger posts and raves about. But even more so to find out about her family and why her mother never mentions anything about her life in Vietnam. So when she lies to her mom about a study abroad program, Vivi flies off to Sài Gòn with her best friend Cindy.

Miraculously, Vivi bumps into Lan, the blogger herself! The two strike a deal: Lan will help Vivi navigate the city, and in return, Vivi will help Lan with her writers block to enter a journalism contest. But as the two girls spend more and more time together, they start developing feelings for each other and realize that there might be more to dreams than what they thought.

A Bánh Mì for Two’s writing was enchanting, from chapter 1 I couldn’t put it down, all the descriptions made me feel like I was in a city I’ve only seen through pictures. I loved the dual POV because it let us see both sides of the coin, the city from a local perspective and from the side of someone who dreamed to be there.

Like I mentioned it was so much more than a foodie romance, it is a book about grief, dreams, opportunities and about leaving; and that’s what made it so relatable. My only issue with it is that I wish it would’ve been longer and that we got to see a more developed ending, I was hoping to get more of the family background story.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group | Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks for a copy of A Bahn Mi for Two in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning of A Banh Mi for Two, by Trinity Nguyen, is a love letter to food. Vietnamese dishes are passionately described by Lan — a food blogger — and Vivi, her superfan and tourist to Sài Gòn. Imagine narration of paté melting in your mouth and fish roe bursting on your tongue.

As the novel progresses, these images of food become fewer and farther between as Lan’s and Vivi’s relationship deepens. The two work hard to solve each other’s problems, and the settings are still vividly written, but the focus shifts to the city at large. The two young women’s worlds become wider, and so must the text.


The sweet, fluffy romance between Vivi and Lan puts Nguyen’s book squarely in the YA category. The love story is cute, but A Banh Mi for Two has more intriguing elements. Much of this novel deals with complex cultural and historical issues.

One of Nguyen’s most successful ways of handling these issues is by never getting too preachy or leaning too hard into overt explanation or exposition. Part of this is possible because Vivi is learning along with the reader. Nguyen does an excellent job of “dropping” the reader into the cultural landscape. These pages are filled with Vietnamese that is often untranslated — a strength in the writing. Both Vivi and Lan have much to learn about Sài Gòn, and we explore along with them.

Vivi is the Angeleno child of two Vietnamese immigrants. She doesn’t feel like she’s quite American or fully Vietnamese, a familiar feeling among second-generation folk. Vivi desperately wants to know more about her family history, but she can only push so hard because she needs to respect her parents. It does stretch believability that Vivi can get away with lying about where her study abroad program is; however, the fact that she has that plan is a strong choice that speaks to her desperation.

Meanwhile, Lan is plagued by filial piety of a different nuance. She promised her deceased father she’d always take care of her mother. Essentially, Lan has put her entire life on hold to do so. Neither her mom nor her cousin-cum-brother have asked her to do that. More importantly, they don’t want her to. That Lan cannot look past her internalized guilt feels real.

A Banh Mi for Two is a tightly-paced, quick read. There’s much to love here. It has a broad audience but might be especially meaningful for Vietnamese Americans. The book also works as a novel about travel and food.

A Banh Mi for Two comes out on August 20, 2024. You can grab a copy at bookshop.org or your local library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co for the chance to review this book, all opinions are my own.

Beware, you are definitely going to want to eat a bánh mì sandwich after finishing this book!

A Bánh Mì for Two is the story of teens Lan and Vivi, Lan runs a Sài Gòn bánh mì cart with her mom while also writing a super popular food blog about Sài Gòn. She is also still grieving her father who passed away 4 years before. Vivi is Vietnamese American and has always been curious about her family back in Vietnam but her mom refuses to talk about them. So she fakes a study aboard trip to Singapore and instead does one in Vietnam! Very sneaky. She is also a huge fan of Lan’s blog.

The two girls run into each other (literally) in Sài Gòn and become friends. Lan helps Vivi find her family, and Vivi helps Lan fall in love with writing about food again. Feelings develop! There is drama! So much delicious food is eaten!

Overall I thought the story was very sweet and I loved getting to learn about Sài Gòn through Vivi’s eyes. While it didn’t blow me away with its emotional depth, I did feel Lan’s grief over losing her father and her struggle to do something for herself instead of her family. The story truly shines in its vivid portrayal of Sài Gòn (the visuals were so well written) and I was dying to try all of the street food they were eating.

A very sweet sapphic love story that will make you crave a trip to Sài Gòn and a bánh mì sandwich!

4.25 stars

This book is sweet, heartfelt, and explores complicated relationships in a way that feels believable. The tension between the teens and their parents is realistic, and i love the way the romance develops!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Colored Pages Book Tours and the author for the free copy.

I loved this book. The romance, the food, the family dynamics, there are so many things in it that made this reading experience everything I wanted.

I loved the blog aspect, Lan and Vivi sharing a bond through food and words, exploring Sài Gòn and its magic. The story will definitely make you hungry and also wish you were walking through the street food markets of the city. We see the characters getting to know each other during their time together and the romance that develops between them is the sweetest thing ever.

I loved both main characters, but I think I related to Lan a little more. They are both dealing with conflicting feelings about their respective families in different ways and we get to see this dynamic play out, especially with their mothers.

Even though this is a romance, I think there are other parts of the story that will stick with me for a long time. The conversation about heritage, grief, generational trauma and diaspora make this a story with so many layers that you just have to read.

thank you so much to netgalley and colored pages blog tours for the early copy! all opinions are my own!

4.5 stars of SUCH CUTENESS AND HEARTBREAK 😱😱😱
i didn't expect to fall in love with Vietnam so much after reading this book. and i feel it deserves more love because the way it highlights the story of those who suffered too much during and after the war, something even i didn't know because history never talks about it. and i adored how it described the city and how important street food is for everyone, i really need to try Vietnamese food after this lsdkfj and don't get me started on the characters. VIVI AND LAN ARE SO FREAKING CUTE AND I ADORED THEM WITH MY ENTIRE BEING 😭😭😭 i really enjoyed how they met and how everything came together, they made me smile so much. my only complaint is that it goes TOO FAST!! i literally had to force myself to stop because i didn't want it to end and the story was flowing so smoothly and wanted to enjoy it more. i still think the ending was too rushed and the drama didn't last long but that's my only complain.
and yes, in case you haven't realized, you HAVE to read this beauty 😍😍😍 long live my beautiful sapphics and vietnam!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fine book. Not spectacular, not particularly bad - just fine. Good. Incredibly short, leading to a lot of underdevelopment.
The conflict between Vivi and her mother was resolved WAY too fast and WAY too easily. The same can be said about Lan and Vivi's relationship. They barely know each other, and suddenly they are saying that they love each other - too much insta-love for me.

Cute overall, and great themes of figuring out where you belong in regards to immigration and displacement.

This was such an adorable romance!

I honestly feel delighted to have read a non-slow burn romance. It felt refreshing. It also felt extremely nice for the plot to not revolve solely around their romance or their sexuality, but instead around them discovering the other parts of themselves and their identity.

Omg this was so cute, I loved the atmosphere of cooking and also the food and it made me so hungry but also butterflies!

As a Vietnamese-American who also visited Saigon for the first time around the same age as Vivi, this book really hit close to home with all the references. I love a good food-related story and enjoyed this book overall!

I enjoyed the central themes to this story. There’s a heavy focus on love and chasing your dreams. Lan is a passionate writer but she’s grappling with grief and a deep sense of familial obligation. Vivi desires to know more about the country her parents are from yet her mother will never speak about. She also suspects she has family she knows nothing about but desperately wants to.

I liked both characters and the way their stories intertwined. I liked the way they supported and encouraged each other.

Overall this is a very sweet debut!

"A Báhn Mì for Two" by Trinity Nguyen is a heartwarming story for both adult and YA romance readers, particularly those who enjoy sapphic romance, incredible food, and rich cultural heritage.

The sweet, non-spicy, nature of this story was so refreshing and, while it took me a little while to fully invest in MCs Vivi and Lan, by the time Vivi made it to Viêt Nam and ran into Lan I was enthralled with both their individual and shared journeys. With moments of pure joy and utter heartbreak, Nguyen's writing is incredible descriptive and engaging. Thank you NetGalley and McMillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC.

This was a cute book with two very emotional stories. One story is Lan, who lives in Vietnam with her mother and they run a banh mi stall. The other is Vivi, a Vietnamese- American from California that goes to Vietnam to find the reason her mother left so many years ago. These two young ladies find each other and discover Saigon through each others eyes. They do find a romantic connection with each other, but this was not a book that was big on romance. It was very sweet. As a Vietnamese- American who has only lived in the states and has only been to Vietnam once, I could see the city I saw in the story I was reading. The reference to the city and the market were perfect and had me right back there again! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for a e-arc of this title.

many thanks to trinity nguyen for providing me with this e-arc. i reached out to her in exchange for an honest reviews, this doesn't affect my rating

warning: more ramblings than review. read at your own risk lol

somehow this universe has decided that i would have to read a book that talks about motherly love right before i move out of my mom's place, but i have to say that i have cherished this book ever since its announcement till the last sentence. for many years i have yearned for a sapphic vietnamese rep that takes place in vietnam, and trinity nguyen's book has been a wonderful gift to my bisexual vietnamese heart, even more so when i learned that, at the heart of this book, resides one of my favorite things about vietnamese culture: streetfood, particularly the relationship of food and love in vietnamese culture.

at first, it took me a while to get into this book, because i wasn't used to have so many vietnamese references, ones that can only be written by those that know vietnamese culture so intimately. for a long time one of my complains with diasporia literature is that the writing and the using of vietnamese terms often seem "inauthentic" to the lack of accent. nguyen's writing portrayed vietnamese culture in an incredible way that makes my heart yearns for my homeland, because she used non-westernized names for "ethnic" cultural terms, and that i deeply appreciated.

the thing is, the book is not exceptional by any mean as a "romance", with the young writer's prose and the insta-love, but ultimately this book is a love letter to vietnam, to its culture, to parenthood, to youth and to the love that exists in this world. per se i didn't concentrate properly on the romance aspect of vivi's and lan's queer relationship (although i deeply appreciate the existence of the rep) i find myself loving the representation of every forms of love that exists in vietnamese society and its many nuances. for many times throughout the years i have found myself in conflict with my mother, being raised in the "west" and experienced another kind of love than the one i could observe around me. but growing up i recognized the ambivalence in which a person can love in different socio-cultural context, and for that i am wholeheartedly moved by the way trinity nguyen wrote about parenthood, biological and otherwise that is constantly present in vietnamese society. the last sentence of the book moved me to tears, because in the end it's all about the people we care about in life, no matter the kind of relation we have, and how we express our love towards them. for that, i am grateful that this book exists.

What a beautiful story about love, self love, traveling, and finding yourself. This book immerses you into the city and you can’t help but feel like you’re walking the streets and enjoying the sights and sounds.

We will always love fellow blogs. Here we support other blogs and now I need the A Bánh Mì for Two blog! We love not only the influence she has as a food blogger, but also the ways she uses her influence to help out other spots and food stalls. A Bánh Mì for Two is a dual POV treat. From the start, I loved how Vivi navigates visiting Vietnam for the firs time. For her to go 'home' and feel both familiar and strange at the same time. To navigate the secrets her mother has been keeping, to learn about Vietnam, and to connect the dots of her heart.

I received an advanced copy for review. This is my own opinion.

Stories that center around food and family are some of my favorites, and combining them is, forgive the on the nose idiom, chef's kiss.

Vivi is American, born to Vietnamese parents, though her mother refuses to talk about her home. Lan is from Sài Gòn, where she works at her family's bánh mì stand. Vivi comes to Vietnam for a study abroud program, having lied to her parents about where she went. A Bánh Mì for Two, Lan's blog is a huge part of the reason for Vivi's trip, and when the two girls meet, they work together to find Vivi's family and work on a story for a writing contest for Lan.

Both girls' journeys reflect the importance of food and family and being honest with yourself, even if what you find may not be what you expected.

The romance is very cute and sweet, and this was a quick read! I loved reading about the girls' exploration of Sài Gòn. It was so descriptive and lovely, it was like I was there with them.

Thanks to Netgalley, Trinity Nguyen, and Macmillan for the arc!