A Bánh Mì for Two by Trinity Nguyen (she/her) is the perfect delicacy to round out your February reading. This dual perspective debut novel follows two young women over the course of a semester as they learn more about themselves, each other, and the rich, beautiful, and complex Vietnamese culture that binds them.
Lan is a young Vietnamese woman. She works with her mother and her cousin Triết at their family-owned bánh mì stall in Sài Gòn. A gifted writer, Lan started the food blog A Bánh Mì for Two with her father, but stopped updating it after he passed away. She still updates the A Bánh Mì for Two Instagram account, which features pretty Vietnamese food photos in a curated feed paired with short captions. Lan is a dedicated and dependable daughter who is struggling to identify who she is and what she wants for herself outside of that role.
Vivi is a young bisexual Vietnamese American woman living in Little Saigon in California. She desperately wants to connect more deeply with her Vietnamese culture, but Vietnam is clearly a painful subject for her immigrant parents. Her mother refuses to talk about her upbringing in Sài Gòn or the family she still has there. She also refuses to take Vivi to Vietnam because she says it is too dangerous. Vivi connects with Vietnam through the food blog and Instagram for A Bánh Mì for Two.
During the first semester of Vivi’s freshman year of college, she and her best friend decide to secretly study abroad in Sài Gòn so that Vivi can find her family and truly experience her culture. When Vivi and Lan meet, they are immediately taken with each other and ultimately agree to help each other in their respective endeavors. Lan will help Vivi find her family through some of her mother’s old photographs and Vivi will help Lan start writing again with the goal of entering a food blogging contest with a significant cash prize. As Lan takes Vivi around Sài Gòn and they get closer to finding Vivi’s family, Lan starts to see her beloved home through a new perspective and unpack some of the grief and anxiety that has prevented her from moving forward with her writing and her life.
This book is wonderful. I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the cover of A Bánh Mì for Two is so beautiful and captivating! Lan and Vivi are depicted leaning against opposite sides of Lan’s family’s bánh mì stall, wearing traditional áo dàis and exchanging loving glances. The artist really captured their essence.
Nguyen did a masterful job of weaving Vietnamese language, culture, and history into this novel. She provided lots of context clues so readers who do not read Vietnamese could follow along. She also provided detailed descriptions of not only how the food looks, smells, and tastes, but also how it fits into Vietnam’s history and culture. I came away feeling like I had learned so much by simply being present in Lan and Vivi’s world. Nguyen’s ability to create such an immersive experience was impressive.
I also loved that while this book was undoubtedly queer, the two main characters were not struggling with their queer identities or facing any oppression because of them. Both Lan and Vivi had the typical, “does she like me?” moments, but there was no conflict around the fact that they were two young women who liked each other. While I’m not sure it was entirely realistic, it was refreshing and made me feel hopeful for a future where that is the norm.
A Bánh Mì for Two is not only an endearing story of first love, but a true celebration of Vietnamese culture. I highly recommend it.
Nguyen is a Vietnamese American author and a recent graduate from Franklin Marshall College. She writes about “messy diaspora kids and queer girls with big smiles and big hearts”. You can learn more about her and her writing at trinity-nguyen.com or Instagram @TheTrinityTran.
Trigger warnings for death of a loved one.
Raquel R. Rivera (she/her/ella) is a Latina lawyer and lady lover from New Jersey. She is in a lifelong love affair with books and earned countless free personal pan pizzas from the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program as a kid to prove it.
