A Banh Mi for Two

a very good 3 of 5-star read a sapphic story about vietnamese history and food. vietnamese american Vivi travels to Vietnam for the first time to find her relatives, instead she finds her favorite food blogger. i found most of the books setting in asian country could also been in America as well. however, thanks to the vietnamese history that was woven into the (background) story of Vivi, it felt right, that this book's setting is Saigon. Nevertheless, it also felt like the author has never been to Saigon herself. the description of the places, buildings, sounds was so generalized (and sometimes not even fitting), for a person like me who traveled regularly to Saigon, whose parents grew up there, it felt very romanticized. which for Vivi pov makes sense, not for Lan's tho.

A journey of discovery, fate and grief. Lan and Vivi both have their own problems regarding their family and recognising what home means to them. When they meet on one fatefull evening in SaiGon their lives will change drastically. Will it be for the better or for worse?