On the busy Tran Phu Street in District 5, HCMC, among the secondhand bookshops, sits a humble banh mi cart. Behind it is a couple whose love story transcends continents and cultures. Pham Thi Xuan Thao, a Chinese-Vietnamese former kindergarten teacher, now proudly runs this modest business. Her partner, Reinaldo Toledo Pino, hailing from Cuba with a background in agriculture, joins her in crafting some of the city’s finest banh mi, Vietnam’s iconic street food. Together, they have overcome life’s challenges and family expectations to build a life far from ordinary. A simple question of love Their story began online, introduced through mutual friends, never imagining how deeply their lives would intertwine. “I did not think he would come,” Thao laughs, remembering how unlikely it all seemed. But Pino did come, leaving behind his life on a Cuban farm to travel halfway across the world for her. When asked why he stays in Vietnam, his answer is straightforward: “Because I love her.” His actions speak louder than words—especially as he speaks neither Vietnamese nor much English. Back in Cuba, Pino lived a simple life with his family, farming honey and raising goats. “It was just farming with my siblings,” he […]
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