On February 25, the HCMC Tourism Association announced at a press briefing that the 3rd Banh Mi Festival 2025 will be held at Le Van Tam Park in District 1, HCMC, on March 21-24, featuring a grand buffet of various types of banh mi (Vietnamese stuffed baguettes), Vietnamese dishes and coffee.
With free admission, the four-day Banh Mi Festival is expected to have 150-180 stalls serving different kinds of banh mi from Vietnam and other countries and territories around the world.
This year’s event is expected to attract some 150,000 local and foreign visitors coming to enjoy delicious stuffed banh mi, Vietnamese specialties and coffee, and to take part in exchanges with bakers, chefs and gourmets.
There will be an area displaying banh mi then and now, as well as the history of development of banh mi. The record of 200 seafood dishes served with banh mi will also be recognized at the event, thanhnien.vn reported.
Whale washed ashore at the Whale Worshipping Festival
On February 24, the annual Whale Worshipping Festival was held by fishermen and local people in Man Thai Ward, Son Tra District, Danang City. When the solemn rite was underway, some locals found a dead whale washed ashore in front of the Whale Temple.
The organizing board of the festival told tuoitre.vn that the dead whale was about 1.6 meters long and weighed some 50 kilograms. The temple management board, fishermen and villagers then organized a funeral to bury the whale right at the temple in accordance with traditional rituals.
This year’s Son Tra Whale Worshipping Festival was held in three days for local fishermen and their relatives to extend their respect to the whales, which they consider sacred and helpful to their daily life, and to their ancestors. They also prayed for peace, clement weather, and bumper catches. The festival had many traditional rituals and festivities, including traditional theater, folk singing, coracle sailing, stick pushing, and tug of war.
There are several whale temples built in coastal wards and villages of Danang City’s Thanh Khe, Son Tra and Lien Chieu districts.
Friendship between a girl in wheelchair and her disabled dog
A girl in a wheelchair and her disabled Phu Quoc dog drew attention at Vietnam’s largest international pet festival, InterPetFest 2025, reported the Thanh Nien news site.
Nam, 26, a member of the Ba Na ethnic group, works for Maison Chance, a nonprofit supporting disadvantaged individuals in Vietnam. Originally from Kon Tum Province, she lost mobility at the age of 14 due to illness and has used a wheelchair ever since.
In October, a colleague told Nam about a litter of nine Phu Quoc puppies at Maison Chance’s Dak Nong branch. Eight were adopted, leaving only Y Nau. Initially hesitant due to mobility challenges and the past loss of a pet, Nam decided to take the dog home after meeting him. One incident reinforced their bond. Nam fell in the bathroom, prompting Y Nau to bark and scratch the door until a neighbor arrived.
Encouraged by friends, she later took Y Nau to the festival, where their story attracted attention from many participants. Lieu Nhan, the event’s head, said their presence underscored the importance of animal welfare and the care for disabled pets.
Street vendor in her 80s sells banh mi for VND2,000
Granny Sau, an 89-year-old street vendor in Binh Duong Province, has drawn local attention for selling banh mi at prices far below market levels, charging between VND2,000 and VND7,000 per loaf.
Nguyen Thi Ngang, known locally as “Granny Sau,” has run her small food stall for over 40 years. Despite her old age, Granny Sau carries her banh mi cart daily from her home to Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, nearly 3 kilometers away.
She says her goal is not profit but ensuring that people, especially workers and students, can afford breakfast. Her banh mi contains pork, meatballs, pickled vegetables, and fresh herbs—similar to those sold elsewhere at higher prices. If customers cannot afford a full banh mi, she offers smaller portions or plain bread with soy sauce for VND2,000.
Regular customers appreciate both the price and quality. “It is cheap, but she gives a lot of meat,” Chanh, a regular customer of Granny Sau, told the Tuoi Tre news site.
