Google promotes Vietnamese Banh Mi globally

9th anniversary of ‘banh mi’ being added to the Oxford dictionary, Google homepage displays image of Vietnamese Banh Mi in 12 countries.

Google promotes Vietnamese Banh Mi globally

On March 24th, Vietnamese users saw an image of Banh Mi on the Google homepage. The Google Doodle showcased an animated depiction of the process of making a street-style Banh Mi, featuring distinctive fillings such as pate, sausage, fresh vegetables, pickles… and finally chili sauce. This is a rare occasion of Vietnamese specialty appearing on Google's homepage.

This initiative is applied by the “tech giant” in 12 countries including the USA, Canada, France, Australia, Switzerland, Singapore… All of these are countries with a large number of tourists visiting Vietnam each year. Exactly 9 years ago, on March 24th, 2011, “banh mi” appeared in its original Vietnamese form in the Oxford dictionary – one of the most prestigious English dictionaries in the world, instead of being translated into English like many other dishes. This is the culinary and international community's recognition of the national soul carried by Vietnamese cuisine.

According to Google, Vietnamese Banh Mi is a fusion of French and Vietnamese cultures, from the long baguette bread with cold cuts and butter or cheese from France, the Vietnamese have adapted it into smaller-sized Banh Mi with added characteristic fillings of local cuisine. Over time, Banh Mi has been continuously changed, adapted across regions and creatively reinvented to suit the tastes of diners through different periods. Due to the harmonious blend of Asian and European cuisines, Banh Mi is quite easy to eat, loved by a diverse range of tourists everywhere.

Banh Mi, more than just a dish, becomes a cultural symbol and source of pride for the Vietnamese people. Recently, some Korean tourists' negative remarks about Vietnamese Banh Mi immediately stirred up controversy within the community.

Banh Mi appeared in the national costume segment of Miss Universe 2018 by H’Hen Niê, attracting international media attention. On the anniversary of Banh Mi, the beauty queen also shared some favorite Banh Mi eateries in Saigon like Mrs. Le's Banh Mi on Nguyen Thien Thuat Street.

The most recent Vietnam-related image on Google Doodle was Chua Cau (Hoi An) in July 2019, during the lantern festival and to honor Hoi An as the “best tourist city in the world” as voted by the prestigious world travel magazine Travel + Leisure.

Source: Nguyên Chi/ Ngôi sao

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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide